2003-2008 Mercedes E500 AMG's, thought?

[Davey]

Afternoon all.

Any first hand experiences?

Is it going to explode and cost me millions of pounds?

What are the mileage limitations are they dead at 100k or 500k warriors?

Common problems?

Tuning options? Can i make it go zoom.

I have driven smaller engine E Class diesels of this age frequently and know about rotting auto box coolers etc but i have promised myself a V8 before they become economically unviable.

Maybe not retro enough on the outside but the engine seems like proper retro fuel!.

[Steve]

Not first hand experience but know enough to know you will like it

Engine's are bullet-proof if looked after, will do high mileages with little to go boom. Gearboxes will be the strongest of the 722series and again if serviced accordingly do 100-150k without issues

The body will rust.....eventually.

Buy one and enjoy whilst its still possible

[mrbounce]

My friend has the same 5 litre V8 in his 2002 SL. That engine is a peach.

I am not sure if the E500 has the air suspension, but if it does, pay special attention to whether it's been replaced as it's getting old. My friend's SL does, and he needed to replace a couple of corners' worth. He did not get a lot of change out of £3k.

I don't know too much more unfortunately.

[bstardchild]

I've got a SLK55 AMG - it's 2005 vintage



Mad as a box of frogs with a great soundtrack (admittedly in my case slightly too loud as secondary cats and resonator has fallen out)

350 bhp 370ft/lb and yet on a run over 30 mpg is possible - whats not to like?

[andy88]

Buy the newest you can afford, the facelift has a lot of the electronics issues that affected the earlier cars resolved.

[ChasR]

I've had a 2004 CLK and have known of the car for some time prior to that, albeit not an AMG.

Electrics on some of the earlier cars can be flakey due to age or water ingress, but that's resolvable with parts scouring; but the core of the car will work fine.

They can be fussy with Cheap sensors, but decent quality ones tend to be the way to go.

Rust is a problem, but it wouldn't be a Merc if it wasn't

New parts are good quality if you stick with reasonable brands and are plentiful generally. The dealer support isn't too bad either.

I'd be tempted to say go for it.

A thread on the short ownership of the CLK, which still runs well.

forum.retro-rides.org/thread/221095/mercedes-c209-clk-avantgarde-sold

[longman]

E55 or E500 , different animals .
A forum mate had a W211 E55 that was pretty modded which ran north of 600bhp , made a proper noise , we did a trackday at Goodwood and he flew down the straights , not so much on the bendy bits but thats not what its for..
I would be checking how much brake disks etc are as the car was pretty premium when new.
If it was me I would try and find a post 96 E500 as they have the enlarged 5.5 with 388 bhp and none of the look at me AMG stuff , wolf in sheeps clothing..

[Davey]

Thanks guys. Just what i wanted to hear!

Let the looking commence.

[rodharris83]

If you can ignore Mike Brewer, Wheeler Dealers did an episode on a 2002 E55 AMG (Season 15, Episode 23):



Ant went through the major service items:

[chandlergti]

I had an 01 E55 while it was still under warranty and the things they fixed would have been horrendously expensive. Two steering racks of all things; at the time there were no aftermarket brake solutions; which is fixed now, but it was $1200 for front brakes lol. As soon as the warranty was up it went away.



Sorry, I’m guess all my pictures were in my hijacked photobucket account.

Edit: my post is all negative; but, I’d take a flyer on one knowing how good it was as a car when it was right. Most of the stuff that was an issue then has been solved and there are other DIY work arounds which weren’t there when they were new.

[andy88]

Did W210s rust as much in the US? I guess it depends where the car mostly lived. Do prefer the look of them to the 211.

[pseudonymous]

I was never a huge fan of that generation of E class, style wise, probably because the earlier ones just looked so much nicer and there was something very bean counter/cheap looking/feeling both inside and out. They were just... bland. 

Everyone I've ever known who owned one, and the contemporary C class, moaned about rust and electrical cabling that seemed to want to disintegrate just for the sport. A mate sold them new at the time at the main dealer and reckoned they came with grot from the factory. 

[longman]

E500 Estate , yum

curse word , deposit taken..

[chandlergti]

Feb 27, 2024 17:05:06 GMT andy88 said:

Did W210s rust as much in the US? I guess it depends where the car mostly lived. Do prefer the look of them to the 211.

Yes, they rot away. Grabbed this wagon a few months back and it’s fenders had holes but the rest was surprisingly OK

[Davey]

Feb 27, 2024 18:43:45 GMT longman said:

E500 Estate , yum

curse word , deposit taken..

That's fairly perfect although I've found lower mileage for less pennies.

[ChasR]

Feb 28, 2024 16:31:31 GMT Davey said:

Feb 27, 2024 18:43:45 GMT longman said:

E500 Estate , yum

curse word , deposit taken..

That's fairly perfect although I've found lower mileage for less pennies.

For the right car, unless it's not a long term keeper, I wouldn't get too hung up on mileage.

Care, condition and maintenance count for more, which will be obvious when you see the car. Being a car that is cheap, folks will run them on a shoestring with obvious results.

My CLK 270 CDI was similar in this respect. Bar the rusty arches, it was a sound car, with not alot wrong with it. It's been pretty good for the new owner too.

[Davey]

Feb 28, 2024 16:46:06 GMT ChasR said:

Feb 28, 2024 16:31:31 GMT Davey said:

That's fairly perfect although I've found lower mileage for less pennies.

For the right car, unless it's not a long term keeper, I wouldn't get too hung up on mileage.

Care, condition and maintenance count for more, which will be obvious when you see the car. Being a car that is cheap, folks will run them on a shoestring with obvious results.

My CLK 270 CDI was similar in this respect. Bar the rusty arches, it was a sound car, with not alot wrong with it. It's been pretty good for the new owner too.

Honestly, mileage does not scare me. My Superb was on 360k and the original turbo when i sold it, it went to Poland with north of 500k and no idea what its doing now.

I have every intention of this being at least a mid term keeper and it will get some mileage thrown at it.

That particular example although clean is 5k more than similar condition.

The particular one i am looking at has more mileage but the full AMG pack and appears to be as clean. It's less than half the price, from someone i have history with and trust to be open with any issues.

With the unexpected clean MOT pass for the current daily this may be on the back burner whilst i build up some more funds to look at E55's