Hi everyone,

I posted here once before about questions regarding buying a C55 vs a C32 AMG for my wife. After some deliberation, we felt that there were really only two cars that she liked: a C55 AMG and an Audi S4 - both new.

However, since we had never seen a c55 in person (even here in the bay area), we wanted to get a look. Luckily Beshoff Motors had one that they were supposed to deliver today. When I got there with my wife, lo and behold, the person backed out and given that the car was not allocated to anyone, the very kind dealer let us take it for a spin. Later that day we also had the fortune of test driving an Audi S4 (we were planning to do this ahead of time).

For background, I myself am an Audi enthusiast (own a 2004 A4). Thus, I'm slightly biased towards Quattro. I track and autocross my car and work on it myself, having installed coilovers, sway bars, and Stoptech brake kits. I'm very much involved in the Audi community in the bay area.

That said, I love the C55. What a car. It bests the S4 in pure power, interior luxury (DVD Nav is available on the C55 not in the S4) and appearance, rarity, ride comfort and overall dealership sales/service customer satisfaction. The S4 bests the C55 in the handling department, quieter interior, more comfortable seats, and overall exhaust note. I think both cars look very nice in their own respective ways.

For me, its a toss up - but I lean towards the C55. My wife, who will drive the car, loves the C55 easily over the S4. For her, its not even close.

With that said, we're pretty sure we're going to order/buy a C55. We do have a few questions, I hope you all can answer.

1) If we decide to preorder a car, I assume the price is set when the order is placed, and not when the car arrives?
2) What general MPG are people getting?
3) What are the service intervals and how much do they cost? We're trying to see what amount we should spend on maintenance per year.


Thanks very much in advance!
(ps while I love the C55 I'm still a manual purist and that is why she gets to drive it while I drive my beloved A4! )

2) What general MPG are people getting?


Do expect the 5.5. consumes 20% more than a E320

Try this site , you can compare side by side

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/noframes/20696.shtml

( remember to customise your fuel cost , daily milege to get accurate estimate )


Both of you will enjoy C55 for a long time being the A4 replacement.

Thanks for the info!

Actually I'm keeping the A4, but the c55 will be replacing my wife's 02 C230k Coupe! Quite the upgrade for her.

I dont know the answers to all your questions, but i am always getting gas, lol. I dont know how your wife drives, but i am pretty hard on my car. I now only get 160 miles a tank usually.

I get.... around 16.6 mpg it's really sad, especially with the gas prices going up in socal =(

First of all, let me congratulate you on your excellent taste. Both are great cars. I ordered an S4 Avant last year. I backed out upon delivery (car was not equipped the way I specified).
With 2 cars as good as these, preferences tend to be subjective. Sure the C55 has a better power to weight ratio. Certainly the Audi's quattro gives it advantages in handling. But The C55 handles pretty well and the Audi is no slouch acceleration wise.
I liked the MB interior far better. To me it's more attractive and positioning of controls is more intuitive. Some people think Audi has the best interiors in the business....not me. I also like the exterior styling better especially from the front. Both are very exclusive. Ride comfort and seats are pretty close too.
If you order the C55, MSRP is the rule. If you buy one off the lot, a $1000 to $1800 discount is reasonable. Unlike Audi, MB's maintenance is not free. Expect to pay $200- $300 per visit. Do not expect to make many visits. If you keep the car 4 years and average approx. 50,000 miles, expect to pay in the $1200 range for servicing.
The MPG seems to be 2 to 3 better than the Audi. Your results may vary.
Please let us know what you decide.......and welcome to mbWorld!

BlackC230coupe is right - C55 has a only 62L tank - 160 miles = 320 km , it is about the same milege as me that the tank needs to be filled.
I could do 380km if I have been driving it gently.

It is a sure 'upgrade' except she will be driving a 'quicker, heavier and bigger' car ; and I would not say the C class is as nice looking as the coupe though.

Wonder why she is not thinking about a smart CLK500 Carbiolet instead ?
( that was I am aksing myself this some time ... )

I generally agree with your viewpoints on the two cars. The gas mileage has been reported to be better than the Audi which I've heard loud complaints about 12-13 MPG on the S4. But the fuel guage is connected to your right foot and your wife may be able to reign that in a bit. My last Mercedes had maintenance included, but the one prior to that did not and it was very reasonable. I think the "B" service was about $275 after 15K miles. THe oil change/fludi levels and safety check was under a $100.

Thanks everyone for your opinions.

We're pretty excited about buying a C55, now that we're decided. Now comes the part where we decide to order or buy what is out there. Hopefully, we'll be able to find some sort of discount on something that's out there or we can talk to our dealer about seeing whether they can discount the car on pre-ordering.

cntlaw: my wife and I actually prefer sedans. We have a lot of guests come through these parts and when they stay, its always a little annoying to stuff them in the back seats of our two door. The a4 is a little to "raw" for that (owing to the modified exhaust and aggressive suspension settings).

