At $11,500, Will This 2002 Mercedes E55 AMG Make For A Fast Sale?
The supercharged M113K 5.4-liter V8 under the hood is considered one of the greatest engines of all time.
According to its seller, today's Nice Price or No Dice E55 AMG has been ceramic coated, which explains its crazy-shiny appearance. Let's see if we all take a shine to this performance sedan's price.
It's been said that good things come in small packages, and, truth be told, the 2007 Mini Cooper S 'Sidewalk edition' we looked at yesterday was pretty dang small. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said—either small or good—about its $15,500 price tag. That resulted in a honkin'-big 80 percent No Dice loss.
Back in the 1980s, Mercedes tuner AMG released its masterpiece of autobahn-eating performance, the E-Class-based AMG Hammer. Liking what they saw, Mercedes engineers decided to build their own hot rod, consigning Porsche to revamp the W124's engine bay and fenders in the creation of the E500. For ensuing elephantine-performance E-Classes, both construction and AMG were pulled in-house, leading to the latter becoming Mercedes' official performance brand, ala BMW's M Group. It also led to cars like this 2002 Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG.
Based on the E-Class for a new millennium, the W211 E55 AMG earned the title of fastest production sedan in the world upon its 2002 debut. Making all the fuss is a hand-crafted 5.4-liter M113K V8, fitted with a twin-scroll supercharger and good for 469 horsepower and an earth-churning 516 lb-ft of torque.
Behind that is an AMG-tuned five-speed automatic, and everything rides on a revised and more aggressive suspension setup. Stopping is by way of massive eight-piston front and four-pot rear disc brakes.
The E55 isn't a one-trick pony, either. Unlike most high-performance cars that require kid gloves and a trust fund for maintenance and repairs, the AMG has earned a reputation for reliability and fuss-free ownership when properly looked after.
This one has been looked after for 157,000 miles and boasts a clean title. According to the seller, not everything on the car has made it that far as the ad notes the replacement of the passenger seat, plus a recent refresh of the engine oil, spark plugs, and O2 sensors. Two of the tires are also new, but we're left to guess which ones those are.
Aesthetically, the Benz appears to be in excellent condition. The seller touts a recent color correction and "10-year" ceramic coat that leaves the body with an unnatural gloss as though it's been dunked in ArmorAll. Chrome wheels are never a good choice, and there's no exception here, although the owner claims these Monoblocks were specially ordered all the way from Germany.
There are appear to be no complaints in the cabin. The leather on the replacement passenger seat fits in with the rest of the space, and the carbon fiber appliqué on the dash and console lends the car a unique and more modern look. Obviously, there are plenty of toys in here, including a double-DIN head unit with a screen that's appreciably large for the car's age. There don't seem to be any missing pixels on any of the displays in the dash, something that typically can't be said about competitors like Audi and BMW.
As far as the mechanicals go, the seller claims the car "runs extremely smooth" and is "very powerful." Also noted is the car's rarity, as the seller states that only 275 E55 AMGs were brought to America in 2002. The asking price of this shiny bauble is $11,500.
What's your take on paying that kind of cash for this hot rod Benz? Does it seem like a good deal to get one of the greatest performance cars of all time? Or has time and value passed this model by?
You decide!
San Francisco Bay Area, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Patrick Liu for the hookup!
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