Doesn't someone here have a Mercedes-Benz E550 Coupe? Update! Bought the E550

[JulesMaximus]

I'm looking at a 2014 E550 Coupe with 22k miles on it. They're asking $43k for it. They also just got a 2014 E350 Coupe with only 16k miles on it that I could purchase for $5,000 less. Insurance cost difference is negligible. The 550 is white with black leather and the 350 is dark blue with beige interior (which I rather like).

Anyway, should I get the E550? Or be more responsible and save gas and the planet by getting the E350? I haven't driven either one yet.

The blue one looks exactly like this car.

Shit, there goes the practical car. We might be a two Mercedes family soon.

Update: We drove 3 different cars. Started out with the blue E350 which wasn't presented very well. There were swirl marks all over the paint and the interior looked like it may have been vacuumed but that was it. There was some hand residue on the steering wheel and over other parts of the control surfaces. The engine felt busy and while it had adequate power it didn't thrill me at all.

Next up was the E550 Coupe. Man, this car is nice. White with black leather interior, ash wood trim and that panoramic moonroof. It has the sport package and the Premium 1 package along with keyless go. Like the E350, it needed a good wipe down of the interior... not sure who is prepping these cars but they aren't doing a very good job.

I was sold on the E550 but they had a nice looking E350 Cabriolet so we took that for a drive too. This one was white with tan leather and it looked fantastic. We put the top down and off we went. To be honest, I like convertibles and I have owned one before which is probably why I was so hesitant with this one. I really noticed how much more flex there was in the chassis. It was really noticeable and while my wife and I both liked the top down, wind in the hair ride, I would be living with this car on a daily basis and the squeaks and rattles that would inevitably develop would drive me nuts. My wife really liked the convertible actually. I think she was a little disappointed that I didn't like it more but I've lived with cars like this long term and it gets tiring. Plus, you never put the top down as much as you think you're going to.

All the cars we drove were 2014 models and they all had between 17-22k miles on them. The E550 had a little over 22k miles on it as did the Cabriolet.

Anyway, we got them to knock $1500 off the E550 and bought the car. Big fan of the AMG wheels.

 

[tsupersonic]

I've driven the "last generation", which was an '10 model (before it got the engine change from 5.5L v8 to 4.6L twin-turbo v8). It was pretty quick, and interior was luxurious (seeing at the time I had a Civic). It was priced right, however, a CLS 63 entered the picture and that was the end of that.

I've driven a sedan E350, and it's nice, but you really want the v8! Shop around and hopefully you get an e550 with the right options/colors, and in your price range.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I've driven the "last generation", which was an '10 model (before it got the engine change from 5.5L v8 to 4.6L twin-turbo v8). It was pretty quick, and interior was luxurious (seeing at the time I had a Civic). It was priced right, however, a CLS 63 entered the picture and that was the end of that.

I've driven a sedan E350, and it's nice, but you really want the v8! Shop around and hopefully you get an e550 with the right options/colors, and in your price range.

You would be surprised how few of them there are for sale. E350s are plentiful but the E550 is not. I searched Autotrader for a 2014-2015 within 200 miles of me and I found 2 for sale (in all of SoCal). The one I'm looking at and a grey one with much lower mileage but horrible aftermarket wheels, listed private party, and he was asking $5k more than the one I'm looking at.

That said, the one this dealership is listing has been in their inventory for a couple months now. I suspect the blue E350 Coupe will go quick as it has very low mileage and the asking price seems reasonable.

 

[sontakke]

I think you know somebody who purchased CLS550; Would that do?

 

[brainhulk]

i have a 2013 e550. 34k miles. I had an independent mercedes mechanic take a look at it when i purchased it. He said everything was fine except for a slight vibration in the engine bay (i didn't notice it). He thought it could have been the timing chain which he said has been known problem with the e550. Since it was still under warranty, he said have the dealer take a look at it. Dealer said it was due to bad motor mounts. So they replaced all of them.

Other than that the vehicle runs smooth and strong. Very sensitive throttle in sport mode. And the suspension tightens up nicely in sport mode also.

I have had no other issues as of yet. I did the oil change, oil filter, and air filter 2 weeks ago. nothing special, except the air filter was the weirdest one i've ever had to access. you have to unlatch the housing, flip it over, and then open the housing held in by 4 torqx screws...lol. idk why they would make it so complicated for a fucking air filter.

good luck with your search!

 

[A5]

I personally would have a hard time paying $5k to go from 300->400 HP, but my commute is just congestion all the time.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I personally would have a hard time paying $5k to go from 300->400 HP, but my commute is just congestion all the time.

Mine is too. Plus, the E350 gets 21/30 mpg vs 18/25 for the E550. We took our CLS550 on a long road trip a few weeks ago and averaged almost 25mpg which I thought was pretty good but commuting I'd probably average around 20. I could probably expect 25mpg out of the E350. Our Lexus ES is rated 20/28 and I average 25mpg commuting. The CLS is my wife's car.

