05/06 E55 AMGs

[2EFNFAST]

I've been looking at buying my dad a daily driver since his is getting up there in kms (250k) - 4 door, automatic, 2-4yrs old.

I'm really thinking an "older" model E55 AMG - I drove the wagon version several years ago and it was roomy, comfy, and a boatload of power for a 4door.

As long as you don't up the boost on it, would you say a low mileaged one would be fairly reliable? My understanding is to avoid lots of 03/04 models (e.g., SL500s) because they (MB in general) were known for a lot of electrical problems during the 03/04 period.

I didn't realize how hard it is to shop for a "cool" "older" 4door sedan that's fun to drive - it's like either an e55amg, an m5, or a maserati (which I must admit I do like, however I know nothing about them and given they're a baby brother to a ferrari, I imagine upkeep costs are similar!). Cadillacs are cool, buy XLR-V is only manual, and the other cadillac models are luxurious but kinda gutless in the power department.

[sxtothe240]

G35 Sedan might be worth considering?

4 Doors, comfy, decent power, looks pretty good.

[R-Audi]

What price range are you looking at?

I know of an 06 M5 up for sale... 35km, Eisenmann Exhaust,20" HRE's....

[syeve]

V8 S4 wagon :D

[2EFNFAST]

Originally posted by R-Audi
What price range are you looking at?

I know of an 06 M5 up for sale... 35km, Eisenmann Exhaust,20" HRE's....

40-45ish. I think m5 is going to be a bit more =)



Originally posted by syeve
V8 S4 wagon :D

I've heard a lot of negatives about Audis in terms of long-term maintenance, even worse than MB.


Originally posted by sxtothe240
G35 Sedan might be worth considering?

4 Doors, comfy, decent power, looks pretty good.

I have a coupe as a daily driver - it's (no offence to anybody else who owns one!! =) ) relatively slow&gutless, handles 'meh' and gets horrible gas mileage. Plus I hate correcting its paint, it's the absolute devil to work with and because of its softness is rock chipped galore (my dad's 10yr old sedan has fewer rock chips than my car, and he's got 10x the kms on it)

[blownz]

What does your dad want? I'm guessing if he has an old car with high mileage and can't afford something newer he would be more interested in something cheap to maintain as opposed to something stylish and fun to drive.

If your dad can't afford to replace his own car and you have to do it I would personally buy something newer like a corolla or civic that will be under warranty, good on gas, and cheaper to insure so it doesn't cost him much.

Or are you also going to be paying all the extra costs as well?

Not to mention if someone can't afford to upgrade from an old car with 250k they probably live in a modest to low end house in a modest to low end neighborhood and buying an E55 or M5 just doesn't make sense to me. Sounds like he would have trouble just paying for the gas and oil changes on one of those cars. Unless I am not reading the situation correctly... :dunno:

[realazy]

760li?

These have depreciated quite alot. If they are still pricey, even a 745li would be quite nice.

[2EFNFAST]

Originally posted by blownz
Unless I am not reading the situation correctly... :dunno:

That would be correct ;)

My dad's not a car guy, so most of his stuff he buys is very bland, boring, and overpriced for what you get. I see how much he enjoys (even though he won't admit it, heh) driving my cars that have 500-700hp, yet he won't treat himself and buy something really fun to drive (since he's stuck in a car is just an A to B mentality). So I'm forcing his hand :)

[psycoticclown]

My dad is looking at the Quattroporte and it is an AMAZING car. Pretty decently priced too. Last year we were in Vegas at the Ferrari Dealership in the Wynn and we were looking at an brand new '07 Maserati Quattroporte. It was fully loaded for $92k USD! He's kicking himself now for not buying it at the time since the dollar was on par. If you look at the other competitors to it, S class, 7 series and XJ, A8's, they all start at around $92k and go upwards from there, even with incentives they're not much cheaper than the Maserati... and without the "exoticness" or rareness of the Maserati. Amazing interior, handles much better than its competitors and it'll turn heads.

Even used ones are pretty cheap, theres one that ZRauto is selling, 05 with red leather interior for around $55k IIRC. Getting them from the states isn't bad either, low km (under 30k kms) 05 and 06 examples are around 50-60k after the exchange rate which is decent.

[2EFNFAST]

Originally posted by psycoticclown
My dad is looking at the Quattroporte and it is an AMAZING car. Pretty decently priced too. Last year we were in Vegas at the Ferrari Dealership in the Wynn and we were looking at an brand new '07 Maserati Quattroporte. It was fully loaded for $92k USD! He's kicking himself now for not buying it at the time since the dollar was on par. If you look at the other competitors to it, S class, 7 series and XJ, A8's, they all start at around $92k and go upwards from there, even with incentives they're not much cheaper than the Maserati... and without the "exoticness" or rareness of the Maserati. Amazing interior, handles much better than its competitors and it'll turn heads.

Even used ones are pretty cheap, theres one that ZRauto is selling, 05 with red leather interior for around $55k IIRC. Getting them from the states isn't bad either, low km (under 30k kms) 05 and 06 examples are around 50-60k after the exchange rate which is decent.

