08-14-2012, 01:17 PM | #1 |
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C55 Or E55?
I bought a daily driver a few months ago and somebody offered to buy it and I made $$$$.
Now I'm back to square one. I've been really interested in a 2004+ Mercedes C55 or E55 AMG. I was curious if any of you enthusiast here have any knowledge or input of either car? The AMG engines are bulletproof (so I've researched) and the major repair items are airmatic suspension which is roughly $400 each wheel for the E55. These both seem like amazing cars and I'm kind of leaning towards the E55's supercharged V8 w/ 469 hp and 516tq. Advice? |
08-14-2012, 03:38 PM | #2 |
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Friend had an E55, with-in the first 6 months he had paid easily over $5,000 to fix 'known issues'. By 9-10 months he had spent about $9,000. That's when he decided to get rid of it and pick up an 2008 X5 4.8 as his daily. I'd stay away.
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08-14-2012, 04:05 PM | #3 |
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This was my concern. By any chance did you know what 'known issues" he had to replace?
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08-14-2012, 07:09 PM | #4 |
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I would say the E55. I absolutely HATE the look of the older C classes, very cheap looking inside and out, even the AMG.
E class on the other hand was nice. My dad had an 02 or 03 E320 and it was a quality car. (he now has a SL550 and my mom has the E class ('12 E550)... and the E has kept it's quality over the years. I would definitely go for the E!
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08-14-2012, 08:25 PM | #6 |
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08-14-2012, 11:13 PM | #8 |
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e55!!
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08-15-2012, 01:40 PM | #9 | |
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My knowledge of the M5's maitenance is, if it's not CPO, you can forget it! Thanks for the input though! |
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08-15-2012, 02:47 PM | #10 |
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DD and you want to go for an expensive to maintain vehicle? I would find a different route. But, that's my opinion.
IF you ask me which one? I would say E55; bigger, and much more comfortable to ride in. |
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08-15-2012, 09:58 PM | #11 |
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Sorry but I am not sure what the problems were on his car.
EDIT - I called and this is what he had to say; something to do with the AC, navigation unit needed replacing, exhaust leak and 1 or 2 more problems. Cost was actually over $9,000 to fix. |
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08-16-2012, 02:11 PM | #13 | |
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I'm starting to think the happy medium would be the E550. Has the NA V8 making 382, but doesn't have the extreme maitenance items. |
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08-16-2012, 03:00 PM | #14 | |
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c55 is a na v8
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08-16-2012, 03:37 PM | #16 |
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Take this with a grain of salt as everyone's experience differs, but my wife owned an 06 E55, purchased it new and sold it 3 years later. It was never taken to the dealership other than routine maintenance. The only reason she sold it was it was running out of warranty and she got a ridiculous offer by a buyer after she exported it to Korea.
It felt very solid, everything felt substatial and the car had presence (still does). Handling was vague and questionable as it was for any W211 (this was somewhat corrected with the E63 that came out the next year), but it was extremely comfortable. The torque was absolutely ridiculous. I'd peruse mbworld.org to get a sense of maintenance costs/reliability, etc. For what it's worth, I think the C55 looks pretty nice. If you can swing it, I'd go with the 07 E63 if possible. |
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12-28-2012, 04:34 PM | #18 |
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I know this is a somewhat older post but I was wondering what the OP finally decided? I've been considering both C and E55. My heart wants the extra power and room of the E55.
The E55 seems to have more potential for substantial maintenance bills but could also be just fine, depending on individual vehicle, history, luck etc..what At first the concern was Airmatic but this is really not a bad fix and can be a DIY. What scared me off were the issues with fuel tank leaks that require replacement of the tank. Lots of info on MBWorld forums as I've read. I'm not super concerned about maintenance as I currently have been DD a '91 E34 Dinan stroker M5 for the past 2 years. Probably the best thrill car I've owned. I budgeted about $2k a year in normal maintenance stuff and do a lot DIY so "high" maintenance is all relative. Now I want to get a new DD with good performance and descent reliability so I can park and begin more restoration on the ///M. For me, the C55 makes sense because of the perceived lower maintenance cost plus I can pick one up with 75k-85k miles for under $15k cash. Not bad for this type of performance. So, if OP is still here, what did you decide and why? It may help in my decision as well! Aaron
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12-28-2012, 07:10 PM | #19 |
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W212 for sure. The supercharger with a pully and tune is beaaasstt. If you plan on tracking, trash the airmatic and get some nice KW's.
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12-28-2012, 07:29 PM | #20 |
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E55 kompressor is ALOT faster then the C55 NA motor. E55 is on a different level.
ride is better in the E55 aswell and a lot rommier. C55 is super rare! And I think looks awesome. Almost got it once myself. Looks nothing like other C class models. Maintenance costs for the C55 would be less then the E55 Kompressor for sure. My cousin has had a E55 for 5 years, airmatic suspension went, balls joints, gas line leak, oil level sensor failure, AC/heat control failure, and I think that it is. Otherwise its been fine, no Crazy expensive repair costs or failures otherwise and he drives hard. Btw as for E60 M5's, 2006/2007 stay away from. Many issue and recalls. Look for a decent mileage 08 or a reliable 09/10 that have everything up to date. SMG tranny is amazing, and V10 motor sounds and top end goes! E60 M5 has some great technology, like heads up display which is amazing IMHO, and the side bolsters that move when you turn. IMHO, all around better car the the E55, handling/braking, Cool 7 speed SMG tranny compared to the 5 speed in the E55.
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Last edited by 5soko; 12-29-2012 at 10:40 AM.. |
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12-30-2012, 11:43 AM | #21 |
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I vote for C55.. they are rare and with the n/a motor the maintenance cost should be somewhat lower than the supercharged e55
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12-30-2012, 12:59 PM | #22 |
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I think I agree on the C55. It should be less to maintain and although the W211 E55 would be roomier and quicker all around, I lose nothing to my '91 E34 M5. And the overall cheaper cost to acquire and maintain the C vs the E means I can keep my M5 off the street more. I just don't know how the AMG and M cars would behave in the garage together. My M will probably hate me for it!
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