In poking around on " for sale " sites it looks like these cars get alot more affordable as they get to be 4/5/6 years old. Who has one, and what kind of expenses or trouble can be expected ? Can an independent shop work on it ?

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There's no substitute for cubic inches

Don't all talk at once...

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There's no substitute for cubic inches

You'd get a better response in Open Discussion. This area is for tuning and modifying mostly.

Pretty much they will be a great car, specialy if you get it in one of the earlier body styles, ie 1998-2000 odd. The engine it self is great, pulls like a tank and doesnt use too much fuel when your just cruising. When you get the car tho make sure that the gearbox fluid has been changed and you ll have a great time with the car.

Independent shops can work on the car, with engine faults they will need the computer gear to read it but they are a fairly common engine so any indy that works on mercs should have the computer gear for it, i know my local merc indy has it.

Ps i have looked into the engines cause i want to put one into a R107 If you really want to get the most out of the engine you might want to look at Whipplem104's transmission controller ideas. That PCM unit will really make the engine 100% better if your after a sporty sedan

My father owns a 2001 E55. About 75k miles on it, and it's been nothing but awesome! Had to have the front lower control arm bushings replaced, but that's about it.

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Current cars:
2000 ML55 AMG, 174k miles
2003 C240 T-Modell, 202k miles
1995 S320, 207k Miles

Are you talking a w211 or w210 chassis E55? Both great cars, but very different. The w210 is mostly the same as any other E320 or E420, but with a big, strong variant of the m113 V8. Lots of good information on the w210 can be found here.

The 211 is quite a different beast. It is amazing how much more electronics Mercedes added to the newer generation E-class. I personally don't think that's a bad thing, but it makes for a very different animal. Just opening the door brings all the systems to life, and the car starts whirring and buzzing. People comment on it all the time.

As for problem areas, the 211 is pretty solid these days. The early cars (03/04) were known for electrical problems. The 05 and especially 06 models were in the shop much less often.

The biggest problem area on the 211 E55 is the airmatic suspension. Eventually the air struts start leaking. Usually the car will leak down overnight before something really dramatic happens. Dealers charge ~$1500 to replace a strut. It can be done for a fraction of that cost yourself. The E55 of course has the SBC electronic brakes - but the unit is warrantied for 10 years.

The kompressor engine and drivetrain are as solid as any other MB. One thing to be aware of is that many of these get hotrodded through supercharger overdrives (to increase boost). I personally wouldn't buy such a car; a crate engine costs $25K, and I trust the factory durability testing more than the tuners.

The accessory pullies on the front of the engine tend to wear out, but give lots of notice via unfunny noises. Oh, and the belts like to squeek too.

Tires are $1000-$1500 set, and can have a life as short as 10K miles, depending on compound and driving habits.

Brake parts are surprisingly reasonable - front rotors are only $125, and brake pads not too bad either.

Fuel mileage is of course not great - about the same as a medium SUV. You might just barely get 20MPG highway.

So I agree, it's a great car and purchase prices have come way down during the recession. But ownership costs are not low. Without a warranty, I would suggest you need to have $3K on hand at all times to pay for repairs which may be needed. If that sounds like a lot of money to you, then it probably isn't the right car for you.

BTW, there's a lot more 211 AMG discussion over on mbworld.org forum than here. The tone of discussion is generally a lot more civilized around here - a lot - but in this one case that other forum does have more relevant discussion going on.

My $.02

Thanks, JCYUHN. Your post is exactly what I was after. A few days ago there was a thread on anither forum about a G8 GXP vs an E63. http://www.g8board.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30402
It got me wondering what the reliability and, more importantly, repair costs of these things are. If you go to the link you will see a you tube video of a tweaked black E63. Off to the Renntech site. Headers and a tune are more than $8K !

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There's no substitute for cubic inches

What is felt to be the best year of the E55?? I was thinking about getting a 01. What is considered a decent price for one with about 100K on the clock??

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All it takes for evil to prevail is for good men to stand by and do nothing.

Too many people tip toe through life, never attempting or doing anything great, hoping to make it safely to death... Bob Proctor

'95 S320 LWB
'87 300SDL
'04 E500 wagon 4matic