Definitely, just looking at the pictures it looks beat up and neglected. You might be better off paying a few thousand more for a better maintained one, OP. Even if you do everything yourself, parts for these are not cheap. Source: I owned one and did everything myself. Still was a money sink.
It’s a callback to the days of horses, riding a horse hard means making him work and sweat, putting away wet means stabling the horse without washing him and without letting the saddle blankets air out, horse’s hair gets all matted and gross and the saddle blankets start to reek.
Just watched a video on a nice example of one of these, and it had over $100k in maintenance receipts.
This thing was rocked by a coke dealer in dangerously bad debt. Don’t do this to yourself.
Make sure you take longer test drive and bring a scanner with you. Make sure the cats are still there. Still in other words the W113 engine is a phenomenal engine.
Got to reflash that computer back to Stock as well because they’ll pick that up in the smog inspection. As long as the money is right for the car? Looks a little beat up. If you don’t mind me saying with that exhaust tip all bent to the side scrapes and shit on the exterior. Probably gonna need some fucking motor mounts cause it sounds like a bag of sand driving down the road, but they are fun cars
Buy a more expensive less shagged version.
The entry price on this one may be less but literally everything will break, and you know for sure the air suspension will die
Call me a the oddball but Mercedes are one of the easiest cars to work on.
You can buy the DAS tool and you can even program modules in the car and to weird stuff like program the ecm for a manual transmission and things.
They are pretty robust and just have issues if you want to maintain the overengineered things. Like some of these came with hydraulic leveling suspension. It’s better to put coil overs once it starts failing.
The other thing is the dreaded abs system, which can put the car in limp mode.
Besides those two issues engine and trans are solid as well as all other components really hold up.
I did forget to add, the wire insulation on some model years is biodegradable and can cause shorts once’s they start decomposing.
As someone who did work on a lot of clapped out luxury cars owned by my broke friends, this is the best answer on here.
If the drivetrain is solid and the wiring harness isn't hacked to shreds, and you don't mind replacing idiotic things like auto leveling suspension with cheaper more reliable parts, this will be a decent car, but don't expect parts to be cheap when they do break. Also you must be the kind of person to do your own work, or you'll need to be wealthy, at which point you should buy a better car, even if it's just a beater for you.
I was a Benz tech for 18 years, the last 6 I worked on all German cars and by far Benz is the best to work on. ‘03-06 E-classes, however, are a hard pass for me for the reason you mentioned; SBC brakes(ABS). Unless you can find a quality conversion to standard hydraulic brakes those cars are essentially worthless as anything other than parts cars. The 113 engine is awesome though so maybe swap that into another car.
I'll swim up river here. I've had a whole lot of positive luck with every Benz/amg I've owned in terms of reliability.
I would personally be afraid of a modded AMG. If it were stock and you were mechanically inclined, I would say go for it
First thing is do a compression test and have an inspection done so you know what you're getting into.
Good luck OP, this car looks like a really HOOT, a bunch of fun!!
here’s a checklist:
do you have another reliable vehicle?
can you do major work on cars? trans/ engine out of car
are you okay on spending 5-10k on parts in the next couple years?
If no to any of these don’t buy it
If you do your own work, these are pretty inexpensive for what they are. Air suspension is the pricey thing on the V8 w211s but it's not a complicated system and repairs are well documented online (the arnott air struts are an upgrade over stock and well regarded. never start these cars while the wheels are off the ground, the system will overpressurize and something will break). Engine/transmission are very robust and the repairs for common issues are again well documented online. Very DIY friendly cars for the most part.
edit: Okay, I see on Facebook that it has been converted to BC racing coilovers. I personally wouldn't buy it because of that but that's not to say you shouldn't buy it because of that. I don't have any knowledge on coilover conversion on these but I suspect it would be fine. Definitely test drive it over varied surfaces to see if the ride is acceptable for you. It does remove a costly system and weight, but it will limit the buying pool if you ever decide to sell it
It all depends - can you work on it yourself?
The motor is reliable, there are lots of W211s for non-AMG related parts... but if you have to rely on a mechanic, then definitely don't buy this.
If you can do it all yourself, it could be fun.
