I should be picking up a new E55 (panoramic roof but no navigation
> system!) in September. I would like to keep this car a long time,
> especially since it is so painfully expensive. My questions are: >
> 1) Should I buy the extended warranty for years 5-7, 100K miles?
> Speciality cars like AMG editions can be very costly to repair.
>
> 2) If yes, should I go with the Mercedes plan or some other company?-
> I want the best coverage and the least hassel.
>
> My previous sleeper is a 1991 BMW M5 that I plan to keep. I probably
> had $4000 of work under it's extended warranty, so it was well worth > the cost.
Absolutely. No doubt about it, specially if you plan to hold on to the car for a while. I cannot imagine owning one of these cars without a warranty. Go with the Mercedes warranty as well; I have had nothing but good experiences with it. Their new car warranty (even if it is extended) covers absolutely everything on the car, inside and out, with pretty much no hassles to speak of.
Good luck!
Thomas J. Paladino New York City
04 S500 99 SLK230 95 S320 *for sale* 89 Lotus Esprit Turbo