C4s for an E55?

apples to oranges - but i have a C4s and am thinking about trading it for an E55. has anybody here done this, and/or owns an E55 too? any opinions on the E55 would be great. I do not really need the extra room, just thinking that automatic might be a bit more suitable. will i want the C4s back in the garage the day the E55 arrives??? Thanks!

"There is no substitute"

Someone on one of the fora did this and had it for about 3 months before going back to a Porsche. I tried a SL55 a while back and while it had straight line performance it felt anodyne, like all character had been removed from it. "The Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless M-B" You'll forever be getting glimpses of something you once enjoyed but won't be able to reach anymore... Buy a used AMG as your back up car. Don't get brainwashed into getting rid of the Porker.

It's like choosing between from rock concert and Carnegie hall. Friend of mine did this and still wishes he had his P-car. If you can, have both

I went this route w/ my M5. "Amazing car", but always having to qualify that statement w/ "for its size". If you don't need the room, don't get seduced by big HP numbers, because that's also a big car. Big, heavy sports sedans just aren't as fun as light little coupes. I had the good fortune of having both an '02 M5 and an '02 C2 parked in my garage for about 6 months. Both keys on my keyring, radar already installed in each, both cars had gas in 'em. After a short period of time, I'd find myself always jumping in the Porsche when I walked out to the garage. 'Nuff said. Cheers, -DT

I own both- '03 E55 as my daily driver, bought new 11 months ago. '03 C4 Cab for weekends and fun. If the E55 will be your only car, and you need the room, well, there you go. If on the other hand you are contemplating the E55 as a replacement sports car, forget it- it ain't, and never will be. It's a terrific, capable, comfortable four-door sedan, fast as hell in a straight line, and able to carry four people and luggage in comfort. It has the benefit of being (relatively) exclusive, and out-of-the-ordinary as daily drivers go, but really, it's just a fast sedan. You'll need winter tires and wheels if you're in an area that gets any snow. It's a great, less-boring business car for me, and nothing more. Just my two cents. Good luck.

I think that Poursha was the user who went from P-car to E55 back to P-car. Send him a PM, I'm sure he'll help with your decision

I traded my '00 C4 for an '02 CLK 55 cab in early 2002, and felt like I made a mistake each and every day until trading the CLK 55 for my 40th anniversary car last December. Granted, the CLK 55 was not supercharged like the new E55s are, but still, I believed that 349 hp in the CLK chassis with a soft top would produce some level of entertainment. Instead, I found myself always thinking of my car not as an AMG German supercar, but as the world's nicest Chrysler Sebring LXi. It was not a Porsche. (And this comes from a guy who loves his daily driver: an '03 C32 AMG.) I concur with the others who are urging caution. And do what I did not do: take a long, thorough test drive. .

If you are talking about an 03 E55 or newer I think it is an outstanding car. I had an 03 E500 that MB had to repurchase because of quality issues and I drove an E55 while contemplating the next car. The comfort seat in the E55 is unbelievable. The styling is great IMO. Bottom-line is what do you want. If you can have both, and most of us can't, buy both. there are times I wish I had the MB again because it is so much more comfortable. But nothing gets the response that I get from my Porsche. Good luck!

all: much thanks for the replies. i will spend some 'good time' in the car before any decision is made!

I trad4ed my E36 M3 (great car) for a 540-6 speed because I needed more room. While the 540 was a wonderful, capable, large, comfortable, fast 4 door sedan, in the back of my mind I always felt that I made a mistake. In October, I traded the 540 for a 2003 C2 and I am now one happy guy. There is no way I would go back. However, I do have a second car as a daily driver. For a while, it was an Xterra. Now, it is a WRX wagon.

Don't do it. There is no substitute. If you like driving a sports car, you won't be satisfied with a E55. I've driven Porsches for 15 years, and about a year ago, sold my '02 Carrera, and traded my '00 BMW 740i sport on a '03 E55. Fast as heck, but it just didn't do it for me. I did it because I wasn't driving my Carrera much (BMW was daily driver, and my kids didn't particularly like the back seat of the Carrera) so I thought I could get the best of both worlds with the E55. 4 months later I sold it and got a '04 Carrera. Live and learn! I will say that the build quality, and interior and exterior styling, was great, and my god was it fast--too much power sometimes, in fact. At the end of the day it's a 4,000 lb sedan, not a sports car. And the e-brakes are strange.

