I am saying how could you buy a E55 without looking at the papers more carefully? This must have been a big investment, and you aren't even sure what is the deal with the car you have.

I wonder if your car was stolen and sold to you.

The reason I didn't look at the papers in more depth is, first of all, the vehicle registration documents we're in Swansea with the DVLA.
We have been going to this dealer for over 15 years. According to them, each car they sell is HPI checked. They are legally bound to check every car they sell, before it is handed over to the customer. I was never worried that I had been completely shafted, I was just trying to find out if maybe I had made a mistake before I go back to the dealer.

__________________
Oliver

Lay your worries to rest and appreciate the E55.

How does this compare to the W126 you had previously?

__________________
... Kerry

126 tailed by a 203, 129 leading the pack.

I still own the W126, the E55 is my father's.
I have been a passenger in the E55, it is extremley fast (obviously), but I am amazed at how harsh the ride is.
I suppose I had never been in a true sports car until my dad bought the E55.
I think I will stick to the larger sedans, and (hopefully) the SL R129s!!
I am very fond of a softer ride, and a large car. The E55 is brutally fast, but you sacrifice a lot of comfort. I think I would like to meet somewhere in between. Like the 500SL.

It's the best car in the world, if you like that sort of thing. I don't think anyone can compare the standard, factory S-Class with an AMG, they are totally different vehicles, built for totally different purposes. I think the E55 is built to get you from A-B as quickly and as excitingly as possible. Where as the S-Class is built to get you from A-B swiftly and in comfort.

I know where my true love lies, and it's not in the E55. To be honest, it's not even in the new S-Class. Give me a 126 or a 140 anyday. Although I wouldn't say no to an E55

__________________
Oliver

I drove the W124 to the workshop to collect the W126 which was getting its battery checked while having the steering box overhauled (2nd time in 2 years!).

Anyway, the moment I drove the W126 out of the gates, I could feel for an instance the difference of being in a W126 and W124 cabin. For starters, you get the lush comfy seats in the 126, and the ride much more refined with the power you can't feel but you know its there when you need it. The 124 has power too, and you certainly can feel the push when really pushed. This response is not what I would really appreciate more so when I love smooth and swift rides.

Having said that, the E55 would be no different as it sits in an E-class cabin, and I think I am a little pampered for appreciating the S-class cabin over the E.

It would be nicer if it was an S600, be it the 220 or 140. Whichever way, plush cabin and *POWER*.

__________________
... Kerry

126 tailed by a 203, 129 leading the pack.

The 'real' sportscars have never really appealed to me in the same way the luxury cars do.
I like a lot of leather, a lot of wood, a lot of weight and a lot of power. The W140 600 was, and I think still is the finest vehicle ever built.

__________________
Oliver

If I am not mistaken (and I am sure I'm not), the S600 has been tagged the Rolls Royce of Germany.

Pity they don't come in stainless steel casing ... ah well. Can't have it all.

Good day.

__________________
... Kerry

126 tailed by a 203, 129 leading the pack.

Oliverp--

Sorry to hear about what you've been going through with your father's car. I do think however, that you have some legitimate concerns. I do think that your car is an AMG but rather than an E 55, I think it is an E 50. The E 50 was never introduced in the US and is the forerunner to the E 55. Its production run was started in 1996 and completed in 1998 the year that the E 55 was introduced. Performance wise the E 50 and the E 55 are virtually the same car with only .5 litre of displacement difference. The E 50 pushes out around 255 kW vs. the E 55's 260 kW.

Could have the car been an E 50 that was rebadged by the dealer or previous owner as an E 55? This would explain the changed vehicle registration document and the "Unknown" engine. Also look at the interior picture of the E 50 at this site: http://web.singnet.com.sg/~khookh/e50.htm if you have a really good monitor you'll see the shifter on the E 50 doesn't sport the "AMG" logo.

It would be interesting to see if you can compare other E 50's VIN numbers to yours. In addition, I would contact Mercedes-Benz yourself--do not let the dealer do it. After all if they rebadged a whole car (I'm just speculating here) do you think they'd tell you the truth about it's history? Just a thought.

Sorry to stir things up again, but I thought you should be aware that there are other W210 cars out there that are not E 55s.

Hope that helps!