We both really like the Mercedes CLS and I prefer the COMAND system in the merc to the system in the Lexus. The Lexus is leased and we're very close to having to turn it back in. It's a nice car but it just doesn't compare at all to the Mercedes. Plus, it isn't worth the buyout on the lease so it doesn't make much sense to keep it.

Still not sure about that blue color. I've never owned a blue car before. It looks great but might be a little flash.

 

[SearchMaster]

Still not sure about that blue color. I've never owned a blue car before. It looks great but might be a little flash.

Flash? That's not a flashy shade of blue IMO. Of course my current car is a flashy shade of "blurple" but I get compliments on it all the time. I also have people commenting on how clean it is even when it is very dirty so I guess it hides dirt pretty well.

That fuel bill is going to grind your gears after getting 50 in the hybrid though, regardless of which one you get

If you're not someone who gets irked when the acceleration doesn't ripple your cheeks, the 350 should be plenty - it's not like 300 HP is anemic. And that engine is much more widely in service than the V8 (AFAIK) which should keep maintenance costs lower. I hear so many horror stories about maintenance costs on Mercedes "specialty" engines though the V8 is n/a so maybe it wouldn't be so rough.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Flash? That's not a flashy shade of blue IMO. Of course my current car is a flashy shade of "blurple" but I get compliments on it all the time. I also have people commenting on how clean it is even when it is very dirty so I guess it hides dirt pretty well.

That fuel bill is going to grind your gears after getting 50 in the hybrid though, regardless of which one you get

If you're not someone who gets irked when the acceleration doesn't ripple your cheeks, the 350 should be plenty - it's not like 300 HP is anemic. And that engine is much more widely in service than the V8 (AFAIK) which should keep maintenance costs lower. I hear so many horror stories about maintenance costs on Mercedes "specialty" engines though the V8 is n/a so maybe it wouldn't be so rough.

We traded the hybrid for my wife's Mercedes a few months ago so I'm used to the 25mpg the Lexus returns on my daily commute. The only difference will be the need for premium vs regular the Lexus took. The Camry hybrid was putting out about 200hp (and I was averaging about 36-37mpg), the Lexus 268hp. The E350 coupe will do 0-60mph in 5.5 seconds so it's no slouch. The E550 will scoot from 0-60 in 4.5 seconds.

BTW, the V8 in the E550 is a biturbo. It's the same engine they put in the CLS550. That engine is used in a bunch of Mercedes cars and SUVs actually. It's a fantastic motor and it makes such a great sound when you push the go pedal. Power delivery is very linear and smooth.

As far as specialty engines maybe you're referring to the AMG versions? I'm sure those are pricey to maintain.

MB is pretty good with their CPO programs. Our CLS includes the next 3 services free of charge and we have almost 4 more years and unlimited mileage on the warranty (we purchased the extended warranty) so I'm not overly worried about any issues that might crop up. I'm sure the warranty is the same on the cars I'm looking at. The question is, which one do I want? :wub:

 

[BurnItDwn]

You should get the Porsche Cayman. It will depreciate a lot less and should be faster and be decently comfortable. It wont be quite as comfortable, but, its a much better car.

 

[JulesMaximus]

You should get the Porsche Cayman. It will depreciate a lot less and should be faster and be decently comfortable. It wont be quite as comfortable, but, its a much better car.

I'd like to consider the Cayman (Beetle jokes aside) but I actually need the back seat from time to time, and the rear seats fold down in the Mercedes so I could actually fit stuff in it when needed. Plus, the Cayman is another $6k on top of the E550 minimum for the same model year with low mileage. And $11k more than the E350.

I like the BMW 4 series but they are way too common. They're freaking everywhere.

I will not consider an Audi under any circumstances.

 

[echo4747]

I'd like to consider the Cayman (Beetle jokes aside) but I actually need the back seat from time to time, and the rear seats fold down in the Mercedes so I could actually fit stuff in it when needed. Plus, the Cayman is another $6k on top of the E550 minimum for the same model year with low mileage. And $11k more than the E350.

I like the BMW 4 series but they are way too common. They're freaking everywhere.

I will not consider an Audi under any circumstances.

give any thought to the Panamera? nice sized backseat.. gorgeous interior

 

[JulesMaximus]

give any thought to the Panamera? nice sized backseat.. gorgeous interior

WAAAY too expensive! Honestly, we could afford it but I'm not comfortable with financing that much at this time. I'd rather make smaller payments and put more into savings. Interest rates on car loans are still pretty low so I don't mind putting $7-8k down and financing the rest but I don't want a $1,000 car payment either.

 

[Stopsignhank]

Still not sure about that blue color. I've never owned a blue car before. It looks great but might be a little flash.

I have a blue car. It is nice because if you notice the majority of the cars on the road are black/white/gray. It is nice to have a car that has a color to it. I always say, when you ask someone what their favorite color is the answer is extremely rarely black white or gray.