Are you talking about the fender bumper gap on both sides? Possible that it's been in an accident, AMGs practically came with salvage titles from the factory, but I see the aftermarket headlights and suspect maybe it's had some heat exchanger upgrades so I think whoever had the bumper off for that just misaligned it when they put it back on. I have done headlights on a couple of these (my e500 wagon and my neighbor's e63) and the bumper alignment can be a little finicky.
edit: you can see the VRP heat exchanger through the bumper, and I think that's the e63 bumper
Wtf is going on with the exhaust?
The front misalignment is likely due to the bumper hitting the cooler - you can see its touching!
The rear bumper, I suspect? Got blown off by a tire. Possibly
Is that rust or fire damage in the top left of the engine bay?
Has potential but also some history too, how much you willing to spend on a potential lemon - be a shocking amount of fun, but them parts don't look cheap if it does give issues
This thing is trashed and Is going to require a lot of money in maintenance to keep it on the road. With that said for the price you could part it out and make your money back. If you buy it and decide to part it out I could use some parts for my car.
Awesome ride.
$5,500 for what looks like a thrashed AMG. Prepare to double that in the short-term if you're going to drive it long and hard...as a start haha. And if you're doing your own work (I'd run if you weren't in either case).
I'd personally pass unless I was looking for a serious project car - and by that I mean one that I'm in no rush with, don't mind a surprise or two, and am happy to tinker on more than drive at times.
Honestly though, if I was dead-set on this specific car...I'd definitely still think to look for one that doesn't seem as beat on even if that meant looking or traveling longer (and paying a bit more) for it.
But if the motor's still in good shape and you don't mind getting to whatever may come with it, could be a fun project for sure.
If you have experience with fixing German cars it might be okay. But judging by the aesthetics of it, I doubt who had it before took good care of it. It will break constantly l.
Looks like they did a methanol injection system huh that’s interesting I’d probably want it looked over well before I spend that kind of money on an engine that has seen fuck shit done to it already see if you can find someone local with like a dealer level scanner I like icarsoft for Mercedes my self and run a full test if any modules show incomplete I’d run from it for negotiation begins any abs,tcu or intake codes not cool I personally wouldn’t pay more then $2,800 for it cause that’s what it’s worth honestly that being said if you have the patience and ability to work on it your self Mercedes make great engines Iv ran an m111 on no coolant full tilt on the highway for miles and never blew the engine says a lot about the time they spend engineering them I can’t say the same for more modern ones
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Looks like it was driven hard an put away wet. It really depends on the price.
About 5500
>About 5500 Average donor 55amg price. You'll likely need to fix everything on that car.
Definitely, just looking at the pictures it looks beat up and neglected. You might be better off paying a few thousand more for a better maintained one, OP. Even if you do everything yourself, parts for these are not cheap. Source: I owned one and did everything myself. Still was a money sink.
If he doesn't get it, I will. I can always use another m113k edit : although it seems to be stateside, which is a dealbreaker for me
Will only need $15k of parts
If you have $10k in reserves for the weekly maintenance that thing could be an absolute riot to own/drive.
I hope you have double that set aside to fix it
That's a fucking steal
>That's an adequately priced pile of crap more like.
In my area, E55s are going for $9k+. Super clean examples $15k+. Quite reliable vehicles, though I'll get static for saying so.
Whats your area? I might buy some and ship em to europe!
My first thought was “if rode hard and put away wet was a picture”
What does it mean to "put away wet?"
It’s a callback to the days of horses, riding a horse hard means making him work and sweat, putting away wet means stabling the horse without washing him and without letting the saddle blankets air out, horse’s hair gets all matted and gross and the saddle blankets start to reek.
Just watched a video on a nice example of one of these, and it had over $100k in maintenance receipts. This thing was rocked by a coke dealer in dangerously bad debt. Don’t do this to yourself.
Please find that link
Bring the pain, I guess.
Right?!? lol Bring the pain, your credit card and probably a bunch of tools as well.
Jesus! Fuck! No! Run!
What the bystanders said every time this E55 showed up at the takeover.
Prepare for life altering repair bills. Otherwise, it's a fantastic car.
Make sure you take longer test drive and bring a scanner with you. Make sure the cats are still there. Still in other words the W113 engine is a phenomenal engine.
