Listed yesterday in San Mateo, California, this 2002 E55 AMG has only 65k miles and is a last year model for the w210 chassis AMG. Per the Carfax, the car is accident free and also a one-owner, both of which can prove to be a difficult task to find as these cars are now almost 20 years old. For the 2002 model year, only 997 E55 AMGs were made available stateside and it's worth noting that 2002 is also the last year for the 210 AMG (In 2003 you could still buy a new 210 wagon as the 211 was not available until 2004).
This E55 appears to be very well-kept with no exterior blemishes. While most w210 E55s were silver or black, this is a more rare Alabaster White (960) which isn't our favorite but it certainly gets bonus points for rarity. The wheels appear to be original and still maintain their polished lip. The car does wear Michelin tires which is another indication the car has been treated well. Against the white paint, the contrasting blue tint of the windows is very apparent. This is actually a factory tint offered by Mercedes on all AMG and Sport models at the time.
The interior is the two-tone Charcoal and Grey Leather (528). The grey is so light that it's often mistaken for a white leather, especially in pictures where the lighting contrast takes over against the charcoal base. Like the Alabaster White exterior, the two-tone interior isn't for everyone. While we do love the look, it is extremely difficult to keep clean and with years of use proves to be nearly impossible. This example does appear to be very tidy with only the driver seat showing any notable wear. Often, the steering wheels are another area that will show signs of wear with the light Grey Leather. The Black Birds-eye Maple woodgrain appears to be free from cracking along with little-to-no fading. Given the car has lived in California, this is to be expected. No pictures are provided of the rear headliner but it's worth asking since they all sag over time. In addition, some pixels are out on the dash which display the time and outside temperature and again, are common to see on any w210.
Now let's talk price. This example with 65k miles has a healthy asking price of $22,975. It seems to us the w210 AMGs are steadily increasing in value as the secret is out: This is the last chassis that bridged the gap well between technology and forced induction. The w210 still provides the driver with an analog driving experience, something that gets slightly more lost with each new model year. That's not to say technology is a bad thing, it's just more of a disconnected experience where drivers now just point and click.
W210s were known to have rust issues making clean examples like this difficult to find. This only adds to the value for well-kept cars from our perspective. We all saw the same with the w124 500E. Ten years ago, they could be had a dime-a-dozen for $10k, and we're talking low-mileage and clean examples. I think we all know how that story goes and we're now seeing it with the w210 E55. Already, 100k+ mile examples are fetching low to mid teens. It's tough to say where the ceiling is for these cars but it seems like things are still early in the curve. The $20k range is considered standard starting point now for any w210 AMG with 50/60k miles and under, and considering this example is a one-owner, very clean, and a rare color, we can't bark too loudly at the seller's asking price.
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