RE: Mercedes E55 AMG: Spotted

[W124]

I'll warrant the V8 in any E55 knocks out closer to it's original quoted power than one in an E39 M5. Tricky things to keep in fine fettle I hear. I've done a bit of idle research into rust issues on the W210. Nobody has any idea why some rust and some don't. Is the short answer. It's a shame, because they are lovely to drive. People tend to ignore the serious rust issues on the W124 for some reason. Though they, in reality, are not that much better. Worse sometimes. I've had loads of 124s - they are great but way overvalued these days. The W210 is a better car, if you can find a non rusty one. I will buy an E55 soon. Like all Mercs, they feel much faster than they should. As has been said, MB major on torque curves, they just go do E55s - irrespective of gear or engine speed.

[maxypriest]

I love these and actually driving wise the w210 is leagues ahead of the w124 (I have a 450bhp 124 so please don’t think I don’t like ‘em).

However while 124’s like a bit of rust, 210 are absolutely rampant rotters. I have seen one where the propshaft was so rotten it had to be skipped. The Prop!

[W124]

It's really odd. I had a 240 estate which had no rust at all. Anywhere. It had never had any bodywork at all. Brilliant car. And another which seemed clean yet the tops of all the doors were utterly rotten. Bizarre. They nailed the drive on the 210 I think. People always develop a soft spot for them if they actually drive one. I favour the E430. Like the 190e 2.6 - it's just the perfect mix of gearbox, engine and road manners.

[greghm]

As a Newbie it seems that all the Mercs from this time are all prone to rust. In the same price range,

CL 500
CLK 55

Any takers on these ?

[only1ian]

Mmm... Not convinced this is a good buy. Much rather stick my £5k into one of these:

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/d...

Rarety and investment potential, power and luxury all beat the E55 AMG into the weeds!

[Cheapskate]

Butters said:

Super comfortable cruisers and great as an every day car. My best buddy ran one previously owned by his Father. He ran it daily from Crowborough to the Docklands covering about 70K in 5 years. Super reliable with just normal servicing to keep it going. Off the back of his experience I bought a 2000 CLK 55 AMG which is of the same era. I ran mine for a year and 10K with no problems other than it telling me the brake fluid needed replacing so I did that as part of the service. Oh and the engine mounts needed replacing as they broke! A common fault but cheap to replace.

If you buy one that has been garaged (lacking rust) and has the right history I would recommend it hugely. CLK or E class they are fantastic daily drives. In the end I sold my CLK to buy an M3 as I missed having a manual box but if that's not what you're looking for then do check out these middle generation AMGs.

Interestingly my friend sold his E55 on 152K miles and jumped into the next generation Supercharged version sharing it's drivetrain with the SL55. A huge jump in performance but despite buying one with the right history and low mileage he has had bill after bill. Far more costly to run and I'm not just saying at the pump!

I find myself still looking at the W208 CLKs as some days I really miss my '55. :-)

I was originally looking for an E46 M3 and had always ruled out autos for the lack of engagement. But researching the costs for maintenance on the BMW put me off. It also seemed like everything M-division did made that car fragile, whereas AMG overbuilt the 55 to the point it was a safer bet than the equivalent unfettled model.

If I could change one thing, it would be to have a manual transmission (with LSD). Fortunately, another reason I chose the AMG was the price difference allowed me to keep my 94 MR2 Turbo.

[J4CKO]

I looked at these but at the moment they are in that awkward stage where they arent a classic yet and still tend to be pimped out, having seen some of the rust issues I just didn't want to go there so pick up a CLS 500 at the weekend which wasn't much more expensive despite being 9 years newer and more powerful, it just isnt an AMG model, seems to be a fair tax for a proper AMG badge as most other variants of the W210 are less than 2 grand, W124s tend to be more expensive.

I think things moved on quite substantially in Merc land, 350 bhp is generally not AMG territory any more, unless its an A Class, amazing really that the current equivalent has gained 200 bhp and the nearestr power wise isnt even the top non AMG Model.

