A well researched Brave Pill? - 2004 E55 AMG Wagon
Discussion
I have always been a massive petrolhead, and could reel off all sorts of obscure Top Trumps figures from an early age. I grew up watching the BTCC on TV, and went to see it at Thruxton whenever we could. I always had a car magazine subscription on the go, whether it be TopGear, EVO or even Auto Express or Whatcar (used to rotate to whichever gave the best free gift or best 6-issues-for-a-fiver). The thing was, I was never that fussed by supercars. I loved touring cars like the BTCC and DTM. I grew up after the heyday of the supertouring era, but still just about caught TOCA on Playstation and had all the Scalextric Supertourers. Seeing pictures of the 850R hoon round a racetrack was awesome. And this is where it started. I loved the fact that Audi, BMW and Mercedes built supercar-rivaling "normal cars". And estates, well they were just cool. I was always looking out (or listening out) for them on the roads or at car shows. I was probably about 15 when I became set on buying an E63 estate.
Fast forward a year and I am looking at buying my first car. I learn that the biggest influence in my purchase will be the insurance. I have 2 other criteria - big boot space for bicycles etc, and not something tragic (a Skoda Roomster had been suggested by Dad.....) I learn that insurance is random. Ok I can't go stupid with the engines, but I don't have to go boring. Obscure is good. A few nights on ebay, and whoops, I am 16 and have bought my first car:
18 months later and I have had a great first year driving, the pickup was great fun. No power steering, no ABS, no airbags, lowish power (68hp), fairly light (900kg) and fairly wide tyres (195) meant it was a proper go-kart. Taught me a lot, and not to mention the attention it got. However I wanted something faster, and a bit more stable on the motorway ready for when I moved up to the Midlands after Sixth Form. Enter obscure car 2.....
Original plan was a mk3 Mondeo ST TDCI. 155bhp and the best Ford paint colour ever (Performance Blue) seemed a brilliant but realistic proposition. However another mad idea cropped up as it became apparent that the crash statistics of the S-max 2.5t were even more favorable than the Mondeo. And it was considerably faster and very tuneable. Enter 213bhp (260 after superchip) of people carrier.....
Of course my friends were confused. To confuse matters more my parents had a dark blue S-max diesel. Everyone thought I had my parents car, when I told them I was mine they thought I must have a secret wife and kids. Nope I was an 18 year old with a 7 seater just because it was cheap to insure for its performance. Most of them came around to it when they realised a) 5 cylinders make a cool noise b) it was actually quite fast c) they paid more for a black box policy on their 1.0 Corsa.
S-max served me well for 3.5 years. Took it to Europe twice (achieving a record 37mpg). Used the seven seats twice (Creamfields and Club Taxi). Moved some big things (including a 6ft 5" Fridge). Moved house 4 times. I still loved the car, and I thought with it's factory bodykit and the BBS rims it looked really smart. Truly phenomenally practical. If I ever had 3 or more kids, would 100% go back to one. Was a truly fab car, however I was still working on that E63. Insurance was coming down, and so were the market prices.....
Probably been researching my ideal E63 properly since about 2017. I soon discovered my ideal E63 was actually an E55. Everything I read said the E55 was more reliable, more exciting power delivery, easier to tune (and in turn faster) and were cheaper. The E63 redeemed itself on noise and legendary status. However my budget was going to be W211/S211 era cars, and that meant a 63 would be an early M156 engine, which comes with all sorts of risks from headbolts, cams, injectors etc etc.... With the '55 M113k, all I needed was a well maintained car with good service history, and a post '53 after the radiator issue update. I hadn't realised how popular the E55 was in America, and the prices there are ridiculously cheap currently. This has brought a lot of them to the drag racing and Youtube scene, so loads of fresh info on them regarding problems, maintenance and pushing the tuning boundaries. There are E55's across the pond with 400,000 miles still going strong. Of course every petrolhead I know was keen to point out a mid-2000's Mercedes will definitely break, possibly rust, and and AMG will most definitely bankrupt me. I was not deterred.
We then reach the present day. I have many saved searches across all the sales sites, but no intentions of buying an E55 till next year at minimum. However then the stars seemed to align.... a very tidy E55 I have been watching is reduced substantially, insurance is at a low point, I currently do <5000 miles a year and S-max sales are strong. In a whirlwind of events, I become the owner of the Wagon you see below, and sell my S-max privately the following week. I actually commit to buying it whilst on holiday abroad! And yes, those who have worked out the dates, the insurers have trusted a 21 y/o with 500hp of AMG for a very reasonable price....
Meet Elizabeth the E55:
And yes she has the 'Cheese Floor' as per below:
The list price of Elizabeth in 2004 was £75,370 - about £115k today. Scary depreciation.
In the words of Clarkson - What a machine!
Now place your bets on how much this is going to cost me (excluding all the tanks of V-power) ....... Hint my wallet is already 2 batteries lighter (yes it has two!).