That is not a flashy blue, and that is a $900 option for that color.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I have a blue car. It is nice because if you notice the majority of the cars on the road are black/white/gray. It is nice to have a car that has a color to it. I always say, when you ask someone what their favorite color is the answer is extremely rarely black white or gray.

That is not a flashy blue, and that is a $900 option for that color.

You're absolutely right. I like the color too and I do notice that most cars are white/gray/black. I don't like black cars personally. They look great when they're clean but a couple hours after you wash them they look dirty and black shows every single swirl mark and imperfection. Plus, they're incredibly hot when parked in the sun for even a few minutes.

White isn't bad. I've owned white cars before and silver/gray isn't bad either but they just don't stand out at all among the sea of like colored cars.

I'm kind of leaning toward the blue now.

 

[Midwayman]

I have the C350, so the same 303hp engine as that e350. Its certainly no slouch on the highway. I'd save the $5k and get the color you like better.

 

[hans007]

personally i think the v8 would feel better in a GT cruiser type coupe, as the older engine without turbos in that generation is kind of higher strung .

I've had friends who owned the W204 C300 and C350 and driven their cars (and the E coupe was based on that platform) and its just not a car that feels, german torque monster cruiser. the E550 would feel better so if that matters to you i think go V8.

 

[Midwayman]

I've had friends who owned the W204 C300 and C350 and driven their cars (and the E coupe was based on that platform) and its just not a car that feels, german torque monster cruiser. the E550 would feel better so if that matters to you i think go V8.

FWIW the new 303hp engine only came out in 2012 for the 350. Otherwise you're talking a considerable step down.

 

[hans007]

FWIW the new 303hp engine only came out in 2012 for the 350. Otherwise you're talking a considerable step down.

ah my mistake. i guess that was when they added direct injection and got rid of the C300 for the 1.8 turbo.

I guess this it the M276 which is the basis of all their current turbo v6s and the older one was the M272 which didn't have DI and was like 270 hp. My friends had I think a 2009 C300 and 2010 C350 so I guess I don't have an educated opinion on this, unless they are very very similar.

I' not hating on the engine (i'm buying a car with the turbo version of it....), just well the V8 will feel better, more torque at the bottom and you won't have to wring it out as much and the E class is a little heavier than a W204 as well so it would help even more.

 

[Midwayman]

ah my mistake. i guess that was when they added direct injection and got rid of the C300 for the 1.8 turbo.

I guess this it the M276 which is the basis of all their current turbo v6s and the older one was the M272 which didn't have DI and was like 270 hp. My friends had I think a 2009 C300 and 2010 C350 so I guess I don't have an educated opinion on this, unless they are very very similar.

I' not hating on the engine (i'm buying a car with the turbo version of it....), just well the V8 will feel better, more torque at the bottom and you won't have to wring it out as much and the E class is a little heavier than a W204 as well so it would help even more.

Yah, its the newer DI engine. The C300 didn't go away. Nor the c250 with the 1.8 turbo. It gained about 35hp, and 0.4s in both 0-60 and the 1/4 mile. New transmission then too.

No doubt the v8 has more torque. I just don't think the NA m276 is much to complain about for most folks. Just trying to give the perspective of someone who has lived with that engine and platform for awhile. Just for my money if I were going after the E550 I'd be seeking a used AMG if I'm paying the fuel penalty and extra cost. That $43k would buy a 2012+ c63....

 

[hans007]

Yah, its the newer DI engine. The C300 didn't go away. Nor the c250 with the 1.8 turbo. It gained about 35hp, and 0.4s in both 0-60 and the 1/4 mile. New transmission then too.

No doubt the v8 has more torque. I just don't think the NA m276 is much to complain about for most folks. Just trying to give the perspective of someone who has lived with that engine and platform for awhile. Just for my money if I were going after the E550 I'd be seeking a used AMG if I'm paying the fuel penalty and extra cost. That $43k would buy a 2012+ c63....

yeah i guess it depends on what kind of character you want in a car or if you care. and yeah for $43k you could definitely get a W204 C63 of some vintage. honestly if you are looking in that range, $43k is right around where a lot of interesting choices can be had. I'd bet you could find a 2015 C400 in that range as well or a lightly used F32 335/435i in that range.

 

[Herr Kutz]

I would go with a Lexus over any German vehicle. With any German vehicle you're looking at Chrysler-like unreliability but with much higher repair costs.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I would go with a Lexus over any German vehicle. With any German vehicle you're looking at Chrysler-like unreliability but with much higher repair costs.

We have a Lexus. It's a perfectly fine appliance but it doesn't really do anything at all to stir the soul.

We bought the E550 coupe today. We drove the blue E350 Coupe but the engine felt weak and busy in comparison. The E550 absolutely rips. We both loved it. We also drove an E350 Cabriolet which my wife loved but I didn't like how much flex was in the chassis. You could really feel it through the entire car and they just turn into rattle boxes over time.

I'm very happy with the E550 Coupe. It's a sweet ride.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Couple better pics.

 

[Midwayman]

Couple better pics.

:thumbsup:
Looks nice.