So how much do you want for it? Might make the decision making easier if someone says sold or we tell you you won't ever get that. An important part of your plan or query.

 

Thanks fellas, for both the compliments and the advice. Having spent a good part of my life here and having had the pleasure of meeting many of you in person over the past 3 years of ownership, I consider you lot family. As such I feel like I can pull more honest responses in this venue vs. MBWorld, a forum I've only spent the past few weeks on, mind you I was mostly drooling over pictures and FS threads. :3:



Selling for $19K. I have 7 buyers with cash in hand, I don't even have to list it. :hihi: I've already figured that number into the prospective E55 which I plan to acquire for a similar price (sub $21K - late model '04's, and 2005 & 2006 models, mileage under 95K)

I thought about that choice too before my M5..

Are you going to mod the benz in a similar way as your M5?

Similar, but not quite as extreme. Airmatic ride level controller, some Vossen 19's, tint, straight pipes, and a smattering of aesthetic extras like flush-mount hood badge, CF front spoiler and rear diffuser/trunk lip. Pretty much it really.

And you're complaining about ride quality and squeaks? Good luck with your decision!

LOL that's the old setup.

Check out my most recent thread for current look:
http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e39-m5-e52-z8-discussion/213756-slam-town-citizen-one.html

Just for the record, the wife and I HATE HATE HATE her 08 E350 4matic. It will be the last MB we own. The HVAC unit is a joke, has annoying little bits that we can't stand, and the transmission is pathetic. Sure, it's not an E55 AMG, but it will have a lot of the same annoyances.

Think hard before selling Wes. Maybe you could switch with somebody for a week? I know you know somebody down there who would.....

It's more difficult than you might think...very few E55's in town, even fewer E39 M5's. :dunno:

LOL - Thats exaclty what i thought

Thousands of engineering hours are spent designing/engineering the ride height and suspension/chassis dynamics and then people "slamm" the same cars and complain about rattles/noises and ride quality

Yea I don't intend on kissing the ground in the E55 -- plus the air bag suspension should help the roughness a tad if lowered a couple inches, that's the hope anyway. Hell it's gotta be better than the BCs.

Quicksilv3r,
I really like what you have done to the car and advise you to keep the car which is a beautiful car.

I have one question, the last Angiefest you were there and so i was I, I parked my M5 closer to the gate it was the Lemans Blue one, and while I was there, 3 E55 AMG's came flying in that was as you can tell totally modded, now I take it that you have talked with them or know them, is this what has changed your mind about the car that you currently have?


I understand that the car is fast but like another person has stated fast is not everything.

These cars have style and elegance, and right now I would not give that up sometimes when I drive my car at times I do wonder if a turbo is in it.

One day I soon I will make a trip to Augusta to go to that restaurant on Washington Rd. (Rhineharts) perhaps we can meet up a bit and just talk about our cars.

You really should keep that Gem that you have...

It was those same E55s at 4ngiefest which were at Timmayfest earlier in the year...both occasions had me drooling. Shoot me a PM when you're in town and we'll get together!

Wes if you ask this same question over the MB Forums im sure you would get the total oposite responces then you do here. This is the M5 forum, where we all die hard M5 fans reside. Its the ///M or go home!! lol.

Very true, broski :hihi:

Why is the Sirius upgrade so expensive for your '02? Admittedly, I spent about $1200 on mine, but that included the new (dealer) BM53 radio, old to new harness adapters, and new (OEM) Sirius with one year subscription and a used Mk-IV. You shouldn't need the BM53 or harness adapters, and you don't have to have the Mk-IV for OE Sirius. The Mk-IV is only required for the Nav radio display. The station will display on the OBC with Mk-III.

I don't have BM-53 and I would need the new Sirius module + install + subscription. I did the math a few months ago and it came out to be around $800.

The fixes to your issues are a day's work at most. Sounds like you're just ready to move on.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

Maybe I'm just trying to think of reasons I don't like the Beast anymore

Get what suits you, are you a car show fanatic, a drag race master, a road racer expert or just a grocery getter who loves other people drooling over your ride? Find the car that best compliments the quality your enjoy the most about car ownership.