I personally own a E55 (2004) AND a 996 C2 Coupe. I have a 6 yr. old daughter and a small family. The E55 is ideal for daily commute and a everyday car if your main interests are just power (a lot of power) and comfort. Otherwise, you will not keep the E55 for long. The car has a lot of understeer and eventhough the suspension is adjustable, being a 4000 lbs+ car, it still has a long of roll. A C4S and E55 are just completely different animals.....

I am not smart enough to give advice so this my experience. Sold 2 Porsche and have bought 3. Nothing is like them and unless for some reason some day I don't like the Porsche, nothing else will do. So I plan to not waste any more money trying other cars. I will upgrade the Porsche to newer and better I guess. (My wife is smart. Her advice to me is do not buy another car if you must get rid of it to get another Porsche you ***. You get the drift.) Bill

Really interesting debate. Was contemplating a similar move to new M5 or even 535d. Guess that same comment apply. Spizz

the w211 e55 is a beast, but as stated by others, the chassis is dumbed-down quite a bit to favor ride comfort and mediocre drivers. I recently put many hard-driven miles on one, and was very impressed. i'd be willing to take one off anyone's hands if they want to trade even for an '00 c2 with 68k 'lightly' driven miles

Interesting thread indeed, but... unless one really needs a sedan... if one even considers such a switch, one was really never part of the P-car family, was it?

I have an 01 M5, loved it stock and only added Dinan stage III suspension to reduce the body roll a bit and exhaust for the sound. I'm going to keep it forever and drive it into the ground since BMWs crazed design trend has turned me away - it's going to be my "classic" car. BUT...I also got an 04 C4S on Feb 20. Since then, I've only driven the M5 literally a couple times. I've put on a bit over 4200 miles on the Porsche, mainly in one insane period of putting on over 2200 miles in 8-9 days to get the break in period over. Just like every night since I first got the Porsche, I'm going to sleep knowing when I wake up to get breakfast somewhere, I'm driving the Porsche. I get up and have one microsecond thought while I'm looking at both cars deciding which key to use, and I always end up reaching for the Porsche key. People are different, but you asked for our personal opinions, so for me, I love the M5 and thought it made a better long haul car when I drove from SoCal back up to the SF Bay Area. I'd probably think the same for the E55. So other than SoCal to NorCal commutes, it's Porsche for me every day, daily driver, any excuse to drive 20 miles to get coffee. This doesn't mean I don't think the Porsche isn't a long haul car though. On a recent SoCal drive from Malibu to Santa Barbara, I spent over 8 hours in the car, broken only by a lunch break. Felt very comfortable. So really, only reason I drove my M5 up to Northern California was the greater luggage room and lower RPM high speed cruising. Going 100+ up I5 in both cars is just as easy, but the M5 and I'm sure to a greater extent, the E55, is quieter. Bottom line, if I could only keep one car, I'd ditch the M5, and I never thought I'd say that before I got seduced to come try the Porsche world.

Cayanne TT

I also have an 01 M5 with exhaust but had my C4S first and felt the BMW was faster straight line. Without a doubt the Porsche is more exciting and driver involvement is more rewarding when the road is permiting but the M5 did spoil me for the power lust. Now with the EVO SC life is good. I plan to keep both cars indefinitely, but then don't we all? Will

Duh! M5, if you can only have one and need a car that has a real back seat and trunk.

Just like you guys, I come into the garage every morning and have to decide what to drive. There's the immaculate 911 basking in the garage warmth or the beat-up, teenage driven '99 Odyssey listing to starboard out in the driveway. Life is all about choices.

Amigo�s I have a03 Targa and a 02 CLK55 ///AMG - by no means would I give up my Targa for the AMG. The AMG has very nice features and amendies, the engine is powerful and it has endless torque � but handling, steering, braking and driver communication is simply not there, nor will it ever. AMG are very fine cars, but there more luxury cruisers, not race cars like the 996 platform. Just my two cents, keep the change