LMAO !

 

that would be Tavarish, who last i heard was attempting to convert his SL55 to a manual transmission

 

Stroock,
It has been about 2,5 years since you got your E55. Mind sharing your ownership experience thus far? What did you have to do for repairs? There's this stigma that German cars are unreliable and expensive to keep, but I was reading that this particular car might be an exception...
I am thinking about getting an E55 later, I am not a mechanic, but have been able to do a lot of stuff myself on my 1999 LS400 - changed entire suspension, both front and rear, engine mounts, starter job, will be doing next timing belt myself too.
Thank you,

Val

 

sure thing, it's been awesome! when you buy a car that cost $87,000 in 2005 for just over $11,000 after it's more than a decade old there's naturally gonna be a few things that pop up and mine was no exception lol... as far as actual parts that needed to be replaced (excluding tires) i've had to do the (all prices include parts and labor):

- dual idler pulley (was getting wobbly and sounding very clackity clackity, cost about $190 and did it myself)
- one of the rear air springs began to leak, got those both done for about $900 per side
- airmatic compressor pump that started to burn itself out from overworking to compensate for the leaking spring, like $650
- one of the rear subframe bolts sheared off somehow, that was definitely an unforeseen mishap... nearly $800 from the labor involved
- alternator began to fail, about $450

edit:
- oh yea and the intercooler pump, $210

i'm pretty sure that's about everything, i wouldn't say it's been the "coke starved stripped" it was suggested it'd be lol... at the end of the day the E55 is basically just a supercharged E500 with beefier drivetrain and suspension components, it has the very tried and proven M113 and 5-speed engine/transmission combo, and it also has 'only' regular air suspension so it doesn't suffer the same problems as the ABC hydropneumatic active suspension of the S/SL/CL which can literally cost upwards of 10 grand to fix

fixing stuff is also pretty straightforward for the most part (finding the room to work in the engine bay can be tricky at times with the engine being so enormous and all) and maintenance is all fairly easy, if you've done major suspension work on your LS i think you'll have no problem

i also believe that the E55 is generally an exception to the old german car repair nightmare stigma, but that stigma helps keep the prices so low! i did a blackstone oil analysis and everything came back a-ok, my biggest thing to stress is MAKE SURE you get a thorough PPI and check everything first, although i'm sure you don't need to be told that lol... it really is a hell of a machine, seriously, what... a... vehicle..... you can outrun a ferrari F430 for half the price of a new corolla! all while cocooned in luxury getting a heated and ventilated massage from its sumptuous thick leather seats

compared to modern AMGs which are more kind of well rounded sports cars with AWD and flat handling, the E55 is like a luxury hot rod that's still fighting for traction well into highway speeds... it manages to be both more comfortable and more violently aggressive than the smaller engined turbo'd current offerings, the combination of bigger engine and supercharger just give it these like near tesla levels of immediate shove and sustained force, and THE SOUND!! ughhh it never gets old... plus i prefer the more reserved elegant styling of the W211 to the current stuff









there's two youtubers AMGmeister and LegitStreetCars who are great E55 resources, i wish you luck if you decide to get one! i don't think you'll have regrets if you do

 

Was that your car on a 0-100+ pull? That's unimpeachable proof that 5 gears is all you need...I've always said that. 6 is good, too, but any more than that is pointless.

I'm glad you've had a good experience....however the Joe Blow who isn't DIY inclined has to take it to the dealer for everything probably spent A LOT more than you hahaha.

 

I think I tend to agree.

 

it just might be lol... you definitely don't need more than 5 gears when there's 540+ ft lbs from 2500 rpm, but i agree there should really never be more than 6

were 'the driver' to have kept their foot down longer, the car wouldn't have shifted out of 3rd until about 135 mph, and it finally pulls 5th at 180! even at 1500 rpm in 5th the torque is so immense there's literally never a need to downshift even to accelerate up a steep hill, an additional 2-3 gears would just detract from the experience

yea it certainly can be an expensive car to maintain if you just go to a dealer and hand them the keys for everything, but with my limited DIY skills and connections with mechanics i'm able make things work out pretty well for the most part lol... me being able to do my own oil changes and diagnose minor issues myself is especially helpful