RE: Mercedes E-Class AMG: Market Watch

RE: Mercedes E-Class AMG: Market Watch

Saturday 28th November 2015

Mercedes E-Class AMG: Market Watch

With the next-gen E63 looming PH takes a look back at the market for its predecessors



The BMW M5 may dominate the super saloon sector but AMG versions of the Mercedes E-Class have always been there, the mismatch between the lunacy of the performance - the latest will hit 62mph in less than four seconds - and traditional sobriety of the looks always appealing. That ability to blend executive comfort with heroic performance makes a drive in any generation of AMG E-Class irresistible.


Monstrously fast yet prestigious and practical, both the saloons and estates offer genuinely astonishing performance, nearly all built around various forms of highly-tuned, hand-finished V8 powerplants. The capacity and induction has changed over the years though, with both supercharging and turbocharging employed - alongside normal aspiration - to enable AMG to wring every last horse out of their motors. And that has led to sky-high price tags, not to mention running costs to test the most optimistic man maths calculations.

But that wonder of the used car market - depreciation - has ensure that a few years down the line almost all of Mercedes mighty AMG E-Classes can be bought for just a fraction of their initial cost. So whether it's a boxy W210, a svelte W211 or a cutting edge W212 that most takes your fancy there's a charismatic AMG E-Class out there to suit almost all budgets.

But which - if any - are appreciating in value? Which make the best buys at the moment? And which AMG E-Classes are most likely to become future classics?


Introduction
Mercedes Benz W210 E55 AMG (1996-2002)
Mercedes Benz W211 E55 AMG (2003-2009)

Mercedes Benz W212 E63 AMG(2009-)


Many thanks to Simon Thomas, Prestige Car Service, CKS Performance Ltd, Cliff Mealing, Steve Perrett, Mercedes-Benz World (0870 400 4000), Autoclass MK, the Mercedes Benz Owners forum and the MB Club for their help with this feature





Photos: Tom Begley

Author
Discussion

MDMA .

Original Poster:

8,849 posts

100 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
quotequote all
it would have to be the W211 for me. friend had one. just looked and sounded right. not too OTT, just a hint of what it could be capable of.

wouldn't like to think what the running costs would be for a daily though.

DKL

4,480 posts

221 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
quotequote all
Your dates are a bit squiffy ^^ e55 stopped in 06 and e63 starts, as is in the article.
s211 estate here, its great.

Leins

9,419 posts

147 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
quotequote all
I wish a W124 E60 could be bought for a small fraction of its original cost

buckline

377 posts

162 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
quotequote all
Timely as i have the W212 estate in my sights as the "new" family car. I was hoping to do a comparison with the new shape RS6 but the Audi's are holding their value comparatively well; so only the S6 Avant will come into play. I suspect i know which one will come out on top though.

eldoncino

7 posts

147 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
quotequote all
I run an W210 E55 as a daily driver, 8 miles each way, just about gets time to warm up the 8 litres of oil. It averages around 18mpg, but on a run, driving like a grandad the heady heights of 30mpg are possible! Be prepared to spend the money when it comes to servicing and budget £1000 a year (for a higher mileage example). Tyres are around £180 a corner for decent ones.

Expect to have to fix oil leaks, the gaskets and o-rings on these engines are pretty old now. The traction control is pretty basic and cuts power a bit too much when it kicks in.

Mine has rusty wings and for some reason, someone did a bad job of fitting an aftermarket sunroof at some point in its life which no longer works banghead

But very comfy, refined and comically quick for the money and with 2 of the 4 cats removed it sounds fantastic.

Do it!

mcbook

1,384 posts

174 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
quotequote all
buckline said:
Timely as i have the W212 estate in my sights as the "new" family car. I was hoping to do a comparison with the new shape RS6 but the Audi's are holding their value comparatively well; so only the S6 Avant will come into play. I suspect i know which one will come out on top though.
A 212 estate would be my preference too. Very handsome looking cars, ridiculous performance and enough room for a family's gear in the back. Unfortunately still well out of my price range though :-(

r.g.

