Mike5215

I could totally do this CPO 09 S63 at my home dealership. Swap would probably cost me $10k.

Colors and mileage are identical. I could probably bring it home and my wife seriously would not know the difference. Somebody with a rational mind talk me out of test driving it please.

http://www.mypreownedmercedes.com/us...ng77x29a251211

Jason B

That's nice (don't do it). If it has the $6400 Bang & Olufsen, then... Maybe.

natcahd

Mike.. Go drive it man...Whats the worse that can happen...lol

Hd

Mike5215

I shot my sales guy an email and I'll go by tomorrow morning. Hopefully it'll be sold or I'll hate it. No B&O.... I'd have to swap all my OEM speakers back and have the upgraded speakers transferred over to the AMG car. Can't go back to the H/K speakers now. It'd be like going back to standard def TV

Where the F were the $45k CPO S63's last year when I was in the market. There were no decent S550s under $50k and I looked for months and drove 200 miles to get the 2010. Has the success of the 222 really depressed valuations on the 221 that dramatically? My 2010 had an ask of $58k last August and $54k was a pretty average deal. Today it's worth $35k wholesale. A year ago a CPO S63 was high $60's.

Obviously the smart play is to double down and get even more upside down in a car that depreciates even faster. I'm a financial genius!

Donnymac

Dangerous. Been there done that.
Pre drive, thinking is rational. Post drive, thinking is emotional.
However the recent ABC discussion would have me on a test drive at least.
I would keep the 550, save the money, and buy a sorted out 911 to play with.

Mike5215

Honestly I'm not dissatisfied with the S550's performance, but I don't drive it like a performance car either. I have a good relationship with my dealer to the point that they'll hand me the keys and a plate for anything on the lot and leave me to it. I'll give the 63 a proper tossing about and report my findings.

Nuru

"More money more problems" or more correctly stated "Mo money Mo problems" - Don't do it, Don't do it!

your 550 is fine, and the MPG is much better! But a test drive is in order, but remember KT550 - Keep The 550!

Nuru

Plus now, you could probably get a 2012 for low to mid 50's with less mileage, same color combo and maybe more features?

BenzV12

This car also needs a major facelift, your car is already a facelifted one
I know it's hard to resists against S63 W221 though

androdev

I would have said yes if it was a facelifted one. Your car looks much better than this one.

alexandercat76

Facelift looks much better

Mike5215

I went by an eyeballed it today. My sales guy was off and I didn't want to deal with any of the newbs that were there. Visually, whatever shortfalls it has as a pre-facelift car it makes up for in raw sex appeal ...S63 body kit, quad exhausts, massive brakes, great looking wheel package) so no issue there (for me anyway). I wasn't completely blown away by it in person. It's really all about seat time in that car.

Nuru

Don't do it.

Larry1979

I recommend you test drive the vehicle then make your decision. I had a 2011 S550 with NA 5.5 motor and after reading many Mercedes Benz forums, it became very clear that I needed to upgrade to the 2012 S550 and get the TT engine or upgrade to a S63 AMG. Power was very dismal on the NA 5.5 engine and I didn't notice a difference when selecting Comfort and Sport mode. I test drove a 2011 S63 AMG and the rest was history. I will tell you, the S63 is in a different league and the performance is second to none. There is a huge difference in Comfort and Sport modes. I purchased mine with every upgrade you can get on an S63 minus Rear DVD system. The S550 with TT engine will be a cheaper alternative but if you get the S63, you won't be disappointed. I don't have the NA 6.3 like the car in your post but I have heard nothing but good things regarding the later M156 engines. I have the M157 Biturbo engine and it is a monster. The only real issues with the S63 as well as similar equipped S550s is the ABC system. This system is great but must be maintained to prevent expensive repairs. Let us know what you think after a test drive.

Donnymac

If power is the issue, try the 2012 or '13 S550. Kick *** power from the TT and prices are dropping. Find one with AMG pkg and low miles.....good alternative.

Nuru

If I was looking for great power I would go for a 2012 - 2013 S550 TT. If you have the funds then the ultimate would be the S63, but also you do have to think about the maintenance - so get the full 3 years CPO warranty to start after the end of the factory warranty.

Mike5215

I finally got around to driving the S63. It's not a completely different car but it's different enough. The initial impression is that where an S550 can give a nod to looking like a performance sedan depending on how it's configured, the AMG car's hardware immediately conveys a very serious and purposeful approach to power, speed and control.

The engine sounds great at start up and burbles all of the time. Regardless of where the throttle is or gear you're in, it's an always present background sound. Where you can cruise the 550 and hear no exhaust sounds at all, you'd want to make sure you love the 6.3 liter soundtrack because there's no escape.

Power is impressive but somehow I'd built it up in my head so much I was expecting more. The ride and handling carry on the no-nonsense approach to performance. The ABC rides firmer and everything feels much more direct, in a good way. Again, not as gentle or cocoon-like as the 550.

The seats are great. They do have the active side bladders to keep you upright but they're much faster and more aggressive in their movements than ours. All through the car you can see how the real performance gear in the AMG cars is duplicated in less substantial ways in the 550.

Generally, driving the S63 makes you feel like a bad *****, which is hard to put a price on. If I was in the market I'd buy that car, but as cool as it is I wouldn't take a $10,000 bath for the privilege of owning one. Plus all that high end running gear seemed to have little animated dollar signs constantly floating off it. CPO or not, in three years you've got an AMG car with a 100,000 miles on it and no warranty and worth all of $25k.

The smarter money would be a 2012 or 2013 CPO S550 AMG +1 with ABC. The experience did push me to get an aftermarket Becker exhaust for my car, because I really enjoyed the way the 63 growled. And maybe some new wheels, to take the sting out of walking away from the AMG car.

Larry1979

Thanks for the detailed update. Your assessment makes sense to me. 2012-13 S550 provides a vast improvement in performance over your current car and is a cheaper alternative. New exhaust should sound good based on some sound clips I've heard.

Mike5215

Yeah, it's a really impressive machine. This one didn't seem to be abused but it hadn't been babied either, and the prior owner had smoked in it. Smoke and an Alacantra headliner are a bad combination. It would have been harder to walk away from had it been a fresher example.