I vote E55 AMG for you! Oh yeah, and no soup for you after that. hiha

I am all of the above, actually. The M5 does the job(s) great, I just think the E55 would potentially do them better :dunno:

I do wonder about the timeline of events in your head. Did you reach a nice level with the M5 and then the issues began to happen and you began to look for ways to change your car? Is your dissatisfaction with speed and audio forced displeasures because you know that the ride, rattles, and squeaks can only be fixed by not having such a slammed car?

I've been satisfied with the M5 since I basically finished it's modding process in July/August (addition of the BBS CH's). Since then I've just been fiddling with dumb s**t like suspension and basically just throwing money away with idle hands. The culmination of it came when I realized that I could afford an E55, one that could even compare to the BIP beasts they've created. Since their showing at Timmayfest and 4ngiefest last year, I was hooked.

Dibs on Wes's car if he sells it!

--Peter

lol get in line, my friend

 

Not sure what to do -- when I weigh one with the other, it's a toss-up. I'd prefer not to sell the M5 and have both cars, but it's simply not the most financially intelligent. Opinions?

Too late. Owning an M5 isn't exactly "financially intelligent", either. I wish you luck in your decision. All my interior creaks bug the hell out of me, too.

 

Funny, when I was considering other cars instead of my touring I looked at E55s and E63s. Yes, they are extremely fast. I'm somewhat OCD before I make a major purchase so I talked with a lot of people about the E55. Everyone to a man and woman said they're OK but make sure you get a 2005-2006 model because that was post-Chrysler and apparently there were lots of problems with those versions. Speaking as a current Mercedes owner (wife drives a GL450) I can vouch for the Airmatic issues - we've had to replace the air pump and one of the struts already and that ain't cheap. I can also vouch for and agree with your assessment of Logic7. It sounds much....richer. COMAND in our 2008 is flat out terrible to use and it was overhauled for 2009. I've even considered replacing it with a Dynavin unit. I was also looking at an E63 simply because it was a straight 8 vs. supercharged, I was figuring that'd mean less moving parts to break.

I ended up with the M5 because it was far cheaper than a reasonable E63 and for me it was fast enough. I also discovered after I got my M5 how much I really missed the manual transmission, it's like I'm back home vs. just putting it in drive and not thinking.

I'll agree with your assessment of various creaks. I still get an annoying creak from the solar sensor in the dash when the weather warms up and my seat has a dull pop sometimes when I turn right. But, it's a 10 year old car performance car. Not sure I'd expect anything different frankly.

I've bought and sold a lot of cars in my life, too many if you ask my wife. In fact, just today I was talking about changing my shift knob and she asked me if I was going to keep my M5 for awhile. My response was that I couldn't think of anything that would really replace it that's reasonably priced.

Obviously, only you can be the one who decides what to do no matter what I or anyone else here says. However, as someone who's had two cases where I bought a car only to dispose of it less than a month later because I couldn't stand it, if you have any, and I mean any, doubt whatsoever in your mind when you look at an E55, walk away. If you find yourself saying "OK, this is pretty good, yeah this is what I should do, hey that [insert here] isn't great but it'll be OK" that's not a good sign. Trust me, I've been there before. Don't settle. Make sure it's really what you want and, if so, go for it.

 

Depends on what you value most. The E39 M5 is much more of a driver's car than any other four-door sedan I've driven. Nothing will match it's road feel, handling, and overall quality of construction. But it is not, by far, the most luxurious or luxuriously appointed sedan, or the fastest in stock trim. There are lots of ways to go fast that are better than the E39 M5. There are lots of ways to handle better than the E39 M5. There are lots of ways to travel in greater luxury than the E39 M5. But you will not find a better driver's car with this much speed and luxury, especially if you supercharge it.
It is, in short, the best package you will find in a four door sedan. The closest comparison is a Cadillac CTS-V. But drive one for a day, and you'll come screaming back to the M5 (Steve is a case in point.)

And give me a weekend with the damn thing in Adam's shop--We'll make your squeaks be gone. Then again, it could just be that you are a really picky son of a ***** and hearing **** that no one else cares about! LOL!

