Man-Du

I am about to trade my 04' S430 w/ AMG package with 3700 miles for a brand new C55.

My wife tells me that I am just infatuated with the AMG but I just turned 29 and the big S-Class is making me feel SOOOOOO old.

I will loose my *** on the trade but I know that the AMG will be more my age, not to mention twice as fast.

Tell me, am i being stupid???

moa4r

not at all, I think u will enjoy the c55 so much more. ITs smaller, faster, handles better, cheaper, and definately fits your age better. go for it!

Ormond2004

Yes, but most of us are stupid!

MK899

Keep the S and find yourself a nice used C32.

mick1

when in doubt, go with your what your heart tells you to do. the S430 does look old.

cschow

Keep the S. Consider picking up a used C5 vette if you want a sporty thing to play with.

DbleNckel

tough call.... cuz w/ the AMG package and on white, that S looks pretty clean......so

Whitey

Totally agree! But so would that color combined with any AMG kit IMO (the contrast between black meshes and the body color brings out the design of the AMG kit so well).

Personally I think it would be quite hard adjusting from a larger car to a smaller one, let alone going down at least 3 sizes (???, maybe more including the CLS)...as Mr cntlaw (from Hong Kong with the terrible roads) keeps telling everyone, lol

Been considering going from an E to a AMG C myself for a while - thought I could put up with the size change when I first saw the nice leather and the tight engine but I decided an E55 would be a more practical, comfortable and powerful choice, with loads more options...now I have to wait/find one in my favorite color - white (for an AMG at least ). Man-du, have you ever considered an E55 instead? IMO its a good combination of performance and practicality, with a touch of youthfulness in its design without sacrificing space. The cheaper and easier alternative would be to change out the wheels on the S - with the right wheels, that would definite make a big and instant difference.

Kar don

Wow man, that white S430 sport is hot! If u want more power get the C but I think the S-class is nicer.

BklynBenz

keep the S

cntlaw

3700 miles ! Keep the S man !!!
I did not really want to sell my dark blue E320 W210 at 38000km but because my wife would rather drive her Accord as she said she would look older on the dark E210. Your S430 is white , very sharp, you will never look old on it.
S is the top class , and you will lose 'a lot more' than just money; I don't mean to complicate your decisions, but would you consider a E55 if you really want a AMG ? At least....you know what I meant.

04E500

Sounds like you are pretty interested in the C55 if you're even thinking about trading in the S. I hear what you are saying, when I bought my wife her E-class I told her she could get an S-class if she wanted but she said it made her feel old. We have a 7 series now which she drives and its a great driving car for a big ole limo and the C55 is fun for blasting around. If you have regular road trips and passengers I would stick with the S, but if its your daily driver and you want to have a little more fun than by all means move to the C55. I will admit that I have lost my *** more than once on trading cars but it makes me happy. Good luck and let us know what you do.

cntlaw

Whitey

You still remember my joke which was not a joke. On my C55 the first 1500km , when I did not ease the gas on those bumpy roads ( Lung Cheung Hill Roads ); I was once really worried - what the hell is that I am getting myself to this - paid three times more than the W210 and end up with a car drive like my little Z3 with M3 suspension sport package !
Now my C55 at 3000km milege and I know what I need to do , is to ease the gas on bumpy roads. And then, how about the holes on the roads? These are truely nasty to the C55 AMG suspension. So what do I do now, I started to learn to get used to with inspecting the roads when I am driving ! That to make sure I wil not end up over the big holes, which I did numerous of times.

One thing is true , if he ever gets two cars C32/C55 + the S430, he will probably never want to drive the S any more unless he is taking more passengers for long trips

May be the CLS55 is the "solution" but not my solution because that would be costing 190K here in HK.

Belmondo

If you drove this cadillac brougham at 29 I could understand the "old" argument but your S with Sports package is far from looking old, the last thing I personally would worry about. If you could fisically ajust to C55's size on the inside and you absolutly have to have what it has to offer versus your S than do as you wish but your argument for change is weak in my opinion.

Whitey

So you've finally realized you need to lookout for potholes or else replacing rims could be a very expensive habit! If you continue to drive like that on such roads, suggest not upgrading to larger wheels or lowering.

Dude, have you seen the CLS? There's one in town for viewing right now. I don't think a CLS would make one look much "younger" than an S - its just a more updated looking limo. E55 is still my recommendaiton.

