Maybe I'll see if there's any more interest these days lol.....
My previous advert is below again which explains the car:
I'm not sure this car is for me. Maybe I haven't used it enough to get more attached to it. Maybe it's a bit too modern for my tastes as I usually run classics, I don't know. I'm just not 'feeling it' if you know what I mean. I have more attachment to my diesel Peugeot 205! It really is an amazing machine with insane capabilities. It's not just a one trick pony drag racer, the handling and brakes are equally as impressive. There is hardly any roll, dive or squat when using the performance and the car remains very flat and planted. Due to it's capabilities, there is no sense of speed until you are well and truly in to licence losing territory. It is just relentless and the rate of acceleration never seems to drop off no matter what the speed. Depending on road surface and prod level, the traction control light is flashing away even at 70 MPH in the dry!
I have owned the car for nearly 3 years and covered about 9000 miles in it. During this time I have made a few cosmetic changes to try and make the car more original. I bought and fitted a new battery when I got the car, along with a standard Grille (as it had an aftermarket one on), correct Early Rear Lights and replaced the aftermarket door mirrors with Mercedes items. I also removed the very dark window tints which have improved the appearance greatly but there is still a very small patch to remove from around the 3rd brake light. This means removal of the rear shelf to do properly so will take me a bit longer.
I haven't got round to servicing it yet but do have a set of 16 O.E. NGK Platinum spark plugs (the most expensive item at service time) and will come with the car if I have not fitted them, along with the OE spec filters. There were a few bits of trim missing inside (such as gear knob emblem, panel on rear of centre console) which I have since sourced and fitted so it is all now nice and complete.
Exterior
As can be seen in the pics the car is in lovely condition. The paint colour is known as Obsidian Black and appears to be quite rare. It was resprayed at least 7 years ago (according to a thread I found on the Merc forum) so has not had any recent paint to hide corrosion. The fact there is still none present would indicate this is one of the nicer examples in the UK. The wheels on the driver side have had their lacquer removed on the rims so they are polished chrome. The passenger side wheels need the same treatment as the rear wheel has peeling/cracked lacquer. This is the only cosmetic defect on the car. Tyres are matching Avons all round with plenty of tread.
Interior
Again, the pics speak for themselves. The AMG specific 'Condor' anthracite leather interior is in amazing condition. It really is hard wearing as most W210 E55s I've seen seem to have minimal wear. All the electrics work as they should including the seats which are heated with memory function. The few bits of missing trim I've found and replaced so there is nothing broken or missing. At some stage the car has had the Command 2 system retro fitted which all works as it should and is very rare to have in a Pre-Facelift model. The Bose speakers are crystal clear and digital TV tuner was also fitted at the time so this also works. I've bought an O.E. Sat Nav disc so that also works now Air Con was regassed last year.
Engine
The car has just rolled over on to 135k miles. I have the 16 O.E. Platinum plugs and filters, so it just needs some oil to complete the service items. The engine is very quiet and smooth and is barely audible at tickover. It doesn't burn excessive oil or use any water so is a healthy AMG V8. It is as you would expect bonkers fast! It's had the known AMG modification of secondary cats & resonator removal (along with a remap) and this takes them up to about 380 bhp. I'm fairly sure it's delimited too, as it once changed up to 5th gear at 160 mph! The furthest non-stop journey I have travelled in the car is 230 miles and have also been stuck in a traffic jam for 2 hours with no ill effects so it's as healthy as can be. I would have no doubts driving the car to anywhere in the country.
Gearbox
This was one point I was careful about when taking on this car. I know how expensive maintenance can be on these modern (to me) computer controlled auto boxes as my Jaguar XJ8 taught me this! There is a receipt in the service history for a service being carried out at a Mercedes specialist at 100k miles, and from research it does not appear to be a difficult job to change the fluid, unlike said Jaguar. If I keep the car I will do this along with Diff fluid and engine service.
Chassis
I haven't even had the car on a jack but all seems well here. The floor and jacking points are all straight and solid unlike many other W210 Mercedes models. The ride is quite hard (as I suspect it's uprated) but I suppose you can not get away from this as it needs to remain poised when being driven enthusiastically. It's definitely lower and stiffer than my neighbour's standard E55.
The main reason I am thinking of letting go is I fancy something a little older which will hopefully charm me with it's character. The E55 doesn't have much charm, it's more like a well built hitman! It doesn't need to be repeated that these early AMG models values are now on the rise, but as appealing as that sounds (and I will kick myself in the not too distant..), I'd rather something that I can connect with. I'm not desperate to sell but just love the design of older cars.
Insurance is very cheap on these if you join the Mercedes Owners Club and then they are insured as a classic. It's £250 for me with a 3k mileage limit and an agreed valuation of £8k. Road tax is also the same as my Pug 205 as it's pre 2001.
I think I have covered everything but feel free to ask any questions you need. Viewings/test drives (for the serious, insured buyer are most welcome as the car is taxed and MOT'd until April 2020.
I would intend on removing my private reg number so the car would revert back to it's original reg of S663 LLX.