Seriously, don't do it. You will regret it.

--Peter

 

Wes, when I first saw your BEAST I had no clue you had 120,000 miles on the clock! The paintwork is fantastic condition given its a decade old!
It might be in better condition than my M5 with only 50,000 miles at the time. hiha

In my opinion you're trading one expensive poison for another one. Both cars are no spring chicken and will need attention here and there.
I think since the MB has more expensive options & tech that will make it more costly than the M5 to own.
Both cars even tho are competitors offer completely different driving experiences.

Have you thought about getting another E39 M5 with low miles and swapping your mods to it?
How about raising your car about 1" inch or so to help the ride comfort?

The closest comparison is a Cadillac CTS-V. But drive one for a day, and you'll come screaming back to the M5 (Steve is a case in point.)

The Porsche Panamera GTS is probably the closest modern day sedan with the E39 M5's spirit.
Boy would I love to drive one after the last Porsche I drove a few months ago, 997.1 GT3.

(drool)

And give me a weekend with the damn thing in Adam's shop--We'll make your squeaks be gone. Then again, it could just be that you are a really picky son of a ***** and hearing **** that no one else cares about! LOL!

Seriously, don't do it. You will regret it.

--Peter

Take him up on this offer & never look back! :biggrinbounce:

Why is the Sirius upgrade so expensive for your '02? Admittedly, I spent about $1200 on mine, but that included the new (dealer) BM53 radio, old to new harness adapters, and new (OEM) Sirius with one year subscription and a used Mk-IV. You shouldn't need the BM53 or harness adapters, and you don't have to have the Mk-IV for OE Sirius. The Mk-IV is only required for the Nav radio display. The station will display on the OBC with Mk-III.

I have no idea why you would spend $1200 to upgrade for Sirius, you can get a DICE/Audiovox mediabridge and Sirius module for about ~$300 and just remove the CD changer.

 

I have a W208 and despise that car. There's no sound deadening, the button crazy centerconsole is hideous IMO, there's no online support for em, good sources for cheap parts is short and there's hardly any DIYs.

The engine has been great so far, a little lifter tick when cold but tolerable. The trans is going out (auto)

It may not have interior rattles when you get it. Go and slam it like your E39 and it'll be just as rattle prone.

That's my opinion, from the 1 Mercedes I've owned, wouldn't buy another.... Even though the new ones are drop dead sexy

 

Want to be able to carve corners in a big sedan...stick with your M5.

Want to go fast in a straight line...E55.

I too struggled with this decision. I decided against the E55 because I wanted a more drivers oriented vehicle. Undoubtedly the E55 is much much faster in the straights, but since I plan on doing a few track days a year the E39 M5 got the final nod. It also helped that this is my ninth BMW and the E55 would have been my first Merc.

 

I owned a highly optioned w211 E55 that I also modded extensively years ago. It was very fast and had so much torque that even a z06 would envy. It was more luxurious than the e39 and a great cruiser. The kompressor motor is easily modded for big power gains at relatively low cost.

HOWEVER, the handling and driving dynamics were terrible. The e55 does not come close to the M5 in overall handling ability or fun. Steering feel is dead and the air suspension is soft. You cannot fully defeat the traction/stability control, so anytime you want to have some fun in corners, the electronic nanny will shutdown the fun.

If you are simply looking for a luxurious 4-door straight line rocketship, the e55 is a great choice, especially considering you can get clean 2003's for mid teens and last year 2006's can be had for low $20s.

Good luck

 

I thought about that choice too before my M5..

Are you going to mod the benz in a similar way as your M5?

 

2 words, sellers remorse. I can guarantee you will have it.

A few months in the e55, and you will miss the driver; vehicle connection. Seen it many times. While the e39 is not the fastest, cheapest, quietest sports sedan out there, it does remain one that really connects and satisfies driving enthusiasts like no other can.

If anything, keep the m5 until you can afford an e55 and use it as a daily and drive the m5 on weekends so you don't regret selling your gem.

 

Keep both cars and sell the one that you end up liking less after a few months. You've seen enough recent posts about why the E39 M5 is one of the *best* cars ever made. I don't see the same posts for the MB E55 AMG.