Fast forward a year and I am looking at buying my first car. I learn that the biggest influence in my purchase will be the insurance. I have 2 other criteria - big boot space for bicycles etc, and not something tragic (a Skoda Roomster had been suggested by Dad.....) I learn that insurance is random. Ok I can't go stupid with the engines, but I don't have to go boring. Obscure is good. A few nights on ebay, and whoops, I am 16 and have bought my first car:
18 months later and I have had a great first year driving, the pickup was great fun. No power steering, no ABS, no airbags, lowish power (68hp), fairly light (900kg) and fairly wide tyres (195) meant it was a proper go-kart. Taught me a lot, and not to mention the attention it got. However I wanted something faster, and a bit more stable on the motorway ready for when I moved up to the Midlands after Sixth Form. Enter obscure car 2.....
Original plan was a mk3 Mondeo ST TDCI. 155bhp and the best Ford paint colour ever (Performance Blue) seemed a brilliant but realistic proposition. However another mad idea cropped up as it became apparent that the crash statistics of the S-max 2.5t were even more favorable than the Mondeo. And it was considerably faster and very tuneable. Enter 213bhp (260 after superchip) of people carrier.....
Of course my friends were confused. To confuse matters more my parents had a dark blue S-max diesel. Everyone thought I had my parents car, when I told them I was mine they thought I must have a secret wife and kids. Nope I was an 18 year old with a 7 seater just because it was cheap to insure for its performance. Most of them came around to it when they realised a) 5 cylinders make a cool noise b) it was actually quite fast c) they paid more for a black box policy on their 1.0 Corsa.
S-max served me well for 3.5 years. Took it to Europe twice (achieving a record 37mpg). Used the seven seats twice (Creamfields and Club Taxi). Moved some big things (including a 6ft 5" Fridge). Moved house 4 times. I still loved the car, and I thought with it's factory bodykit and the BBS rims it looked really smart. Truly phenomenally practical. If I ever had 3 or more kids, would 100% go back to one. Was a truly fab car, however I was still working on that E63. Insurance was coming down, and so were the market prices.....
Probably been researching my ideal E63 properly since about 2017. I soon discovered my ideal E63 was actually an E55. Everything I read said the E55 was more reliable, more exciting power delivery, easier to tune (and in turn faster) and were cheaper. The E63 redeemed itself on noise and legendary status. However my budget was going to be W211/S211 era cars, and that meant a 63 would be an early M156 engine, which comes with all sorts of risks from headbolts, cams, injectors etc etc.... With the '55 M113k, all I needed was a well maintained car with good service history, and a post '53 after the radiator issue update. I hadn't realised how popular the E55 was in America, and the prices there are ridiculously cheap currently. This has brought a lot of them to the drag racing and Youtube scene, so loads of fresh info on them regarding problems, maintenance and pushing the tuning boundaries. There are E55's across the pond with 400,000 miles still going strong. Of course every petrolhead I know was keen to point out a mid-2000's Mercedes will definitely break, possibly rust, and and AMG will most definitely bankrupt me. I was not deterred.
We then reach the present day. I have many saved searches across all the sales sites, but no intentions of buying an E55 till next year at minimum. However then the stars seemed to align.... a very tidy E55 I have been watching is reduced substantially, insurance is at a low point, I currently do <5000 miles a year and S-max sales are strong. In a whirlwind of events, I become the owner of the Wagon you see below, and sell my S-max privately the following week. I actually commit to buying it whilst on holiday abroad! And yes, those who have worked out the dates, the insurers have trusted a 21 y/o with 500hp of AMG for a very reasonable price....
Meet Elizabeth the E55:
And yes she has the 'Cheese Floor' as per below:
The list price of Elizabeth in 2004 was £75,370 - about £115k today. Scary depreciation.
In the words of Clarkson - What a machine!
Now place your bets on how much this is going to cost me (excluding all the tanks of V-power) ....... Hint my wallet is already 2 batteries lighter (yes it has two!).
Mikebentley said:
That’s great, and I love the plate. The S Max is one of the most underrated and practical cars I have ever owned.
Thank you, I am a sucker for a good car related plate, and thought this one fitted rather well! As a full length plate I think it is subtle enough for the non-petrolhead to still be none the wiser that this is not an E320 etc etcTommie38 said:
Brilliant! Modifications planned? Any issues?
More info required OP!
It's already about 540hp (750nm ish), but one job is to get that dyno'd. Happy with the performance for the moment! Also happily sits in the 11-25% increase bracket on my insurance like that! A 68mm pulley could push it to 600 but I think you could do with split cooling, injectors, exhaust etc really then, not going down that route. I am a fan of the OEM+ look (bling wheels being an exception).More info required OP!
Talking of wheels, I am on the look out for some , either the option 19" splits from factory or possibly some BBS CK Air or LM or E88.
Touch wood other than replacing the 15yr old batteries and a broken intake hose we are all good, few niggles with items such as parking sensors and TPMS but nothing specific to the AMG. Will work through them all slowly myself, should be plug and play new sensors. I am more likely to have generic S211 issues than AMG issues I think!
You sound like me, I didn't go through with it but at 16 I was convinced a Suzuki X90 was going to be my first car.
1.6, 2rd, 2 seater, T Top....shame it looked horrendous.
I also ended up with an Accord Type R at 19 whereas the less powerful Ep3 was uninsurable.