More pics can be seen here..
forum.retro-rides.org/thread/192528/1998-mercedes-e55-amg?page=3&scrollTo=2347505
My previous advert is below again which explains the car:
I'm not sure this car is for me. Maybe I haven't used it enough to get more attached to it. Maybe it's a bit too modern for my tastes as I usually run classics, I don't know. I'm just not 'feeling it' if you know what I mean. I have more attachment to my diesel Peugeot 205! It really is an amazing machine with insane capabilities. It's not just a one trick pony drag racer, the handling and brakes are equally as impressive. There is hardly any roll, dive or squat when using the performance and the car remains very flat and planted. Due to it's capabilities, there is no sense of speed until you are well and truly in to licence losing territory. It is just relentless and the rate of acceleration never seems to drop off no matter what the speed. Depending on road surface and prod level, the traction control light is flashing away even at 70 MPH in the dry!
I have owned the car for nearly 3 years and covered about 9000 miles in it. During this time I have made a few cosmetic changes to try and make the car more original. I bought and fitted a new battery when I got the car, along with a standard Grille (as it had an aftermarket one on), correct Early Rear Lights and replaced the aftermarket door mirrors with Mercedes items. I also removed the very dark window tints which have improved the appearance greatly but there is still a very small patch to remove from around the 3rd brake light. This means removal of the rear shelf to do properly so will take me a bit longer.
I haven't got round to servicing it yet but do have a set of 16 O.E. NGK Platinum spark plugs (the most expensive item at service time) and will come with the car if I have not fitted them, along with the OE spec filters. There were a few bits of trim missing inside (such as gear knob emblem, panel on rear of centre console) which I have since sourced and fitted so it is all now nice and complete.
Exterior
As can be seen in the pics the car is in lovely condition. The paint colour is known as Obsidian Black and appears to be quite rare. It was resprayed at least 7 years ago (according to a thread I found on the Merc forum) so has not had any recent paint to hide corrosion. The fact there is still none present would indicate this is one of the nicer examples in the UK. The wheels on the driver side have had their lacquer removed on the rims so they are polished chrome. The passenger side wheels need the same treatment as the rear wheel has peeling/cracked lacquer. This is the only cosmetic defect on the car. Tyres are matching Avons all round with plenty of tread.
Interior
Again, the pics speak for themselves. The AMG specific 'Condor' anthracite leather interior is in amazing condition. It really is hard wearing as most W210 E55s I've seen seem to have minimal wear. All the electrics work as they should including the seats which are heated with memory function. The few bits of missing trim I've found and replaced so there is nothing broken or missing. At some stage the car has had the Command 2 system retro fitted which all works as it should and is very rare to have in a Pre-Facelift model. The Bose speakers are crystal clear and digital TV tuner was also fitted at the time so this also works. I've bought an O.E. Sat Nav disc so that also works now Air Con was regassed last year.
Engine
The car has just rolled over on to 135k miles. I have the 16 O.E. Platinum plugs and filters, so it just needs some oil to complete the service items. The engine is very quiet and smooth and is barely audible at tickover. It doesn't burn excessive oil or use any water so is a healthy AMG V8. It is as you would expect bonkers fast! It's had the known AMG modification of secondary cats & resonator removal (along with a remap) and this takes them up to about 380 bhp. I'm fairly sure it's delimited too, as it once changed up to 5th gear at 160 mph! The furthest non-stop journey I have travelled in the car is 230 miles and have also been stuck in a traffic jam for 2 hours with no ill effects so it's as healthy as can be. I would have no doubts driving the car to anywhere in the country.
Gearbox
This was one point I was careful about when taking on this car. I know how expensive maintenance can be on these modern (to me) computer controlled auto boxes as my Jaguar XJ8 taught me this! There is a receipt in the service history for a service being carried out at a Mercedes specialist at 100k miles, and from research it does not appear to be a difficult job to change the fluid, unlike said Jaguar. If I keep the car I will do this along with Diff fluid and engine service.
Chassis
I haven't even had the car on a jack but all seems well here. The floor and jacking points are all straight and solid unlike many other W210 Mercedes models. The ride is quite hard (as I suspect it's uprated) but I suppose you can not get away from this as it needs to remain poised when being driven enthusiastically. It's definitely lower and stiffer than my neighbour's standard E55.
The main reason I am thinking of letting go is I fancy something a little older which will hopefully charm me with it's character. The E55 doesn't have much charm, it's more like a well built hitman! It doesn't need to be repeated that these early AMG models values are now on the rise, but as appealing as that sounds (and I will kick myself in the not too distant..), I'd rather something that I can connect with. I'm not desperate to sell but just love the design of older cars.
Insurance is very cheap on these if you join the Mercedes Owners Club and then they are insured as a classic. It's £250 for me with a 3k mileage limit and an agreed valuation of £8k. Road tax is also the same as my Pug 205 as it's pre 2001.
I think I have covered everything but feel free to ask any questions you need. Viewings/test drives (for the serious, insured buyer are most welcome as the car is taxed and MOT'd until April 2020.
I would intend on removing my private reg number so the car would revert back to it's original reg of S663 LLX.
More pics can be seen here..
forum.retro-rides.org/thread/192528/1998-mercedes-e55-amg?page=3&scrollTo=2347505