Good luck. I would never sell my E39 M5. It would be very hard for me to find another in the same or better condition.

 

My Dad owns a 2006 S55 AMG. Granted, it's a full size sedan, but that thing hauls some ***, and I can attest to the beast mode of AMG motors.

With that said, my car is just as fast now, and will be far quicker in a couple weeks when my SC is installed. But speed isn't everything.

Mercedes, without a doubt, makes more comfortable cars. My dad's AMG is probably the most comfortable car I've ever driven, and I have put a lot of miles on a lot of very, very nice cars. I can't really say anything bad about the AMG line up - one of my best friends is the finance manager at our local Mercedes dealer and every time I go visit him he takes me for a ride and nearly has me convinced to trade my M5 for something.

With that said, I always take my M5 home. It really depends on what you're looking for. It sounds like you're chasing a few maintenance issues (which, as described, would drive me just as crazy so I get it), and I think an E55 would definitely feel more solid than the E39 does, but it will never have the same feel, and it will never come out of corners or carry the ///M5 badge, and that is worth something in itself for many. Your car probably feels so much different to mine that it's hard to make comparisons.

I really don't know what to tell you. Your car is a stunner, and I think you'll miss the good things about it, but if you do decide to swap, you would find solace in the fact that you are still driving an incredible vehicle. I will tell you that personally, there is a very small list of cars that I would take as a daily driver over my beast, and no matter what it would be a difficult choice, not so much in what I would be obtaining, but in what I would be losing.

 

Quicksilv3r, I have seen many posts from you and considered you one of the veterans of this board. Perhaps not the very first wave, but certainly someone who had seen and experienced a lot with these cars. Looking at the photos of the car you have created is awe inspiring. You have created one if the finest examples of our car.

To hear that you are considering selling surprised me, and reading your post brought a few things to mind: 1). if you are having these thoughts, it's probably a sign that these thoughts will get stronger over the coming months. 2) My impression is you feel you have come as far as you can with this platform and you are ready for a new challenge.

My perspective is stay with what you have.

My recommendation based upon your analysis is to sell and move on.

I wish I could buy your car. Even though Sterling Grey is the fastest color, I've always secretly wanted a red one.

 

And you're complaining about ride quality and squeaks? Good luck with your decision!

 

LOL - Thats exaclty what i thought

Thousands of engineering hours are spent designing/engineering the ride height and suspension/chassis dynamics and then people "slamm" the same cars and complain about rattles/noises and ride quality

 

Just for the record, the wife and I HATE HATE HATE her 08 E350 4matic. It will be the last MB we own. The HVAC unit is a joke, has annoying little bits that we can't stand, and the transmission is pathetic. Sure, it's not an E55 AMG, but it will have a lot of the same annoyances.

Think hard before selling Wes. Maybe you could switch with somebody for a week? I know you know somebody down there who would.....

 

Firstly, I test drove 2 of those E55s a few years ago and although it was fast in a straight line it has a numb and detatched feedback.

I am sure once you drive it on a daily basis you get used to the lexus like detached feeling (especially front end)

2ndly, if you plan on slamming the E55 like you have the M5, the rattles are sure to appear.

 

If you lower the Mercedes as much as you lowered your BMW you can expect the same amount of suspension noise and degredation of ride quality - that's just a fact. As far as the rest of it goes, pick the one you like best

 

Quicksilv3r,
I really like what you have done to the car and advise you to keep the car which is a beautiful car.

I have one question, the last Angiefest you were there and so i was I, I parked my M5 closer to the gate it was the Lemans Blue one, and while I was there, 3 E55 AMG's came flying in that was as you can tell totally modded, now I take it that you have talked with them or know them, is this what has changed your mind about the car that you currently have?


I understand that the car is fast but like another person has stated fast is not everything.

These cars have style and elegance, and right now I would not give that up sometimes when I drive my car at times I do wonder if a turbo is in it.

One day I soon I will make a trip to Augusta to go to that restaurant on Washington Rd. (Rhineharts) perhaps we can meet up a bit and just talk about our cars.