Yea, except all I know about them is they're a baby brother to a Ferrari, so I'd imagine maintenance would be $$$$$$$$$$$$

[B4tMan]

My friend, have you ever heard of the term ... OVERKILL ?


and psychotic, those would seem cheap at 30k KM and 50-60 thousands because they're out of warranty and replacement parts - God forbid

[CTSV]

Not all Cadillacs are gutless! The V series are some of the fastest cars around. CTS-V, STS-V and XLR-V. The 2004-07 CTS-V is manual only, others are auto. The new CTS-V is the fastest 4 door car on the planet and is actually faster as an automatic.
If your father is just a get from A to B type guy, then anything with slightly more power than an everyday grocery getter would seem powerful to him. There are many brands from which to chose. I suspect it is you that are having the problem choosing and your father could care less! Buy him something reliable and with warranty.

[Moe Man]

Originally posted by sxtothe240
G35 Sedan might be worth considering?

4 Doors, comfy, decent power, looks pretty good.

If the OP thinks cadillacs are gutless, I think the G35 is out of the question.....The DTS (slowest cadillac) is quicker than the G35!

[syeve]

Originally posted by 2EFNFAST




I've heard a lot of negatives about Audis in terms of long-term maintenance, even worse than MB.



Common misconception...true for Audi pre 2002

Not true for any newer models, especially Benz (2001-2005) they are some of the worst


carry on.

[Hakkola]

Originally posted by syeve


Common misconception...true for Audi pre 2002

Not true for any newer models, especially Benz (2001-2005) they are some of the worst


carry on.

Common misconception, true for late 90's and early 2000's, but now they are one of the best.

http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/04/2008-jd-power-rankings-released/

The biggest problem for Benz was the 96-04 E-Class and the old ML.
Audi moved up 16 places, which means they were one of the worst around 2006.

Carry on.

[syeve]

^^ :rolleyes: Thats what I said, benz had issues in 2001-2005, thats the car the OP is looking at (sorry 05/06)

Audi has NEVER been great, but they drasically improved sinse the 2002ish models.

Now you edited your post...sweet.

[psycoticclown]

Originally posted by B4tMan
My friend, have you ever heard of the term ... OVERKILL ?


and psychotic, those would seem cheap at 30k KM and 50-60 thousands because they're out of warranty and replacement parts - God forbid

They got 4 years warranty, so the 05's are just coming out of warranty whereas the 06's still got til '10.

Edmunds reported it as pretty reliable too.

[2EFNFAST]

Originally posted by psycoticclown


They got 4 years warranty, so the 05's are just coming out of warranty whereas the 06's still got til '10.

Edmunds reported it as pretty reliable too.

yea, the internets seem to have fairly positive reports on reliability, just curious if people here have had experiences with them, or even later model (05+) AMGs in general.

[jonnycat]

Get him a 1-3 year old SRT8 Charger or 300. You'll save money, at $28K-$36K, he'll get 425hp/tq, big 4 door, that performs better than a 2001 E55 AMG or pretty close to a 2003.

Maintenance has got to be cheaper and it's based off of the E-class chassis.

[2EFNFAST]

Originally posted by jonnycat
Get him a 1-3 year old SRT8 Charger or 300. You'll save money, at $28K-$36K, he'll get 425hp/tq, big 4 door, that performs better than a 2001 E55 AMG or pretty close to a 2003.

Maintenance has got to be cheaper and it's based off of the E-class chassis.

Hmmm, you know, I'd completely overlooked dodge, as I was only thinking of the challenger and viper!

May have to do some research into an SRT8 charger - are the 06/07s (which seem from a rough search to go for 30k ish) fairly reliable?

[jonnycat]

yep, check out LXforums or charger forums. They've been a reccommended choice for a couple years now.

[2EFNFAST]

thanks :clap:

[boxer23]

how about the G8 GT, you can get them brand new for the price of a used AMG, and SRT models are nice too.

[gpomp]

Originally posted by boxer23
how about the G8 GT, you can get them brand new for the price of a used AMG, and SRT models are nice too. where are you going to take it for service when pontiac closes its doors?

[boxer23]

Originally posted by gpomp
where are you going to take it for service when pontiac closes its doors?

where do people take their oldsmobile for service? to any GM dealer

[beyond_ban]

Originally posted by gpomp
where are you going to take it for service when pontiac closes its doors?

The G8 GT is one of the only Pontiac's that they will continue to produce. The only difference is now it will be named the Chevrolet Lumina, which on a side note is a terrrrrrible choice of name. It conjures up images of a gross mini van from the early 90's. All in all, im sure any GM dealer will service it, and parts will still be readily available.

[bigbadboss101]

G8 top of the line is pretty hot. What do they go for?

[cycosis]

Originally posted by R-Audi
What price range are you looking at?

I know of an 06 M5 up for sale... 35km, Eisenmann Exhaust,20" HRE's....

Your dad selling? Whats he replacing it with?

[VWbloke]

Originally posted by syeve
V8 S4 wagon :D

Is yours for sale? If it's a 6-speed Nogaro Blue B6, let's talk!

[rage2]

Originally posted by boxer23
how about the G8 GT, you can get them brand new for the price of a used AMG
And it'll be worth the price of a brand new civic the second you drive off the lot! :rofl:

[boxer23]

Originally posted by rage2

And it'll be worth the price of a brand new civic the second you drive off the lot! :rofl:

A brand new civic in Bangalore costs about $40,000 ;)

[911fever]

Lexus IS-F used is like 50k here, it's a great sedan with Lexus reliability. 8 speed is good for DD'ing.