roddyc

So I've been shopping for C63's for a while now and noticed that 5 or so have recently popped up at a MB dealership. They are all roughly the same (2012 coupes, $57k, 7k to 8k miles, p31, lsd, lighting package, keyless-go, leather, cf trim), just different colors. The Carfax is more or less blank on all of them (doesn't show any of them being registered until this year).

I asked about one of them (CPO'ed) and was sent the build sheet which included the line items "102 PT2 - Production Trial 2" and "15P Factory code - Advance units". I was told these were MB Corporate vehicles which were "used as show cars and for training purposes." In service date for this particular car is 9/2011 despite never having been titled previously.

I specifically asked if these came from the AMG Driving Academy and was told they didn't know where they came from, just from MB Financial and they couldn't guarantee that they were or weren't used in any HPDE's.

Anyone have any ideas as to whether or not these are good buys? I'm a little put off by the possibility these were track cars that were ragged on for 8k miles, but have nothing to really confirm or deny that.

rickclass

I would look for full disclosure (if possible for negotiation purposes)...but wouldn't worry about these cars even if tracked, they are tough as nails, and you can't hurt the M156

abcut973

^ I would agree with the fact that even tracked this engine is pretty strong.
Check service history. You are saying they are CPOed. That should comfort you as CPO designation means multipoint checks to pass. So if something was wrong they would have replaced it. Ultimately you are covered for an extra year/unlimited mileage so basically 09/2016.
Use that to your advantage during negotiation to have full disclosure. GL

roddyc

It's not so much the engine I'm concerned about since everything I've read about them makes them out to be as reliable as can be expected for a performance engine (excluding the now resolved headbolt issues).

My larger concern is with wear and tear on everything else (suspension, brakes, etc). Particularly with the p31, if I end up having to foot the bill for some new rotors and pads in the next couple of years, that by itself would make up for any savings I'd see on the front end.

abcut973

The car wouldn't pass CPO inspection if needing new brakes/rotors. Or they would replace them. So make sure car is CPO'ed or ask to get them CPO'ed.

SaphGreyC63

If this maybe helps....

When attending the AMG Academy, we did ask our instructors what they did with the cars. They said that all those cars would be scrapped and smashed. That these cars can never be sold back to the public due to what they go to.

Now is that what they really do? Idk, but that's what I was told.

roddyc

I've read that from multiple people but would have thought if that was the case, the salesman would have told me that instead of "its a MB corporate vehicle and corporate vehicles are used at all training locations."

That coupled with the fact that there are 5 virtually identical cars available all at once make me suspicious. I may still pursue it yet for the right price, haven't completely ruled it out yet.

JimmyR

I have done a few of these AMG Drive Days and can give you the following observations:
- the cars are driven hard, at times very hard, but never thrashed/abused ie plenty of high rpm work, heavy braking and hard cornering, but no 200 yard burnouts or donuts etc
- each car gets plenty of cool down time ie they are not driven until they overheat and go into limp mode, rather the car might do no more than 3-4 high speed laps then they are put into a "cool down" run at barely cruising speed for half a lap or so before being returned to the pits for a rest and checkover by the mechanics
- the cars are rigorously looked over by techs, any issues immediately addressed - this included checking for fault codes, checking oil, tyre pressures, brake wear etc.
- in the workshop there were literally 100s of brand new rotors lined up on racks, at least 30 sets of wheels and brand new tyres everywhere. Consumables like brakes and tyres are being replaced regularly. I am sure the ex track day cars would have brand new rotors/discs/tyres when released for sale
- I was told all cars are properly run in before they do any work and this includes not just the drivetrain but also braking and cornering to allow all the suspension components to bed in.
One area the cars do cop a beating is from so many different drivers and instructors getting in and out of the cars all day. So plenty of scuff marks on the seats/foot well/door sills and the roof lining and door trim gets a hard time from helmets particularly with tall drivers. But maybe they replace the trim as well before putting them up for sale.

Roswell

This is enough to make me steer away from demo cars. I've been to 2 different AMG events & let me tell you those cars gets a beating, and ppl who drives them don't care about them.

And yes, I was told all cars from the AMG academy gets sold with discount... so they are not being trashed or demolished as stated above.

zcct04

What part of the country?

roddyc

The dealership is local to you, in terms of where the cars were before they acquired them, I have no idea.

rediesel

If they are AMG academy cars I would make sure they came with a nice discount. A car with 7-8000 track miles is like 30000 normal miles. The C63s are used primarily for skid-pad exercises. The AMG instructors ask that you push the cars I remember one saying it's not your car, not your brakes, not your tires so quit babying it - another got on a driver for not being full on the brakes.

SaphGreyC63

That's the first thing I remember them saying. They tell us, alot of you are AMG owners. THESE ARE NOT YOUR CARS! Go out there and trash the tires and brakes, you don't have to pay.

They want you to get the full experience and we did. One thing I would check is the paint job. While I was out on the track in any of the vehicles all I would hear is *tink tink tink tink* as constant rocks were hitting the vehicle's front all over the place.

zcct04

These cars were so hard to find in Houston that, after hunting for six months, I finally ended up going out of state to get one. Autotrader now shows EIGHT of them at one dealer. Amazing! Lots of different colors, including two in a pretty rare blue. Anyone got a connection at MB North to see if we can get the story on these?

roddyc

I've been shopping off and on for a c63 coupe for almost a year now! There are very rarely any in Dallas so I resigned myself to a nationwide search. The salesman has been very helpful but can't give a straight answer regarding the origin of these cars, but its very possible that he just doesn't know.

I'm planning on being in the area anyways later this week so I'll take a look at one in person. This thread has been great in terms of what signs to look for to see if these were track cars. Again, I have nothing to tell me that these definitively were AMG Academy cars, so hopefully seeing one in person and looking for tell-tale wear and tear will answer that question for me.

roddyc

Stopped by and saw the car this afternoon, I think there is a very good chance these are former AMG Academy vehicles. The front end had plenty of chips and dings with the lower valance in particular showing a lot of wear. The bolster on the driver seat was also pretty worn for a 7k mi car. The dealer seemed more than willing to get those issues addressed prior to selling the vehicle.

On the other hand, it drove awesome and has obviously been maintained. Brakes were very strong and the engine pulled through redline and all the shift modes worked how they were supposed to.

Probably a pass from me but hopefully this helps if anyone else was curious.