You really should keep that Gem that you have...

 

The PO of my car, sold it to me because he picked up an E55 AMG. I rode in the AMG and the whole time just kept thinking it is an automatic :/

I can tell you that when he opened up his garage door and I saw the muscular E39 sitting in there, I was in awe. I drove a corolla to pick the thing up, lol. I didn't even notice the E55. It sort of looks like a Cadillac to me. (sharper lines maybe?)

Right after we took the m5 for a test drive, his neighbor came out and gave him **** for selling the M5. He bet him that he couldn't break the tires loose in the E55. He finally burned out in the street and was excited that he could beat the traction control.

I haven't talked to him since, but I can tell you that his GMAIL icon is a silver E39 M5....so he too came back.

 

There's a few threads that have discussed this problem before, not sure if you saw them:

http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e39-m5-e52-z8-discussion/130312-e55-m5-i-am-stuck-please-help.html

http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e60-m5-e61-m5-touring-discussion/35651-beast-war-m5-vs-e55.html

And here's something from MBWorld:

Top gear m5 vs e55 review - MBWorld.org Forums

 

Not sure what to say, if the car is lowered you are going to have some sort of ride quality issues wont you ? I think you went too far in slamming it down, maybe raise it up a bit and drive and see what a diff. it makes. Also how fast is fast, where are you guys going that you need something faster then the M, hell I can barely brake 80 and worried about cops sitting around the corner just waiting to write me a suspension ticket if they could. The M is quick and fast enough in every aspect in a daily drive to work or eve ride, I bet it may be even the fastest car on the street in 2 mile radius even in traffic how fast is fast ? Not sure but I would stick with M and reconsider your suspensipon settings.

 

Also how fast is fast, where are you guys going that you need something faster then the M, hell I can barely brake 80 and worried about cops sitting around the corner just waiting to write me a suspension ticket if they could. The M is quick and fast enough in every aspect in a daily drive to work or eve ride, I bet it may be even the fastest car on the street in 2 mile radius even in traffic how fast is fast ? .

This.

I love my M5. Best car I have EVER bought. Period. Close second was my previous 2001 540i sport. Granted I have only driven it 1000 miles or so since I bought it (about 3 months ago), I find myself not being able to enjoy as much as I want to! Having my dealer license my lively hood depends on my driving license and if I was ever caught doing triple digit speeds, sliding, etc I am sure my license would be revoked in a heartbeat. That being said I just couldnt imagine having a car that is even faster. BUT, I keep finding myself on google images and MBworld looking at the e55's hiha

There ya go, the red version of your car. Just doesnt look the same

 

you can Forget about slamming that car it will ride like ***** i used to have a dumped E55 and it drove like $hit compared to the M5

 

Wes if you ask this same question over the MB Forums im sure you would get the total oposite responces then you do here. This is the M5 forum, where we all die hard M5 fans reside. Its the ///M or go home!! lol.

 

Talk me out of it or talk me into it, fellas. I trust your insight here.


Reasons I want to sell the M5:


4) Audio system is not bad, but like most all stock optioned systems, it could use some improvement. I want OEM satellite radio (cost to do this correctly in the M5 is upwards of $800 -- cost to do this in the Benz is $15/mo for the subscription). I also think Logic7 is a better system overall than our M-Audio (for those of us that are so equipped). This is seemingly minor, but I've honestly wanted OEM sat radio ever since I sold my E46 M3 (which had it).


Not sure what to do -- when I weigh one with the other, it's a toss-up. I'd prefer not to sell the M5 and have both cars, but it's simply not the most financially intelligent. Opinions?

Why is the Sirius upgrade so expensive for your '02? Admittedly, I spent about $1200 on mine, but that included the new (dealer) BM53 radio, old to new harness adapters, and new (OEM) Sirius with one year subscription and a used Mk-IV. You shouldn't need the BM53 or harness adapters, and you don't have to have the Mk-IV for OE Sirius. The Mk-IV is only required for the Nav radio display. The station will display on the OBC with Mk-III.

 

The fixes to your issues are a day's work at most. Sounds like you're just ready to move on.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

 

^ +1