FatIndianDUDE

hey guys, I am a proud owner of a 2003 g35, a car that i abused and ran strong regardless, it obviously a fun car that is rough around the edges. Any i'm looking to get a new car at the end of the year(i even forgoed buying an omega/glashutte watch) to do so. M3's are great, but i question bmw reliability, i find myself watching c63 videos weekly and love the whole concept. I feel a large v-8 will be more reliable than a formula 1 style engine like the bmw. I'm also looking at the IS-F, but i don't feel its as good as the other too, but probably has an advantage in reliability. How has everyone's c63 held up so far, the car is so cool, i really want one, but i need something i can count on.

SebringSilver

Welcome to the board. The C63 has proven very reliable for most members here. Even in those cases where break downs or component failures have been reported, most of those cars were either heavily modded or driven quite hard. In other words, a stock C63 that's driven "normally" should provide a fairly high return in terms of reliability.

Have a look at other threads on this forum; you'll find tons of helpful information. Good luck with your new car (whatever it may be).

BAD430BENZ

your car will treat you like you treat the car . the more you abuse it , the more problems you will have . the c63 was built for performance , so you have the ability to play a little rough with it . i had a heavily modified g35 that would give me problems every once in a while cuz of all the stuff i did to it . i have never owned an M3 or ISF so i can't speak on behalf of those cars . i can't say enough good things about the c63 amg

KCviper

This is weird! I was exactly in your shoes about 6 months ago. I drove an 03 G35 and recently went with the C63. You will hate the Nav integration of the C63 but everything else more than makes up for it. I was also concerned about reliability, but feel better after extensive research and extended warranty Good luck with your decision and let me know if I can answer any questions!

mr inkredibul

That makes 3 of us coming out a G35 but I went with the C-Class. I dont understand how you guys deal with the mpg on the C63...that can't be your only car is it? In my case it would have been my only car.

sflgator

I drive ~ 80% highway miles and I get 20-21mpg on the hwy in my 522HP / 480 lb-ft C63 AMG...not too bad, imho.

btw -- I had an '04.5 Infiniti G35 sedan before my '07 BMW 335i (PROcede v3 tuned) and of course, now my RENNtech tuned C63 AMG...loved all of them, but my favorite is the one I currently drive.

yaymitch

I've had four 3-series BMW's, two of them M3's and never had any problems with any of them. Liked the C63 way more than the new M3 so I thought I would give it a try. I've had my C63 for 18 months and no issues. Never owned a Lexus/Toyota product although with all the stuff going on with that company, I am not sure I would make a substantial investment in their products.

NickZag

I looked into the ISF, M3, and RS4 before I purchased my Mercedes. In the end, I was torn between the M3 and the C63. The major reasons I went for the C63 was it had the most room (interior, truck space, etc.), most streetable power (451hp, enough said), and it's much more rare. I've only seen 1 other C63 after owning mine for over a year, but I've seen several newer M3's. The 4 door M3 felt much more cramped then the coupe version, and I didn't like the interior or NAV as much.

If your looking into the ISF, test drive the C63 and the ISF and that will be enough to pull you away from the Lexus. The 8 speed transmission is probably the most annoying thing I've ever driven. It's NEVER in the right gear and it's ALWAYS shifting. The ride is the roughest out of everything I drove, and I didn't think it was nearly as good looking as the C63. Plus the torque curve is too high in the RPM range and it's very difficult to use if your into high performance driving. The brakes weren't as good and I didn't think the quality was close to being on par with the Mercedes.

Jae Duk

Both are reliable. C63 provides more power though. But M3 will probably handle a little bit better. There are obviously a few ppl who got lemon cars. I believe there are 2 on this forum that got lemon cars. No matter what car you buy you will always have that possibility. How you treat your car is a big factor too.
The only problems I had (covered under warrenty) were small problems, like auto window wouldn't auto roll up, passenger seat belt didn't click the seat belt in (although I think I might've spilled something on it), and the plastic tab that controls the left and right motion of the ac was broken (boken hook or whatever you call it inside) and all were quick fixes like 2 hrs max at dealer.