601 posts

211 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
quotequote all
For me, it's the W211 E63 Estate. No finer seven seat vehicle around, but then I may be a little biased.

AC43

11,435 posts

207 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
quotequote all
Of all of them I have a hankering after the W211/S211. For the motor if nothing else.

jimiE55

29 posts

100 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
quotequote all
I hope it is the W211 E55 that appreciates. However i would say that i own one. Great cars, nothing like the Torque from these Supercharged V8's. Also loads of scope for Performance increase, with the Engine and gearboxes good for 700Bhp, & the same Torque figures.

Dagnut

3,515 posts

192 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
quotequote all
I looked at a lot of W210 E55's and they do not wear well...the problem is a good one will bring you near an E39 M5..and there really is no comparison.

daveenty

2,357 posts

209 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
quotequote all
I think the W211 is the best one they made. Never had one but had the E55 version of it.

Presently running a modded W212 E62 (albeit the twin turbo one) which is a nice place to be, but still prefer the looks of the 211...

Benjaminbopper

143 posts

168 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
quotequote all
I'm looking at these right now, but interestingly I live in the USA so it's a little different. Sadly there are pretty much no wagons of any variants, bar the latest model and they are $60k+.

The USA is obsessed with hp, so a very high percent of E55's are modded. Also, people drive everywhere and don't blink at 200 mile road trips every other weekend. So again, mileage on average is about 15-20k a year vs. the U.K. 10k. Where I'm going with this is that reliability is a big factor. My research suggests the 5.5 engine blocks (210/211) and transmissions are pretty solid with not many problems reported. Nearly all issues are ancillaries and electrical gremlins.

I'm leaning towards a w211 e63. It being end of model life I believe reliability should be better and it also benefits from the newer mct gearbox (something the article doesn't mention). They are about 15% more than e55's but owners reporting running costs around 30% less. Now all I have to do is find one with sensible miles!

Geoffcapes

670 posts

163 months

Thursday 26th November 2015
quotequote all
Just bought an E350 AMG Sport Diesel (W212), as I couldn't justify the ruinous MPG, as it's a work car.

Having compared it to the E63, yes the E63 sounds better and goes much quicker from the off. However, in gear, there's not a lot in it as the 350 has a huge amount of Torque.

I'm more than happy with mine, and can get 50 mpg.

However, if I had an oil well at the bottom of my garden I'd get the E63.


jakesmith

9,461 posts

170 months

Thursday 26th November 2015
quotequote all
Geoffcapes said:
However, in gear, there's not a lot in it
Having been in an E63 I find this hard to believe

Utterpiffle

831 posts

179 months

Thursday 26th November 2015
quotequote all
jakesmith said:
Geoffcapes said:
However, in gear, there's not a lot in it
Having been in an E63 I find this hard to believe
As lovely as that car is, an E350 with AMG sport trim is certainly not an AMG.


Nickbrapp

5,277 posts

129 months

Thursday 26th November 2015
quotequote all
Geoffcapes said:
the best looking saloon merc have made in a long long time, it just looks so muscular, nicer than any other car in the class from the outside. shame they melted it with the facelift

turboteeth

350 posts

161 months

Thursday 26th November 2015
quotequote all
Good article!
I use my w211 e55 as a daily and it's absolutely perfect as an all rounder.
Nobody bats an eyelid until you floor the throttle and unleash the beast!

Now considering a w212 e63 but just not sure it looks as good - so will probably stick with the 55 for a while longer!

If the wife falls pregnant for a third time this will be my excuse for a '63 7 seater!

RoverP6B

4,338 posts

127 months

Thursday 26th November 2015
quotequote all
W211 or W212.1 M156-engined E63 for me, preferably in estate form. The W211 E55 was quite a nice thing, though.

kmack

157 posts

132 months

Thursday 26th November 2015
quotequote all
Heres a photo of a friends W210 after a couple of bad winters.

http://www.mfatw.com/Pics/2014Surgery/Day6/RustPil...

Dapster

6,875 posts

179 months

Thursday 26th November 2015
quotequote all
Leins said:
I wish a W124 E60 could be bought for a small fraction of its original cost
There one on my list....this one's €90k!!




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