__________________
http://www.student.ipfw.edu/~platdm01/underskrift01.gif

I never thought of that one. I'll contact MB and see if I can get a full spec on the car from the VIN number.

Thanks

__________________
Oliver

For that matter, check the engine number. I'm sure the E50 and E55 have different engine prefixes.

Sixto
91 300SE
81 300SD

It appears that you have an invalid VIN number. Here's why. On your VIN, WDB2100742A816711, the tenth digit corresponds to model year. Yours is the letter A which corresponds to:

1989 K
1990 L
1991 M
1992 N
1993 P
1994 R
1995 S
1996 T
1997 V
1998 W
1999 X
2000 Y
2001 1

Further, if you notice Mercedes doesn't use vowels to identify the model year.

Did you verify the VIN on the certificate with your VIN on the car? I am assuming you already did. If this is the case Mercedes has placed numerous other VIN labels around your car. Try the following, look on the backs of the doors closest to the hinges and in the engine compartment near the cabin... you should at least find a few additional labels and compare the VIN number to those.

Hope that helps!

__________________
http://www.student.ipfw.edu/~platdm01/underskrift01.gif

On my 1989 300SE, the 'A' is also present in the middle of the VIN number, maybe it is a letter unique to the European markets?

__________________
Oliver

VIN WDB2100742A816711
Plant 50
Model E55
Chassis 2100742A816711
Engine 113980 60 006468
Transmission 722636 01 216573
Tyres
Primary MICHELIN
Order 0 8 219 30303
Lights HELLA
Cab 00000
Delivery date 28.12.98
Dealer Hamburg branch (219)
Interior leather black (581)
Paint
197 obsidian black metallic (с 1978)
Options
059 aej.98/2 (с 19.07.1996)
205 owner's manual and maintenance booklet 2) (с 01.11.1971)
reference plate, coolant 2)
213 parameter steering (с 01.07.1989)
241 left front seat electrically adjustable with memory feature. only applicable to w 210 when installed in conjunction with code 275. (с 01.03.1983)
249 automatically dipping inside rear view mirror (с 01.06.1990)
275 front seat positioned lower
memory package (driver's seat, steering column, mirror) (с 01.10.1993)
423 5 speed automatic transmission / nag (с 01.03.1994)
461 instrument with mileage reading and english lettering (с 01.04.1990)
472 electronic stability program (esp) (с 01.10.1993)
dynamic handling control system
543 sun visor with vanity mirror, illuminated, left and right (с 01.11.1978)
551 anti-theft/anti-break-in warning system with anti-towing system (с 01.04.1998)
581 automatic climate control (с 01.01.1977)
600 headlamp wiper/washer (с 01.08.1971)
611 courtesy lamps for front and rear doors, with W124 also for central doors/W202 front doors only (с 01.11.1978)
617 headlamps and fog lamps or additional high beam light, amber, and additional halogen fog lamp (from april 1st, 1970); additional turn signal lamps for italy, and rear turn signal lamps, orange
xenon headlight asymmetric, left driving traffic (с 01.03.1994)
673 high-capacity battery (с 01.01.1964)
693 blue heat insulating glass, side and rear windows, rear window laminated safety glass, windscreen clear glass
blue heat insulating glass all round, tinted strip rear window single pane safety glass (с 01.10.1994)
753 radio MB Audio 10 cc with traffic news decoder and RDS (с 31.10.1996)
772 amg styling package - front spoiler, side skirts and rear apron (с 02.01.1992)
774 Shell modification for AMG-wheels
809 Change of year of model, last figure shows new model year
873 seat heater for left and right front seats (с 01.02.1984)
882 passenger compartment protection/towing-off protection (with anti-theft warning system only) (с 01.07.1993)
910 14V/65A alternator
alternator with increased capacity (с 01.11.1990)
915 fuel tank, 70 liter (с 01.05.1988)
954 equipment package for avantgarde vehicles (с 01.06.1993)
rotating emergeny flasher, front (red light)
984 elimination of ownership certificate but with coc papers (с 01.06.1993)

That's a great VIN search! Did you get it from a free site, perchance?

__________________
John Shellenberg
1998 C230 "Black Betty" 240K

http://img31.exs.cx/img31/4050/tophat6.gif

The Russian MB website.
http://www.mbclub.ru/mb/vin/index.html?lng=eng

It has most VIN's, but not all.