YouTuber Scores 2009 Mercedes-AMG C63 for Insane Price
Though the original owner deemed it too much of a hassle to repair, this $8,500 gamble looks like it paid off.
The W204-series C63 AMG is nothing short of awesome. At the time of its release, no AMG model had as much input from, well, AMG right from the get-go. And the 6.3-liter M156 under the car’s hood suits it to a tee. Co-developed by Mercedes and AMG, it was a naturally-aspirated, high-revving beast that saw duty in the C63, E63, SL 63, CLS 63, S63, and CL 63.
But, alas, the M156 has some fatal flaws if not properly taken care of. Stock head bolts have been known to break themselves. Lifters are prone to seizing, which eventually wear down the camshaft lobes. Fuel injectors are also premature wear items here, and if you don’t change your oil every 5,000 miles or so, there could be even more problems.
In short, the M156 has a lot of potential faults. And as such, it’s developed a bit of a reputation in AMG circles. But that also means that there are some bargains to be had. For example, this 2009 C63 has 68,000 miles on the clock, and seemingly had one, if not all, of the M156’s trademark issues. So, hoping to use it for YouTube tutorials, Alex at LegitStreetCars bought it for a mere $8,500. Turns out, it needed $150 worth of work to set it right.
The deal of a lifetime?
At first glance, this C63 looks like an ideal candidate for a basket-case M156. It has faint number outlines on the door, a big red tow hook mounted up front, green-wrapped AMG calipers, a ridiculously loud cat-back exhaust, and gold tape all over the engine bay. It doesn’t look like it’s had an easy life. Alex found the car in Kentucky, with the seller saying that it was blowing white smoke, losing coolant, and guessing that the head bolts had gone south. So Alex ran the VIN through a Mercedes dealership and found that the bolts and gaskets had been replaced by a previous owner under warranty.
He decides to pull the trigger on the car. He drives five hours, picks up the car, then drives five hours home in the car with no issues. The coolant issue? A $150 broken thermostat housing. That telltale white smoke turned out to be nothing more than oil burning off after having sat for a while.
That’s not to say that the car is clean otherwise. The engine mounts are shot here. The right front fender liner is also gone, which filled the right headlight with water. An aftermarket carbon fiber splitter is absolutely shredded. And it looks like someone smashed the transmission pan with a hammer, but hey, that’s why Mercedes installs them. Better the pan than the transmission itself.
But the car is otherwise clean. The previous owner even threw in a binder full of receipts and documents that show previous accident damage (the car has a rebuilt title due to a hit on the left rear quarter panel), and even a dyno sheet that shows 500 crank horsepower. Alex is going to install new headers, motor mounts, and an exhaust. His goal is “a 600 horsepower naturally-aspirated monster.” To us, it looks like he has one hell of a good starting point.
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