I wonder if the German power arms race has slowed down ?

[treetops]

Silver W210s are the absolute rotters when it comes to rust.

Blue and green especially are much less rusty.

Something to do with the process used.

[AC43]

MrHooky said:

Ditto. Paid £4,800 for mine. To my eyes these Mercs look horribly dated. Also lusted after an E39 but a decent one was probably £12k in the same condition as the S8...

That design looks incredibly fresh. Great car too.

[unsprung]

Krikkit said:

unsprung said:

Are the terms "q-car" and "sleeper" interchangeable? Any distinctions in the definition of one versus the other?

Just curious. (enlighten me!)

Not as I understand it.

Q-car comes from the Q-ships in WWII, sleeper is a simpler colloquialism.

Hey thanks. Apparently that "simpler colloquialism" comes from the term sleeper agent.

[RossOCD]

My E55 Estate - owned for the last couple of months...

Agree with most of the comments here, cracking old car with a wonderful V8. Its huge practicality is a bonus to me - mine has the extra 2 seats in the boot too so it really is a great family car. Very well equipped, very comfortable, I use it everyday for short work commute and fully loaded up for family weekends away.

Ive spent quite a bit on this one on since ive had it, brakes, tyres, some body work, wheel refurb etc but its certainly growing on me everyday. Its not handsome like an E39 M5 and it certainly doesnt handle the corners like one (ive owned 2 M5s) but it has strengths in other areas!

P.S - Front brake discs at less £50 each from a Merc main dealer too :-)

[RossOCD]

[RossOCD]

[Leins]

^^^ That's lovely! I actually prefer the look of these to E39s, especially in estate form

[RossOCD]

Its a bit like a song you hear for the first time and hate, then a week later your walking around humming the tune then another week on your downloading it...

When i first bought it I remember telling people yes its ugly but its worth it. Now I find myself looking back at it when i walk away feeling quite pleased with myself!

[MonkeyRacing]

My alternative offering..... E39 Alpina B10.

Does everything the Merc does but better. Prices all over the place. Bought mine Cat D due to a pretty minor shunt, 139k miles for 3 & a half. Sold 4 months later for 4. Wonderful transportation, felt very special and went like the clappers.

[GreenArrow]

only1ian said:

Mmm... Not convinced this is a good buy. Much rather stick my £5k into one of these:

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/d...

Rarety and investment potential, power and luxury all beat the E55 AMG into the weeds!

Nice, but pre 2000 car so could have Nikosail issues, also despite the 370BHP power rating, they are no quicker than an E55....not sure which is the riskier buy, a Jag/Daimler of this vintage or a Merc tbh!!

[MDMA .]

there is one that does the open track days at 3 Sisters near Wigan. silver. not perfect but smokes the rears up on every corner. forgot to get pictures of it the other week.

[GreenArrow]

Yep, the E55 is a formidable beast. I keep old Autocar issues and have the one from 1998 where the E55 competed at the annual handling day award. Driven by the late great David Leslie, the E55 lapped the Silverstone International Circuit in 1:12.89 secs. The then new 996 Carrera 2 was only 0.77 of a sec quicker on 1:12.12. An Elise 190 Sport lapped in 1:12.68 and an EVO 5 in 1:11.93. Those were all very dynamic and fast cars in 1998 yet the E55 got within a second of all of them on a track, so don't anyone call the E55 a cumbersome barge! Of particular note were the brakes, which didn't fade at all apparently, not something you can normally say about M badge cars of the same vintage!!

I have been looking today at an EBAY ad for a blue one, 1 owner; 112K miles, in Warwickshire. Its quite expensive at £6995, but if it genuinely is rust free, I still think its good value compared with an M5.

[parabolica]

Always had a soft spot for these, especially the boxy design and the giant monoblock alloys. Alas its in the "love but will never own" pile due to the reasons stated above.