KCviper

I'm not getting as good of mileage as sflgator, but don't drive 80% on the highway either. I am getting around 16.5 mpg with a mix of 60% highway and 40% city. BTW, I averaged around 21 mpg in my g35 that had considerably less power/performance! It's just a trade off. I love the car and can't ever go back at this point. I think the C350 could be a good compromise of performance and mpg's.....

mr inkredibul

Dont forget about money in that balance equation. It was a tough choice because i got fully loaded 350 MSRP of over $51k. My resale value will suck because no one will care about all the options later. Theyll jus see the outside is the same. So for a lil more i could have picked up an 09 C63 but that mileage and fear of maintenance got to me. Since my car isnt getting delived for 5 weeks i think i could still go for an 09.

bushburninc63

if you can afford it, get the c63, you won't regret it. My fiancee's little sister got a 350 and when I had it for the day and drove it, it felt like a civic.

PatSC23

It is my only car but I take the ferry into the city for work.

But then again its also what youre used to...I came from a supercharged Range Rover Sport and I think I got like 9 mpg in the ciy in that thing.

mr inkredibul

I wish they had the new turbos out so the mileage wud be better. How are the maintenance costs? And sorry for all the spelling errors. Im on a blackberry and typing hella fast lol.

sflgator

It's a MB...maintenance will cost a lot more than an Infiniti; however, having said that, if you can do a few things yourself (like changing out air filters, etc.), you can skip some of the outrageous MB b.s. maintenance costs, imho.

Another thing to understand about driving a high performance car like the MB C63 AMG (again "higher" performance than a G35 ) is that typically the higher performance you get, the lower mpg you'll get. Just b/c it's F/I tt or s/c'd doesn't mean it will get much better mpg either. Hey, even the all mighty F/I tt Nissan GT-R only gets ~ 15mpg city and a max of 23mpg hwy (and that's if you're on cruise control at 65mph ). Just something to consider. G/L.

iatacs19

It's about average. I had electrical problems at 800miles and had my navigation system replaced. I now have 6000miles and my brakes squeal like a stuck pig. No major issues yet, but the car is still too new to get a real good sense.

The M3 is about the same, 2 of my friends have M3s, 2008 and a 2010. Both have had software issues especially with DCT, but mechanically they seem ok so far. The M3 has a cheaper gas guzzler tax, hence better mileage over the C63 and all maintenance is included for the duration of the factory warranty.

If I had my choice again, I would opt for the M3.

ZephyrAMG

I struggled between M3 and C63 for a loooooooong time. Days and nights, sweating, drinking, sleeping.

My conclusions were that the interior of the C63 is nicer, exhaust sounds are richer, rear and exhaust tips were more agressive, and the HSP and torque were more. So for these it seems like a cosmetic and power preference. The C63 looks much more meaner from the front and back.

Realiability is a stange animal. If you beat on anything, it gives. A few lemons, but that may happen. So far I have had just a couple CEL come on, some leather issues with it coming apart from the seat, and I think thats it. Knock on wood no problems. I rarely use the paddle shifters but am riding in S mode a lot. If I am in the city, C mode is great.

Just take care of it and it will serve you well...

ced357

I'm also currently driving a G35 (though an 08 sedan) and will make the jump to a C63 next year. Glad to see many making this transition.

I just saw TWO C63's at the Roosevelt Field Mall yesterday, just beautiful cars. I don't see many of them here.

BTW, my G averages 15 MPG's. I do drive it hard and mostly city. I guess I will get 10 MPG with the C.

AlexCim

Fuel is just one of those things....

For me, fuel consumption is directly proportional to the size of the smile on my face.

So I don't mind a little extra fuel

NickZag

Same here. If I go through a tank of fuel in a few hours and low miles, it was a good day

Jons95c36amg

Yesterday I was in comfort mode and cruising at 60-70mph and getting 23mpg. My Clk55 gets 25-26mpg highway. But when I'm pushing my C63 it gets 13mpg

kJERUM

You guys really gave me a laugh I feel the same way despite gas pricing in Europe...

MiamiAMG

With these cars, you sacrifice MPG for performance. This is something all buyers should already know when purchasing.

CELLryuu

Make it 7, I had an 07 G35 and traded it in for the 2011 C63. I absolutely throttled that G35. There is almost nothing else I could have dont to test the durability of that car. I had that car in the air at least 3 times, had it was bouncing off the rev limiter thousands of times, and I would even go off-roading in it LOL. I will attest to the reliability of the G35 because after putting that car through 4 years of hell, I had zero problems with that car. That was a great car.

Now Ive moved on to the C63 that I have had for 2 and a 1/2 months. The car feels solid as a rock. No raddles at all. Ive also done a lot of research on the engine and it is build like an anvil. There was a really good link posted on this forum a month ago or so about the engine. Ill try to find it and post it. As for the rest of the car....Im pretty confident it will survive the tests of time.

vraa

That explains everything