Thanks again! I'll post pics when we recieve the car.

Lucky guests - believe me they will love the C55


cnt

The Automatic S4 gas mileage is better than the C55. Most people quote the manual S4 gas mileage, which is worse.

The (automatic) Audi S4 gets better mileage than the (automatic) C55 AMG

For the auto 2005 S4
MPG (city) 18
MPG (highway) 24
MPG (combined) 20
Annual Fuel Cost 1463

For the manual 2005 S4
MPG (city) 15
MPG (highway) 21
MPG (combined) 17
Annual Fuel Cost 1720

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/noframes/20619.shtml

For the 2005 C55 AMG
MPG (city) 16
MPG (highway) 22
MPG (combined) 18
Annual Fuel Cost 1626

I once got 225 miles on a tank when it was new and i was going easy on it.

I believe that Marcus (a dealer in this forum) has a few C55's discounted. He's in So.Cal so not sure if you're willing to commute?

Nick

Thanks for the tip!

Yes, I am willing to drive down to LA. We're waiting, however till after this month as that's when it is economically more feasible for us. Plus, we have time, we're in no hurry.

I'll likely give him a call anyways.

Thanks again!


Rich

I just got done test driving both cars and the power difference has me sold on a C55. The big difference to some people may be in the price as I found this lease special on Audi USA. Not bad for a 340 HP car with 3500 and change down:

Audi Lease Special

The service intervals are 13k miles. They are fixed. They are non-negotiable. You will pay between $150-$300 for the service depending on A or B and regional labor rates.

My mileage on the C43AMG was consistently around 12mpg. That should be roughly expected from this engine in this car as well. Your range should be roughly 200 miles.

When you order the car you will pay sticker and not a penny more. MB will not allow the sale of ordered cars at a dealer markup rate. If it is discovered they are doing this on an ordered car, they will be docked allocation. If it gets bad enough, they may be reviewed. Most dealers will not tell you this because they do not want you ratting them out to MBUSA. What they typically do is sell them to a friend, let the friend baby them for a little over 1k miles, and then sell them back to the dealership for what the friend had in it, plus a little thank you fee. Then the dealer can sell it as a pre-owned vehicle for 10k over sticker. Well, they can price it that way anyway. Selling it is up to the stupidity and desire of the buyer.

If you know your dealer and have a good relationship, you may be able to negotiate a slight discount from the salesperson. You won't likely find anything over 1500 dollars off. This discount is based on the promise of future return business and the track record of loyal past business.

I hope this helps answer your questions.

P.S.

Your first check up is free at 1500 miles or so to essentially just make sure your car hasn't become a lemon in the first 1500 miles. It is more of a pain in your *** that saves theirs than something of true value.

I remember calling Penske in West Covina (if you're willing to drive to SoCal for the car) a few years back about an S55 (my dad was considering it at the time; stuck with his 560SEL instead), and they said that they never mark up above msrp, even for amg's. I wouldn't know if they do that 'trick'/scam/whatever about making an in-demand car a pre-owned one that rguy was talking about, though.
If you're having trouble finding a deal at msrp or below, you might want to look them up.

european motors in sf on van ness had a c55 in it's lot the salesman wasn't even sure it was a c55. that was end of august. they may have some more.. but i wasn't too impressed with the salesman's knowledge, as always. oh well.

what do u guys get down there...it's 2.55-2.75 premium here in bay area..

Back to m444's gas mileage report.....Do you know what modes were compared? Real life reports I've heard are C55 in sport mode between 14-17 mpg and S4 in sport mode 9-12 mpg.

Thanks for the info. 12mpg is really poor. That's the lowest figure I've heard, but oh well, you pay to play!

I figured as much on the can't order a car over MSRP issue. The interesting thing is that the salesperson at Beshoff told me that you can't order a car and that they can only select from those that are already allocated to various dealers - thus they can trade for a car. Talk about BS.

I've noticed a few dealers trying to sell 1.5k miles used cars a few times and like you said, at a higher than msrp new cost - which is ridiculous.

Thanks for the info!

I've noticed that too in many other dealerships - somehow I know more than they do about the cars they sell. To me, that's just unacceptable, even though I do understand they need to know a lot about all the cars they sell. Even then, I still know more about they do on the other MBZ classes.

I think I'll wait till end of december to make a push for one - most likely for me to get the best deal I think.

I've spent the past few weeks car shopping and I've learned that the results are much better when you let the dealerships fight over you =]

I went to 3 dealerships, all of whom said that they would not sell me the car for less then MSRP. So I went and asked for quotes online from all the neighborhood dealerships, and to my surprise I was getting prices right around invoice I'd suggest going over the internet, it saves a lot of time and money.

My God , a one year old thread alive and I found so many of my posts in it :p Great stuff. Drop the S4 , get C55. You have got to own a AMG of life