Discussion
There is an E55AMG for sale on Ebay at the moment, not far from me. Its got a buy it now price of £5495 and is making £2750 with a week today. A couple of concerns for me; 1) how many horses will have escaped now it has 174K miles? Will 354 BHP be only about 300?!! 2) It you read the VOSA MOT history, there are a number of advisories that I am guessing wont have been sorted....how much will this little lot cost?
Alternatively, I have noticed a car up in Chipping Camden which has been for sale for months now, £6495....again EBAY. Its had one owner and according to the VOSA site, doesn't currently have an MOT, BUT the MOT history up to 2015 is very good indeed, with only a few advisories in 7-8 years...
Would the latter one be worth a look, or a punt on the former one if it goes for, say £4K or a bit and hope for the best?!!
Alternatively, I have noticed a car up in Chipping Camden which has been for sale for months now, £6495....again EBAY. Its had one owner and according to the VOSA site, doesn't currently have an MOT, BUT the MOT history up to 2015 is very good indeed, with only a few advisories in 7-8 years...
Would the latter one be worth a look, or a punt on the former one if it goes for, say £4K or a bit and hope for the best?!!
I own a rare and genuinely rust-free W210 E55 and previously test-drove a rot-ridden E55 with 175,000 miles before finding the one I currently have.
I can't recall that much difference in performance. The AMG 5.5's are strong engines but do need regular servicing and Mobil 1 to keep them healthy.
As has been said above, rot is your biggest enemy. It can get everywhere, and I do mean everywhere. A poor repair will manifest itself before long.
Both of the W210's we have owned have suffered rear light cluster electrical issues, but both of ours have been estates and I don't know the saloon is equally afflicted.
There is the usual gearbox oil change to check. At that mileage, it should have had at least one bathwater change. Check if the 'box changes are smooth up and down the gears.
The E55 is becoming rare these days and prices are gradually moving upwards. They aren't always expensive to run and service, but it will help massively if you can find a good specialist or a man who knows them, as we do.
I can't comment on the remedial cost of the advisories as you haven't listed them.
I can't recall that much difference in performance. The AMG 5.5's are strong engines but do need regular servicing and Mobil 1 to keep them healthy.
As has been said above, rot is your biggest enemy. It can get everywhere, and I do mean everywhere. A poor repair will manifest itself before long.
Both of the W210's we have owned have suffered rear light cluster electrical issues, but both of ours have been estates and I don't know the saloon is equally afflicted.
There is the usual gearbox oil change to check. At that mileage, it should have had at least one bathwater change. Check if the 'box changes are smooth up and down the gears.
The E55 is becoming rare these days and prices are gradually moving upwards. They aren't always expensive to run and service, but it will help massively if you can find a good specialist or a man who knows them, as we do.
I can't comment on the remedial cost of the advisories as you haven't listed them.
Edited by SimesJH on Friday 25th March 10:13
Also tempted by this one, It seems promising having had one owner for 15 years and the MOT history shows absolutely no advisories for corrosion...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/mercedes-clk-55-amg-144-...
Not sure how the CLK AMG 55 drives compared with the E Class. They seem to go for less money? In the long term though surely one that will appreciate...
ArmaghMan said:
As a former M5 owner and now the owner of an E55 I can confirm that they seem to be able to keep hold of their horses.
Honestly not much difference between 400bhp M5 and 354bhp E55
I believe you, I think the Merc was 100KG lighter with more torque, so in day to day driving I am sure there isn't a lot to choose between them. I had a friend who traded one about 10 years ago and he swore it was as fast as a 996 that he had on his books at the same time. How many miles has yours done btw?Honestly not much difference between 400bhp M5 and 354bhp E55
GreenArrow said:
ArmaghMan said:
As a former M5 owner and now the owner of an E55 I can confirm that they seem to be able to keep hold of their horses.
Honestly not much difference between 400bhp M5 and 354bhp E55
I believe you, I think the Merc was 100KG lighter with more torque, so in day to day driving I am sure there isn't a lot to choose between them. I had a friend who traded one about 10 years ago and he swore it was as fast as a 996 that he had on his books at the same time. How many miles has yours done btw?Honestly not much difference between 400bhp M5 and 354bhp E55
My search has taken a slight detour; have been attracted by a very clean looking rare CLK430 which is advertised locally. Going to look at it tonight and at £1995 with full MERC history and on 92,000 miles (nothing for one of these), it could prove to be a bargain if its as good as it appears to be....ad definitely says "completely rust free".....we shall see!
I assume most of the positives above apply to the slightly smaller 430 engine....its a n/a Merc V8 after all!
GreenArrow said:
My search has taken a slight detour; have been attracted by a very clean looking rare CLK430 which is advertised locally. Going to look at it tonight and at £1995 with full MERC history and on 92,000 miles (nothing for one of these), it could prove to be a bargain if its as good as it appears to be....ad definitely says "completely rust free".....we shall see!
I assume most of the positives above apply to the slightly smaller 430 engine....its a n/a Merc V8 after all!
Again, no probs with the engine (I had 2 x C43's) but Merc's of that period (C's. CLK's, E's) can rust incredibly badly.I assume most of the positives above apply to the slightly smaller 430 engine....its a n/a Merc V8 after all!
Ba careful it's not just had a recent tidy up.
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