Whitey

BTW, the humor is not in the bad HK roads........

Maestro

I would keep the S430, you're going to get reamed on the resale. The S430 exudes class, luxury, and prestige. The C55 is a little sedan with an incredible engine. You just might end up missing all of the luxury amenities in your S430, not to mention the comfort.

cntlaw

Yes. that was my concern about going for 19".
Lucky that my driving habit and behavior is changing. The displacement is so tempting that it is like drugs ! I tend to avoid Lung Cheung Road if I could help but not in the morning as that s the only can take me to work without much jam. The jam in the morning is slow driving , so it is not so bad.
I remember I was not even faster than a mountain bike on that road.
The bumping means the C55 lost a lot of grips when cornering.

True, the CLS look like an S to me anyway.
It will take a while to like the tail of the CLS but guess it is a matter of time.

cheers
cnt

BlackC230Coupe

That S class is beautiful! Even if i was 29 i would not mind having an S. But if you are wanting something sportier get the C55. You can always go back to an S or other larger luxury sedan in the future. Now is the chance you should have a sportier car if you are itching for one.

AMG FANATIC

I would definately go for the C55, but then I don't really like big cars that much. I even have troubles picturing myself in an E, never mind an S. Good advice - if you wake up in the morning, which is the car you think about first? That should be your choice!

Man-Du

I really appreciate it!! I asked here since it's an AMG forum. If I were to ask at the W220 I would be ousted for even thinking about it.

If there was a genie involved, I would like the C55's engine in my place of my S430. I have also been checking out the CLK500, the AMG CLK would kill my budget. I am going to the dealership tomorrow morning. I will spend some time tomorrow with my S-Class and decide if I would just "20' rim it"





What I really like about the AMG C55, the exquiste leather with suede upper bolsters, new COMAND system, the engine and best of all the silver color that would match my G-Wagen.

What about a CLK guys??

Whitey

IMO, the CLK would be worst in terms of practicality although it is a beautiful and younger looking car. If money is any issue at all (hard to believe when ur 29 and have those tight cars!), I truly believe your S has huge potentials to be one PIMP ride.....I mean, the choices are endless - lorinser kit with F1 fenders, Wald kit if you want milder, a slam, 20's, possibly chromed (looks good with White)......I'm talking potentials at a fraction of the price of a change in car and sacrificing space.

Maestro

Have you looked at the competition for the C55? The current M3 is very popular, and is offered as a manual transmission or SMG, both of which are far more attractive to most sports-car enthusiasts than a slushbox. There's also the S4, if you're looking to save a bit of money, enjoy one of the greatest interiors ever designed, and enjoy AWD. The next M3 boasts a 400hp V8...

BlackC230Coupe

It sounds more like he is a Mercedes guy!

cntlaw

Man-Du,

I know how you feel. It is indeed not a easy 'decision' because you should not have ended up a situation of a decision at all. Based on your careful consideration about budget, I am sure you had spent a lot of time to think through to choose a S430. Adding all that time and thoughts to add the AMG package, that was a hell of an investment already. To me, it is too early to change your car at 3800miles - even I know many people in HK do this sort of 'smart silly thing'. It is in a way , more 'forgivable' as we pay high tax for luxury cars, and the 'only way' we can drive different new super cars is to keep the car for not more than 1-1.5 years and trade it for new ones by cutting the loss to minimal (maximized cash flow to be precise). That applies to ppl who does not want to wait for availabilities in the used market. A kind of effective self cheating I suppose.

S430 is already a high perfromance street car, take into the consideration that you were not into the tracks things. I can image your age 29 must look very handsome on a luxury white painted big top MB saloon already. How many cars can we own in life, there is no ending. Considering age 29, you have a long way to go , and why in a hurry? Besides, don't listen to how wonderful AMGs really are now, MB will come up with more and more new super cars in the next 2-3 years; and the new C .....so I guess you should not narrow down your choice to the C55 W203.

I just learned that the CLK is already 'facelifted' to the same new C interior before its true coming facelift. If you shift to a CLK from a S, you lose more than a big luxury interior and big trunk, you also lose 2 doors.

I wish I could buy that S430 from you to fill the place of my good old pal W210. My wife will like the white S430 for sure.

See the handsome looking S350 parked next to my C.


And , this is my ex-W210 would make my wife feel looking old whch I disagreed: