anucci

Well, I traded in my 2002 M3 Cab for a brillian silver loaded C55 on Friday and could not be happier. I am in love with this car. The M3 was a great performance car but did not suit my needs any more. I couldn't take the harsh ride and the shakes and rattles of the car. Plus I have kids and the four doors makes a big difference. The C55 strikes a perfect balance between luxury and performance. But you guys already know this. I just wanted to share my thoughts.

AMG FANATIC

Another silver one. Congrats on the ride.

M&M

Congrats. C55 is a great car & you can't go wrong with that choice.

cntlaw

Hi, Congratulations to your great brilliant silver C55 !

I had only been a one long day passenger of my friend's M3 when I was in Japan last year. He put 19" custom ordered wheels. I found M3 suspension is harsh but no worse than C55. The only reason to explain this is Japan's roads are much better than Hong Kong where I use my C55. I wish I could have a chance to sit on an M3 in HK to do a closer comparison.

You are truly right. One of the major reasons I never made up my mind to buy the M3 ( before C55 was born ) , was because it is a 2-door.

I used to own a 1992 325i coupe and a Honda Prelude VTEC; I had enough hard times with 2-door , especially in wet season when I had to get off the car to let the back seats passenger to get out

Besides, today, a 3 series coupe is no longer a sports fashion like the old days. I remember there wasn't that many 325i coupes on the road as most 3 series were 4-door. Only until I guess 1996/8, the 318i coupe was launched and began to be the more popular poor man's sports style BMW.

Please tell us more your driving experience comparing the M3 and C55. I heard enough 0-60 stories already, I really like to know your experience of the differences in day-to-day situations.

anucci

Well I have only had the car for a few days. But here are some of my current thoughts:

1. I have been driving manual transmission cars since I was 16 and I am now 42. I thought I would miss the manual tranny car and performing heel an toe downshifts whilde rev matching. But I truly don't. This AMG auto transmission is great. And in daily commuter driving it is a real treat not to have to shift. I had the chance to drive a BMW 325Ci with SMG and thought it was absolutely horrible.

2. The ride is night and day. The ****ty roads here in the Connecticut would punish the M3. The C55 ride is firm but not harsh at all. Not even close compared to the M3. Live with an M3 for 3 years and you will know what I mean. Keep in mind that I had a cab, so every bump I hit would have its presence magnified by all the squeaks and rattles from the top. This was annoying as hell.

3. I think the C55 interior is far more luxurious and ergonomic than the M3. The C55 interior feel more intimate. This is purely a matter of taste. Some think the Audi S4 has the best interior but I hate it.

4. You really have to wind the engine in the M3 up towards redline before the engine really shows it's strength. This gets tiring after a while. And I never liked the exhaust note in the M3. I even put on a Supersprint exhaust. The C55 engine is pure magic, in it's strength and exhaust note. I have not even "opened it up" yet.

5. I have kids and 3 doors really helps. Even today as I took them to football practice is was nice not to have to get out of the car, fold the seat up, walk over to the other door, open it, and fold the other seat up to let my other son out.

6. Even though my M3 cab was heavier than the C55, the M3 felt lighter and more agile. There is no question that the handling in the M3 was a lot quicker. BUT, unless you track the car or want to pretend to race on the street, I just don't see the benefit of this. The C55's handling in daily driving is just fine.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the C55 is better or worse than the M3. They are both excellent automobiles. I really think they target a different audience. For me, at this point in my life, the C55 is a slam dunk.

MiamiAMG

Conratulations on your new car, welcome to the family!

Darba

Congrats!!! Welcome to the dark side!!! muhahahahha

Vader13

WELCOME

neoprufrok

Very well said and Congrats!

I've taken a liking to the C55's more luxurious ride and appointments. I've had my share of stiff cars - and it gets very annoying after awhile. As I get older, I find that I can take the stiffness/noise etc maybe on the weekends - but when I go to and from work, I just want a fast car that is relaxing. Having said all that - my wife gets to drive the C55 - I get to drive on the weekends! The weekdays is occupied by my very firm A4 (aftermarket suspension) which is okay for the time being.

Again, congrats! Any plans for mods?

1313

I have a M3 SMGII Coupe and a C32 currently. Thought I could share a little here although mine's not a C55. First of all, they are totally different animal. Every morning when I go to work, I would hop on the AMG or my Galant VR-4 automatically. The SMG in the M3 is a pain to drive in city traffic where I live. Even my wife would not drive it to her office.

M3 is more like a toy car, it's a car for empty country side roads on a sunday or for track day. M3 main strength is its handling but M3 ride is more harsh and it has a much less refine drive train than AMG, it has a lot of undercarriage noise from the transmission system. This irritates me quite a bit so I try not to drive it unless for the reasons I mentioned earlier.

