My friend is trying to sell me a 2005 MB E55 AMG
02-12-2015, 06:03 PM
#1
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My friend is trying to sell me a 2005 MB E55 AMG
My friend is telling me he will sell his e55 amg for $15000 to me because he got the new e63 amg but i dont really knoww anythin about the car ive only had an acura
is it a good deal
is it a good deal
02-12-2015, 06:07 PM
#2
Yes.
THere is a woman here. She is breathing. Should I marry her?
THere is a woman here. She is breathing. Should I marry her?
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02-12-2015, 08:14 PM
#3
Moderator
Yeah if you got deep pockets to maintain that beast and getting ready to become an electrician from all the electrical issues a Merc comes with? GO FOR IT!! TOTALLY!!
IMO Its a heck of a fast car with good MPGs but a Merc maintenance costs and parts totally eclipse Acura´s... It will be a terrific car when it works.
IMO Its a heck of a fast car with good MPGs but a Merc maintenance costs and parts totally eclipse Acura´s... It will be a terrific car when it works.
02-12-2015, 08:58 PM
#5
or you will be making his boat payment on a regular basis!
what a good friend you are~
Maybe you didn't get the hint, most of these post should have been in red for sarcastic intention
what a good friend you are~
Maybe you didn't get the hint, most of these post should have been in red for sarcastic intention
02-12-2015, 09:04 PM
#6
here are some things to know
Harley Davidson is HD = Hundred Dollars, cause you cant get a part there for less than a Hundred Dollars!
BMW = Break My Wallet, save up 100 dollars a month (that was 20 years ago)
you wont come in but every 6 months, and when you do it will be a minimum of 600 dollars! and thats for a basic brake job!!
(alternately = Break My Window (to steal radio)
MBZ = Maximum Bucks,,ZILLIONS!
Harley Davidson is HD = Hundred Dollars, cause you cant get a part there for less than a Hundred Dollars!
BMW = Break My Wallet, save up 100 dollars a month (that was 20 years ago)
you wont come in but every 6 months, and when you do it will be a minimum of 600 dollars! and thats for a basic brake job!!
(alternately = Break My Window (to steal radio)
MBZ = Maximum Bucks,,ZILLIONS!
02-12-2015, 09:07 PM
#7
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^^^^ BOAT = Bring On Another Thousand.
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02-13-2015, 03:30 PM
#9
side note: from a retired mechanic,,,our cars are the last to see any real repairs!
After fixing everyone else's stuff all week,,last thing to get attention is your own ride.
Band-aid fixes and delayed maintenance are the watch-words of the day
We know how long that bad noise can go before actual failure,,so keep driving it!
also: generally a bad idea to buy from friends you intend to keep~
After fixing everyone else's stuff all week,,last thing to get attention is your own ride.
Band-aid fixes and delayed maintenance are the watch-words of the day
We know how long that bad noise can go before actual failure,,so keep driving it!
also: generally a bad idea to buy from friends you intend to keep~
02-13-2015, 11:33 PM
#11
02-14-2015, 08:30 AM
#12
Fahrvergnügen'd
Most of the previous comments are completely worthless. Don't listen to people driving old Acuras they bought for $5,000.
You need to take that car to a MB dealer and have them do a PPI on it. You need to review all the service records on that car. You need to go to a E55 forum and read up on that car. That forum will likely have a stickied post with answers to "I want to buy an E55, what should I look for?"
And you should also find out what that car is worth in the condition it's in. Is your friend giving you a discount? There's only one near me for sale. It's at a dealer (so that's going to be more than a private sale) and it's a 2004 with 102,000 miles. The dealer wants $15,000 for it.
If I expand the search radius, I see 2005s for anywhere from $21,000 with 65k miles to $29K with 55K miles but the $21K car is the only one at a dealer I'd trust.
So let's say that's accurate for a low mileage 2005 E55. You're getting a serious discount from your friend. Which either indicates he's very generous or there's something wrong with the car that needs to be fixed that hasn't been mentioned.
TL;DR - IMO, you know way too little about that car to drop $15K on it. If this was your dream car and you had 11ty7 spreadsheets with pros and cons, I'd say go for it. You don't. It could be a great car but it's not an Accord. It needs to be maintained and that's not cheap.
You need to take that car to a MB dealer and have them do a PPI on it. You need to review all the service records on that car. You need to go to a E55 forum and read up on that car. That forum will likely have a stickied post with answers to "I want to buy an E55, what should I look for?"
And you should also find out what that car is worth in the condition it's in. Is your friend giving you a discount? There's only one near me for sale. It's at a dealer (so that's going to be more than a private sale) and it's a 2004 with 102,000 miles. The dealer wants $15,000 for it.