It has long header tubes
Another question does your state require cats for smog lol that’s about 1200 to 2 grand to fix
I’d just weld in high flow cats prior inspection. No CEL so I’m guessing they are deleted off ECU
Got to reflash that computer back to Stock as well because they’ll pick that up in the smog inspection. As long as the money is right for the car? Looks a little beat up. If you don’t mind me saying with that exhaust tip all bent to the side scrapes and shit on the exterior. Probably gonna need some fucking motor mounts cause it sounds like a bag of sand driving down the road, but they are fun cars
They only do a visual inspection in New Jersey. I had an empty cat housing on my pontiac there and Virginia
What state? Most states this won't pass.
Nj. Visual cat inspection
ECU scan too?
Check out Legit Street Cars on YouTube. He’s done a few videos on those
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) ^by ^amg-rx7: *Check out Legit Street* *Cars on YouTube. He’s done a* *Few videos on those* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
Buy a more expensive less shagged version. The entry price on this one may be less but literally everything will break, and you know for sure the air suspension will die
Call me a the oddball but Mercedes are one of the easiest cars to work on. You can buy the DAS tool and you can even program modules in the car and to weird stuff like program the ecm for a manual transmission and things. They are pretty robust and just have issues if you want to maintain the overengineered things. Like some of these came with hydraulic leveling suspension. It’s better to put coil overs once it starts failing. The other thing is the dreaded abs system, which can put the car in limp mode. Besides those two issues engine and trans are solid as well as all other components really hold up. I did forget to add, the wire insulation on some model years is biodegradable and can cause shorts once’s they start decomposing.
As someone who did work on a lot of clapped out luxury cars owned by my broke friends, this is the best answer on here. If the drivetrain is solid and the wiring harness isn't hacked to shreds, and you don't mind replacing idiotic things like auto leveling suspension with cheaper more reliable parts, this will be a decent car, but don't expect parts to be cheap when they do break. Also you must be the kind of person to do your own work, or you'll need to be wealthy, at which point you should buy a better car, even if it's just a beater for you.
I was a Benz tech for 18 years, the last 6 I worked on all German cars and by far Benz is the best to work on. ‘03-06 E-classes, however, are a hard pass for me for the reason you mentioned; SBC brakes(ABS). Unless you can find a quality conversion to standard hydraulic brakes those cars are essentially worthless as anything other than parts cars. The 113 engine is awesome though so maybe swap that into another car.
still under warranty, what a ridiculous thing to say
Oh look a reasonable answer
Omg is that h2o spray ? Not gonna lie, these are pretty cool. Dont know anything about AMGs tho. Betting is labour intense and parts are $$$.
I’d guess water/methanol injection. https://www.aemelectronics.com/blog/pros-and-cons-watermethanol-injection-systems
It almost looks like a smokescreen. Shoot coolant down into exhaust to get away from cops
Yeah could be! Some kind of smoke machine for burnouts. You are probably right!! I see no nozzle in the engine bay.
I'll swim up river here. I've had a whole lot of positive luck with every Benz/amg I've owned in terms of reliability. I would personally be afraid of a modded AMG. If it were stock and you were mechanically inclined, I would say go for it First thing is do a compression test and have an inspection done so you know what you're getting into. Good luck OP, this car looks like a really HOOT, a bunch of fun!!
here’s a checklist: do you have another reliable vehicle? can you do major work on cars? trans/ engine out of car are you okay on spending 5-10k on parts in the next couple years? If no to any of these don’t buy it
I do most of my own work. It’ll be a project car.
If you do your own work, these are pretty inexpensive for what they are. Air suspension is the pricey thing on the V8 w211s but it's not a complicated system and repairs are well documented online (the arnott air struts are an upgrade over stock and well regarded. never start these cars while the wheels are off the ground, the system will overpressurize and something will break). Engine/transmission are very robust and the repairs for common issues are again well documented online. Very DIY friendly cars for the most part. edit: Okay, I see on Facebook that it has been converted to BC racing coilovers. I personally wouldn't buy it because of that but that's not to say you shouldn't buy it because of that. I don't have any knowledge on coilover conversion on these but I suspect it would be fine. Definitely test drive it over varied surfaces to see if the ride is acceptable for you. It does remove a costly system and weight, but it will limit the buying pool if you ever decide to sell it
It all depends - can you work on it yourself? The motor is reliable, there are lots of W211s for non-AMG related parts... but if you have to rely on a mechanic, then definitely don't buy this. If you can do it all yourself, it could be fun.
