jago1244

hi all
soon to be in the market for a daily.
i've been looking in 10-15k cost range
for well sorted perf oriented sedans built before the tech onslaught.
C55 , audi B7 S4, and BMW e90 335 are all targets.
understand there are always particular issues with all.
i've been blessed to own a bunch of nice german cars from that era.
how do you guys feel the c55 stacks against these for daily drive potential?
ive owned early w211 e500 (meh) but did test a w203 c320 back then and liked it.
also had an audi B7 a4 sline and my kid has my e93.
honestly my biggest gripe of merc across the years is interior and ergonomics as compared
especially to bmw. nav, heated steering, switches etc. the amg flavor seems a nice upgrade
in these areas. thanks for any feedback. looking for comfort and reliability with a little punch too.
cheers , john

amgen

The engine in the C 55 is called M113 and is probably the most reliable engine AMG ever produced!!
It has been developed for many years and the one in the C 55 is the final edition.

Regarding comfort: It´s very nice and stable at 100 mph but of course a little harsh round town etc.

It was built for speed and acceleration from 100 mph and upwards. ("Porsche-killer" in its days..)
The torque is massive up there.

I went this summer at Autobahn at 165 mph (GPS-mph) with a lot more to squeeze out and it was truly a joy!
(Ok, mine´s tuned a little bit, never at Autobahn I pressed kick-down, -didn´t feel the need for it.)
At that point it was crystal clear the purpose of this car which unfortunately very few of us can enjoy and appreciate.
It all came together, the speed, ride, handling, acceleration and the Sound, driving for hours and days 100 to 150 mph...

Daily (comfort) driver? It depends on the condition of the tarmac and your pretensions.

Had mine for 10 years now and still in love with it.
Next maybe a C 63S but I´m in no hurry. Not at all.

My 5 cents.

jago1244

@amgen thank you for the reply. magnificent to drive these great cars in their homeland.
i had the pleasure of touring with a 991 gts cab on the A-bahn plus scores of tunnel runs
thru the alps into italy. only got to 150~ but at least with top down! shame we are so hogtied here in the states.

pttk

After 7 years with my C55, I am more than happy, wonderful, fantastic, but it is not for every day.
I keep it carefully to enjoy on weekends

Wellington2010

I daily a C55, for me its the best mix of comfort and performances for the money. (previously owned an evo 7, great car, bad daily).
The combo of the torque from the V8 and the auto transmission makes it very effortless putting around town. However it does use a lot of fuel (320ks around town, 400-500ks highway).

The reason for staying away from 335is and Audis is reliability, they have major flaws with the motors so I defiantly wouldn't buy one that isn't absolutely mint with low ks and warranty. They are not good cars to own when 10 years old and with mileage. Anecdotal evidence: My friend with got a 135i with similar miles same time as my C55. C55 is faster, less stiff, better quality interior and I have just done general maintenance while he has had to replace both turbos.

I suggest you go test drive all three and see what you think, this is a bias forum towards the Mercedes for obvious reasons, but the reliability is a real consideration with any older used car.

Best of luck.
.

Spooky55

I have owned both a C55 AMG and a Dinan Stage 3 335i (e90 sedan). I have also driven the B6/B7 S4 and currently own a B8 A4 (the C55 is my daily).

My impressions:

Ride comfort: C55 has a more comfortable ride than the 335i, which is EXTREMELY harsh. You will know intimately where every pothole in town is located. The BMW has MUCH more comfortable seats though - I find the AMG seats absolute torture after about an hour. The Audi is much more comfortable than both.

Handling: The BMW seems like it handles the best out of the box, but the runflat tires start to lose traction at a lower speed around corners. There is a dividing line between early and late cars at about 3/07 - the early cars handled better, the later ones had more understeer (but were otherwise much improved). The rear sway bar on these is not a DIY job, as you have to drop the diff and rear subframe. The C55 also has tremendous understeer stock (first upgrade should be a larger rear sway bar). The Audi has the most body roll but the AWD helps tremendously in the corners. That being said, I'd rate the C55 with a larger rear sway the best around corners, followed by the S4, then the 335i last (even though it feels really good). Bone stock - S4, C55, 335i.

Straight line performance: C55, then S4, then 335i (stock). The 335i is easiest to mod for more power.

Reliability: Ordinarily, I'd say the Audi would be the most reliable, but the V8 S4s have a FATAL flaw in the plastic timing chain tensioners. You will see many part outs of otherwise nice cars. WHEN (not if) the tensioners fail, you can either drive it until the chain jumps and the valves are destroyed or shell out about $7000 (on a car worth about $7-10k). It is a HUGE job. There are 4 timing chains. All on the BACK of the motor, so it needs to come out. Parts are about $3500, the rest is labor. The 335i's N54 core engine is essentially bulletproof, but there are a LOT of problems with turbo waste gates, high pressure fuel pumps, injectors, and (IMO, the nail in the coffin) the electric water pump. Waste gate rattle is annoying and you can live with it, but plan on $2000+ if you can't. Injectors are $300 EACH and MUST ALL BE REPLACED AT THE SAME TIME. The water pump will fail without warning and leave you stranded on the side of the road. It's happened to me twice. Oh yeah, it's a $1000 job. Everything (including changing the battery) must be coded into the car's computer by a reputable shop. Very expensive car to maintain. The Audi and Mercedes will go into limp mode and get you home. The C55 does seem to need a lot of fiddly maintenance, but it's simplicity is it's saving grace. Easy to work on and usually cheap to repair.

Stock stereo: Mercedes (with or without Logic7), then Audi (turn OFF the surround). The BMW stereo sound is abysmal and took HOURS of tweaking with the help of a spectrum analyzer until it stopped giving me headaches...

Creature comforts/technology: Audi , then BMW, then the Mercedes. I love my Merc, but the W203 was a long way behind in this category. The fact that the AMG was a premium car helps mitigate this partially (at least it has power seats with memory).

DIY Maintenance: Audi is (usually) the winner with a $350 Ross-Tech VCDS cable and laptop you can do anything. Mercedes you can do some things with the better consumer grade OBD scanners like the iCarsoft MBII, but will ultimately need a STAR. Chinese knockoffs will run about $400 to $1000. BMW I forget what the factory software is called but never could get to work well other than just reading some of the modules. Just gave up and took it to a shop.

On the plus side for the Audi and BMW: they both came with stickshifts.

jago1244

@wellington2010 and @spooky55 great posts ty.
i still have a very early e93 335 from almost new.
my son uses it. only big issues out of warranty have been roof pump and abs module which i got a used one to replace.
handles well feels heavy but sure moves quick enough and sounds great. potholes tough on sports package wheels.
i owned an audi B7 A4 sline so familiar with the overall feel there. note i did price out preventative timing job on S4 and it's notably cheaper nowadays. maybe $3k all in.
i have nostalgia for a w202 c280 sport i had also but just too historic now at 20 yrs old lol.
just thinking i'm spoiled with more creature comforts so now leaning toward a nice cpo CLA 250. some of the criticisms are overdone it's a great car with the proper options. 2016 the sweet spot for me. better ride and amg kit looks nice too.
the new 2020 c118 is a little too techy for me right now.
PS saw lots of hot hatches in europe and the A class is a sweet looking ride in that format.