If I expand the search radius, I see 2005s for anywhere from $21,000 with 65k miles to $29K with 55K miles but the $21K car is the only one at a dealer I'd trust.
So let's say that's accurate for a low mileage 2005 E55. You're getting a serious discount from your friend. Which either indicates he's very generous or there's something wrong with the car that needs to be fixed that hasn't been mentioned.
TL;DR - IMO, you know way too little about that car to drop $15K on it. If this was your dream car and you had 11ty7 spreadsheets with pros and cons, I'd say go for it. You don't. It could be a great car but it's not an Accord. It needs to be maintained and that's not cheap.
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02-15-2015, 11:41 AM
#13
I like turtles
Since it seems you are getting the car at a generous discount, use the leftover cash to purchase one of those aftermarket warranties. In no way am I an advocate of doing such things, but when it comes to a car like that I wouldn't be caught dead without one.
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charliemike (02-15-2015)
02-15-2015, 03:59 PM
#15
99 TL, 06 E350
02-15-2015, 04:21 PM
#16
Fahrvergnügen'd
That is not entirely accurate (what you quoted). Plus a good condition 911 from even the 1980s will be more than $15000 and still require work to it.
Most of the people replying to this thread should would just go get another Accord LX automatic.
Most of the people replying to this thread should would just go get another Accord LX automatic.
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02-16-2015, 08:36 AM
#17
Ex-OEM King
That gen E55 AMG is actually a solid car. The engines are reliable and the rest of the car is still in the quality phase of MB history. The downside is the airmatic suspension is a pain, but there are tons of options now and replacement isn't the end of the world. Other issues are the electrical bits but if it's well maintained it shouldn't be a huge deal.
Also lol to whoever said this thing gets good gas mileage. You'll do 8-10 mpg around town and like 15-17 on the highway.
Also lol to whoever said this thing gets good gas mileage. You'll do 8-10 mpg around town and like 15-17 on the highway.
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02-16-2015, 08:37 AM
#18
02-16-2015, 09:08 AM
#19
Holy shit some of these replies are cracking me up. I didn't even need to look at the thread history to know where it came from. Thankfully charliemike and others replied with some common sense.
As far as the OP's question... go for it! A friend of mine from NY has an E55 AMG that he's had since new (think he got it in 2003/2004) and the thing is a tank. Regular maintenance and the thing runs like a top. And it's is daily so he drives it year round... snow, rain, sleet, ice included. Still runs great. The E-class is and has been a reliable model for MB, so a 10 year old one wouldn't phase me.
Be advised though maintenance will be more than a Honda. And if something goes wrong, it will cost more to fix. So if you have the same attitude as your forum members who originally replied, don't bother. You gotta pay to play. If you're not OK with that, find a used CRX or Si...
02-16-2015, 10:53 PM
#20
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So OP, what are you going to do?
02-18-2015, 08:25 AM
#21
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OP seems young to me, I wonder how much his insurance payments would be?
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Shoofin (02-21-2015)
02-18-2015, 01:25 PM
#23
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^ 
02-18-2015, 07:53 PM
#24
Team Owner
buy it and flip it. and get a brand new Accord.
02-18-2015, 10:21 PM
#25
Mr.Helpful Diagram
This should help the OP:
02-20-2015, 07:54 PM
#28
Team Owner
You should only get the car if you really LOVE the car and don't mind the extras that most likely will come with owning a $100k 10 years old Merc.
if you are buying it because it is "cheap" then you are buying it for the wrong reason and wrong car.
if you are buying it because it is "cheap" then you are buying it for the wrong reason and wrong car.
Last edited by oonowindoo; 02-20-2015 at 07:57 PM.
02-20-2015, 07:56 PM
#29
Team Owner
02-20-2015, 08:06 PM
#30
Senior Moderator
02-21-2015, 12:57 AM
#31
friends and family members are who I do not buy cars from..... Do some research on the car and the costs of routine maintenance and get an insurance quote for coverage.
02-21-2015, 11:57 AM
#32
Senior Moderator
Let us know what you decide, OP!
02-21-2015, 12:32 PM
#33
Team Owner
When a mechanical component starts failing, you can fix it. Most importantly, you can inspect it to see what condition it is in and what kind of timeline you have with it, if any. You can see it leaking, cracking, tearing, squeaking, whatever. Electrical components rarely give indication of failing. They just fail.
I could be wrong, but most people don't pull out entire wire harnesses and inspect them. Even so, that likely wouldn't show anything anyway. What about any of the numerous ecus MBs like to rock, are any of the electric motors, etc. even when something like this goes, you're likely:
A) given zero indication.
B) might have a hell of a time trouble shooting, sometimes with no solution
C) replacing expensive parts hoping to find a solution. Might be easy. Might not.