Best of luck with it
1.6, 2rd, 2 seater, T Top....shame it looked horrendous.
I also ended up with an Accord Type R at 19 whereas the less powerful Ep3 was uninsurable.
Best of luck with it
Well done. I bought one of these earlier this year, I’m twice your age and I was telling my son yesterday that if I had this at 21 I’d probably be dead. So don’t do that.
They forgot to put that big house like bit on the back of mine (it’s a saloon). I’d have preferred an estate but one came up in the right condition but wrong shape and colour.
Enjoy the experience. Great that you’re experiencing a V8 supercharged!
They forgot to put that big house like bit on the back of mine (it’s a saloon). I’d have preferred an estate but one came up in the right condition but wrong shape and colour.
Enjoy the experience. Great that you’re experiencing a V8 supercharged!
Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 30th September 23:10
Nice car op. I had a saloon version of one of these. They are amusingly good fun in a straight line, but less so in the Twisties. Do you know if yours is an 804 or 805 build car? If it's 805 build it'll have a 200mph Speedo and the grill above the AC controls will look pleasant, rather than a lump of plastic grill.
540bhp is the sweet spot. Going higher is a bit unnecessary with these. Has it had the TCU update? Has the IC pump ever been changed?
540bhp is the sweet spot. Going higher is a bit unnecessary with these. Has it had the TCU update? Has the IC pump ever been changed?
Thank you all, It definitely seems to be a well received choice!
RhysH said:
Great car! since getting my 320CDI have been looking at these, however I need something more fugue for big fish miles and think one of these would kill me on fuel each month lol.
- yep I started cycling to work every day, mainly so i could buy something stupid and be relatively unaffected by fuel economy! Do about 3000 miles on a bicycle and 1000 on a motorbike to keep this under 5000! joropug said:
You sound like me, I didn't go through with it but at 16 I was convinced a Suzuki X90 was going to be my first car.
1.6, 2rd, 2 seater, T Top....shame it looked horrendous.
I also ended up with an Accord Type R at 19 whereas the less powerful Ep3 was uninsurable.
Best of luck with it
- X90 certainly is a left-field choice! Approve of the Accord, like them a lot and did look at them myself when I was looking at Mondeo ST's. 1.6, 2rd, 2 seater, T Top....shame it looked horrendous.
I also ended up with an Accord Type R at 19 whereas the less powerful Ep3 was uninsurable.
Best of luck with it
RelentlessForwardProgress said:
Well done. I bought one of these earlier this year, I’m twice your age and I was telling my son yesterday that if I had this at 21 I’d probably be dead. So don’t do that.
They forgot to put that big house like bit on the back of mine (it’s a saloon). I’d have preferred an estate but one came up in the right condition but wrong shape and colour.
Enjoy the experience. Great that you’re experiencing a V8 supercharged!
- awesome, have you got a thread on here? Like following other M113k threads out of interest and for all the tips and tricks there may be. Yes I have to remember sometimes I most definitely don't have enough driving experience to be trusted with this... I guess you learn to swim best in the deep end They forgot to put that big house like bit on the back of mine (it’s a saloon). I’d have preferred an estate but one came up in the right condition but wrong shape and colour.
Enjoy the experience. Great that you’re experiencing a V8 supercharged!
Edited by RelentlessForwardProgress on Monday 30th September 23:10
MercedesClassic said:
Congratulations on your new wagon. I have one as well albeit the mundane 320cdi but also your engine in my SL55. It's surely one of the best engine's around and you've got it in one of the best estate cars around.
Might these start to appreciate in the years to come?
- like a good SL55, you got a thread here too? yes tbh I think it may well appreciate, at least flatline. Last owner had this 5 years and lost £500 in depreciation. Being lowish miles, good condition, mega spec and an estate I think mine has got a fair chance. The only thing that may have made it better for this was if it was an 805 build spec and one of the last built. Might these start to appreciate in the years to come?
TheAngryDog said:
Nice car op. I had a saloon version of one of these. They are amusingly good fun in a straight line, but less so in the Twisties. Do you know if yours is an 804 or 805 build car? If it's 805 build it'll have a 200mph Speedo and the grill above the AC controls will look pleasant, rather than a lump of plastic grill.
540bhp is the sweet spot. Going higher is a bit unnecessary with these. Has it had the TCU update? Has the IC pump ever been changed?
- haven't tested the twisties fully yet, but love the way the dynamic seats hug you under cornering! It is an 804, unfortunately was the only compromise I made. I was originally looking for a 55 or mega rare 06, but just couldn't find one in the correct spec, mileage and condition. Quite a few of the later ones are Japan imports too. In the end a different speedo and different vent seemed fairly minor compromise to me, as some argued the 805 traction control change was a backwards step. TCU is untouched as far as I am aware, IC pump was renewed by previous owner. Previous owner also renewed airmatic pump which is good, although as far as I am aware SBC pump is original... That could be first big bill, but there again could have another 30k miles before then! 540bhp is the sweet spot. Going higher is a bit unnecessary with these. Has it had the TCU update? Has the IC pump ever been changed?
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