C32 is a fast car but is extremely easy to drive, no difference from driving your granny's corolla. It has the convenience and practicality of 4 doors. However when it comes to play time, M3 will shine.

Another key difference is M3's components reliability is generally poorer than C32.

Please don't take this as a M3 bashing post, Both AMG and M are great cars but they are not without flaws. So which car to choose depends entirely on what's your need.

cntlaw

Thanks for taking time and surely a prompt reply.
That's a lot of insights here surely a good philisophy for potential M3/C55 owners.

A valid point about the pleasure of having 4-door, some people did not see the very meaningful side of in our stressful daily life. At least now they know why MB creates the 4-door coupe CLS that would make the 645i a modern good laugh. ( Guess it won't take Porsche very long to deliver a 4-door 911 since a 4-door Cayanne ) Today, a 2-door is no longer a unique symbol for sports car. A 2-door only look great on a car if they can come up with something as beautiful as a CLK. ( Did I remember correctly M3 E36 used to be on a 4-door too ?)

I am sure now both you and your kids are much happier to get in and out. I can tell how wonderful that is to be especially when I emember the long day me and my wife squeezed inside the back seats of M3 up the Fuji Mt., while my friend and his girlfriend were at the M3 front. We had to climb out from the backseats while our feet were tired and sore after long ride

About performance and drive, I did not own enough great cars to compare. I only recall when I was on the Prelude to see the surprised faces of my passengers when I open up full throttle and the VTEC kicked in. The fun part now is my C55 passengers were not even aware at which moment the car had gone that fast until they read the speedometer :v

It is really one wants a wild horse or a horse which can get really wild

C55mOtiOn

I sold my 2004 G35 Coupe 6-MT, yesterday and got a great deal for this beast... i'm very happy as well...

MiamiAMG

C55mOtiOn,

Congrats to you too Wow, we have a lot of converts lately.

C55mOtiOn

Yeah this car is awesome, in my apart, there's many mercedes, but I'm the only one with C55..so damn happy.... after break in, i'm gonna be ready for the action....

mick1

nice ride. don't you miss the manual transmission though ? i am so into driving a manual, I would pick the m3 or s4 over the c55 just because they could be ordered with a manual

noka

It is a consideration for me (still deciding on C55). I have owned many cars, most recently BMW (M5). I'm ready for an automatic. Sometimes it's fun to shift and sometimes not. For those times when I miss it, the speedshift will do it for me. Even the new M5 will only come with SMG. The differences between SMG and automatic are mostly technical. Practically speaking, it's an auto. I think the traditional manual (use of left foot) is going to gradually dwindle. Right now, for my $$, there is no SMG as smooth as the MB auto. Just MO.

Rgds,
Norm

cntlaw

Congrats ! G35 is a great car and it is also a pretty comfortable sports car. You will enjoy your 4-door and backseats C55 in more situations than.

neoprufrok

Congrats! Those are LE37t's correct on the G35? I have them on my Audi A4 - I love those rims.. great track rims.

SilverFox

I sold my 2004 E46 M3 and just picked up my new C55 last Tuesday. At the dealership had a AMG valve stem caps, AMG license plate frame and a flat MB hood emblem installed on the car. The next day I had 35% tint installed on the windows. The car is brilliant silver and looks good with the tint. It is presently in the garage with the third coat of Zaino and plan to take it for a drive this afternoon and put a few more miles on it. Present mileage is 400. It is really nice to have the "spark" back after being disappointed with my last few cars.

cntlaw

Congrats.
I can tell how much you love the C55.
Please send a few photos.
Cheers

noka

What didn't you like about the M3 and how does that C55 satisfy you?
Just curious. I'm coming out of an M5 and looking at the C55.

Rgds,
Norm

C55mOtiOn

Volks wheels are great...If i were to put new rims, I wanna go with VOLK Progressive Wheels/T1-S...it looks just like our Stock AMG wheels, but you can go 19" and only 18.5pds... or amistad wheels is a good choice...anyways here;s my buddy's pic with Volk Progressive wheel...

neoprufrok

Congrats! The number of M3 to C55 converts is increasing!

noka

I think you will find some steady state between the brands. I know people that move back and forth between MB, BMW, Audi and Porsche depending on their needs at the time. Many of my friends have owned more than one marque simultaneously and would have good and bad things to say about any of them. The one great thing they all have in common is a great German automotive heritage.


Rgds,
Norm

U2fast4me

Hello all, newbie here.
I have '03 E500 and running some issues with it and will get C55 when lease is up next year.
Question: Is there any other differneces between C55 and C32 beside the V8, lower front end fascial, front grill, 18" wheels and dual exhaust? Thanks