I don't know what 05 MBs were like, but in 2011-2012, I had a friend working at a MB dealership and he couldn't believe the retarded complexity of everything on the cars. You can't just replace a headlight bulb. You can't just replace an audio amplifier. You have to reprogram the specific ecu afterwards, which if I'm not mistaken, has to be done by the dealer- and he had to call in to MB Canada HQ to be able to be authorized to reprogram each and everything. HQ had to "unlock" the ecu before he could get into it. He ended up leaving MB after getting tired of dealing with shit like that.
Why would MB do that? Well first off, people buying MBs generally don't spend time under their cars. Second, it ensures people keep going back to the dealership. $$$$$$. I might be a little bit off with the details above, as it has been a few years, but I'm pretty sure this is what I was told.
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charliemike (02-23-2015)
02-23-2015, 03:15 PM
#35
I had a contact for a former Benz mechanic when i had my 15 year old 500SL to do off hours work on my car and it was still ridiculous and neverending issues. It was a very solid car until it wasn't a very solid car, and once it went downhill i should have bailed quicker.
If you are comfortable not stressing the unknowns and when it will need things, go for it and enjoy it.
If you are comfortable not stressing the unknowns and when it will need things, go for it and enjoy it.
02-23-2015, 03:17 PM
#36
I have issues with this statement. It doesn't matter how well a car is maintained, this does not speak for the condition of any of the electrical system, unless, parts have already failed and been replaced. But even that doesn't offer any guarantee.
When a mechanical component starts failing, you can fix it. Most importantly, you can inspect it to see what condition it is in and what kind of timeline you have with it, if any. You can see it leaking, cracking, tearing, squeaking, whatever. Electrical components rarely give indication of failing. They just fail.
I could be wrong, but most people don't pull out entire wire harnesses and inspect them. Even so, that likely wouldn't show anything anyway. What about any of the numerous ecus MBs like to rock, are any of the electric motors, etc. even when something like this goes, you're likely:
A) given zero indication.
B) might have a hell of a time trouble shooting, sometimes with no solution
C) replacing expensive parts hoping to find a solution. Might be easy. Might not.
I don't know what 05 MBs were like, but in 2011-2012, I had a friend working at a MB dealership and he couldn't believe the retarded complexity of everything on the cars. You can't just replace a headlight bulb. You can't just replace an audio amplifier. You have to reprogram the specific ecu afterwards, which if I'm not mistaken, has to be done by the dealer- and he had to call in to MB Canada HQ to be able to be authorized to reprogram each and everything. HQ had to "unlock" the ecu before he could get into it. He ended up leaving MB after getting tired of dealing with shit like that.
Why would MB do that? Well first off, people buying MBs generally don't spend time under their cars. Second, it ensures people keep going back to the dealership. $$$$$$. I might be a little bit off with the details above, as it has been a few years, but I'm pretty sure this is what I was told.
When a mechanical component starts failing, you can fix it. Most importantly, you can inspect it to see what condition it is in and what kind of timeline you have with it, if any. You can see it leaking, cracking, tearing, squeaking, whatever. Electrical components rarely give indication of failing. They just fail.
I could be wrong, but most people don't pull out entire wire harnesses and inspect them. Even so, that likely wouldn't show anything anyway. What about any of the numerous ecus MBs like to rock, are any of the electric motors, etc. even when something like this goes, you're likely:
A) given zero indication.
B) might have a hell of a time trouble shooting, sometimes with no solution
C) replacing expensive parts hoping to find a solution. Might be easy. Might not.
I don't know what 05 MBs were like, but in 2011-2012, I had a friend working at a MB dealership and he couldn't believe the retarded complexity of everything on the cars. You can't just replace a headlight bulb. You can't just replace an audio amplifier. You have to reprogram the specific ecu afterwards, which if I'm not mistaken, has to be done by the dealer- and he had to call in to MB Canada HQ to be able to be authorized to reprogram each and everything. HQ had to "unlock" the ecu before he could get into it. He ended up leaving MB after getting tired of dealing with shit like that.
Why would MB do that? Well first off, people buying MBs generally don't spend time under their cars. Second, it ensures people keep going back to the dealership. $$$$$$. I might be a little bit off with the details above, as it has been a few years, but I'm pretty sure this is what I was told.
02-23-2015, 03:42 PM
#37
Team Owner
02-24-2015, 08:58 AM
#38
I had a contact for a former Benz mechanic when i had my 15 year old 500SL to do off hours work on my car and it was still ridiculous and neverending issues. It was a very solid car until it wasn't a very solid car, and once it went downhill i should have bailed quicker.
If you are comfortable not stressing the unknowns and when it will need things, go for it and enjoy it.
If you are comfortable not stressing the unknowns and when it will need things, go for it and enjoy it.
02-24-2015, 11:45 AM
#40