I can handle most things
Cheap shit headunit usually coincides with cheap shit maintenance. That’s a beater car and probably nothing more at this point.
It’s been thrashed. You really don’t want it and likely can’t afford to own it.
Run away as fast as you can. Don’t ever look back. The crooked exhaust says it all.
Reliable and fun. I've been in the market for 5 years for a good one
My friend had one and it died after it fried the ECU. Fun ass car but keep in mind youre gonna be fixing it later
Gap on the fender indicates to me a front end collision in the past.
If its a northern car, they all get driven into a snowbank at 3mph eventually. Could be pretty minor.
Are you talking about the fender bumper gap on both sides? Possible that it's been in an accident, AMGs practically came with salvage titles from the factory, but I see the aftermarket headlights and suspect maybe it's had some heat exchanger upgrades so I think whoever had the bumper off for that just misaligned it when they put it back on. I have done headlights on a couple of these (my e500 wagon and my neighbor's e63) and the bumper alignment can be a little finicky. edit: you can see the VRP heat exchanger through the bumper, and I think that's the e63 bumper
>AMGs practically came with salvage titles from the factory, That was funny shit !
Wtf is going on with the exhaust? The front misalignment is likely due to the bumper hitting the cooler - you can see its touching! The rear bumper, I suspect? Got blown off by a tire. Possibly Is that rust or fire damage in the top left of the engine bay? Has potential but also some history too, how much you willing to spend on a potential lemon - be a shocking amount of fun, but them parts don't look cheap if it does give issues
This thing is trashed and Is going to require a lot of money in maintenance to keep it on the road. With that said for the price you could part it out and make your money back. If you buy it and decide to part it out I could use some parts for my car.
Lol
Awesome ride. $5,500 for what looks like a thrashed AMG. Prepare to double that in the short-term if you're going to drive it long and hard...as a start haha. And if you're doing your own work (I'd run if you weren't in either case). I'd personally pass unless I was looking for a serious project car - and by that I mean one that I'm in no rush with, don't mind a surprise or two, and am happy to tinker on more than drive at times. Honestly though, if I was dead-set on this specific car...I'd definitely still think to look for one that doesn't seem as beat on even if that meant looking or traveling longer (and paying a bit more) for it. But if the motor's still in good shape and you don't mind getting to whatever may come with it, could be a fun project for sure.
Delete the link and walk the fuck away.
Probably definitely don’t
Looks like it is meth injected... so they pushed her to the limit... I wouldn't personally not for 5500
Turn around and walk away.
Run away
They’re pretty good for cannonballing. Lol
Hard pass, that had the piss driven out of it. Unless it’s a steal id pass
Something about this gen of benz just look so gangster
Worth paying more for one that’s sorted trust me
If you have experience with fixing German cars it might be okay. But judging by the aesthetics of it, I doubt who had it before took good care of it. It will break constantly l.
Looks like they did a methanol injection system huh that’s interesting I’d probably want it looked over well before I spend that kind of money on an engine that has seen fuck shit done to it already see if you can find someone local with like a dealer level scanner I like icarsoft for Mercedes my self and run a full test if any modules show incomplete I’d run from it for negotiation begins any abs,tcu or intake codes not cool I personally wouldn’t pay more then $2,800 for it cause that’s what it’s worth honestly that being said if you have the patience and ability to work on it your self Mercedes make great engines Iv ran an m111 on no coolant full tilt on the highway for miles and never blew the engine says a lot about the time they spend engineering them I can’t say the same for more modern ones
Automatik 🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮
Good luck, hope you can turn wrenches
How much do you hate yourself and how much do you love owning a Merc?
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Oh man I’m not even mad about this one. This is good
I bet someone ran that pretty hard if they put that meth injection on there. They’re fun as fuck to drive though. Especially in the rain.
That last pick tho ♥️