meinbeast

Trackability, community, livability, reliability...Is the c63 still top choice?
Apologize for the long post ahead of time...

I've been lurking here for years as well as the other forum. I have also been going to cars and coffee in MD (church of holy donut and Katie's) for the past 7 years EVERY weekend when I am around.

I am now in the position to buy a vehicle that needs to fill multiple needs. Those needs are

Trackability- I enjoy tracking cars, not dragstrip (never done that, maybe I would), but setting lap times to work on improving. Also, scca and autocross events interest me. There is a lot of opportunity for that where I live with Summit Point and autocross events a few miles from me. I desire a car that has a good combination of toss ability with daily driver ability. I drive a good amount for work but also have an old tsx for long trips or ****ty city parking days. I plan on keeping the tsx for only these days, or snow.

Community- there is not a strong presence of c63's at the cars and coffee events, or at autocross events and track days. I feel that this community aspect is very important as I like to attend everts and hang out with people with a similar interest or passion.


Livabilty- the vehicle is going to be my primary dd when long trips or city parking in not so hot areas come into play. Is the car a comfortable and reasonable car to live with daily.


Reliability - I keep my cars for a long time and don't want to be worried about long term reliability. The head bolt issues worry me.


I have narrowed my searches to really 3 cars considering the above "wants/needs" , they are

Ctsv- It checks all boxes except, from what I've read, tossability. When it comes to tossing it into turns during daily driving or at the track, weight and nimbleness are not talked about here.

M3- large community. Good or bad depending on stigma of owning an m3. Great track car. Concern, does the handling outweigh the lack of torque? Reliability? I think I know the answer here. Have also read its a good dd.

C63- large online community, great dd. track or autocross dynamics. Torque, HP, and sound! ...all in a small package.

I know this is an amg forum, but I see there are some honest folks on here and I appreciate that.

In your opinion, which vehicle would provide for the most satisfaction across all my wants/needs?


Great forum, thank you for your input.

goatfarmer1970

I just bought another one because I loved the first one so much, and because I think the C63 is the best, most fun real world car you can really drive...the most fun you can have without having a car that makes strangers hate you before they meet you. I am two thumbs up on all accounts for sure...it is just such a great real world car....not flashy and SOOO fun.

goatfarmer1970

One other consideration is that because it has a ton of torque, rwd, and skinny tires it is a car that is very fun to drive slowly...and that is how we really drive most of the time. In this regard, the C63 is hard to match. Blah, blah, blah....

simplicity

I'm not sure anymore, with the head bolt thing, also my 2011 having transmission problems

The model has a lot going for it generally though.

sinape62

The headbolt is not an issue if he's buying new 2013/2014). I think the decision would be C63 or M3. I didn't consider the M3...

Quadcammer

honestly, if you don't need the space, just get a 911. it has all of that.

adv4nced53

I usually try to stay away from these comparisons but I have experienced all 3 cars, so here's what I think.

C63:
- Small tires for the amount of torque. Sized for fun, not handling. Bigger tires will match M3 handling easily.
- Best sounding.
- Best interior.
- Stiff suspension...could use damping adjustment settings like the more expensive AMGs.

M3:
- Best looking in my opinion.
- Worst looking interior but just as capable.
- Takes itself too seriously...no character.
- Significantly less torque than C63/CTS-V and yes, it is noticeable.

CTS-V:
- Whole different ballpark for future power extraction. The supercharger is a serious benefit over the other two.
- Nowhere as sophisticated as the M3/C63. It's a Caddy.

Also, the headbolt issue isn't as common as it seems. We just discuss it way too much on this forum.

mdgrwl

C63 hands down.

I test drove all 3, along with others like the Audi RS5 and decided to go with a new C63. My take:


M3 lacks a ton of character. Steering doesn't give as much feedback as the C63, and the lack of torque is a real killer for DD. All the power is above 5000rpm - how often are you going to be above 5000rpm? New model is about to come out in less then 12 months.

CTSV - great in a straight line and has a lot of power. Interior layout is cool, but CHEAP. After test driving the German cars, you really see the cheap American interior. The CTSV also felt very heavy during the test drive. Looks are subjective.

C63 - great neutral handling, I personally love it and feel its 90% of what the M3 is. Much more steering feedback and an overall more "connected" feel to the car. Sounds the best out of all 3. For the CTSV having a much power as it does, I was shocked how dead quiet it was... even WOT was meh. And all the TORQUE you want for street / DD driving.

Sidenote on power - thought the CTSV has big power numbers, its heavy. It's straight line accelleration stock isn't that much faster than the C63. I believe on a good day with a good driver the CTSV will get a 12.0 or 12.1 in the 1/4 mile. You can get a 12.2 with the C63... its gearing is more aggressive, and less heavy.

meinbeast

To answer a few of the questions, I am going to buy pre-owned and I need a 4 door sedan. I am looking at model years up to 2011. I have a budget of 40k so that rules out 2012+.

Test Drives

C63 - drove it yesterday, amazing torque, sound and steering. Interior is dated, but does not scream I need a refresh. I am 6'3 200lbs and fit great in the car, the seat bolsters were a little tight even when they were adjusted. I walked away wanting the car.

CTSV - I like the looks, interior is nicely appointed, Pano-roof is great. Nice seats that are both heated and cooled. Comfortable drive. It felt heavy and lacked the visceral acceleration of c63. I need to give this car another drive, 556hp and 551TQ should feel more exciting than that.


M3- did not have a chance to drive it. However the I was impressed with interior, it does not photograph well, but is nice when sitting in the car. A MAJOR gripe is how lousy the cup holders are. I need my coffee to stay in place during my morning commutes. Will have to drive this weekend.


The C63 I drove had the Coolant low warning light. This worries me after spending some time here and learning about the head bolt issue that is possible. To me, this is the only thing holding me back from the c63, having that in the back of my mind that a MAJOR repair is almost always looming.

I may be over thinking this and will buy the longest warranty that i can.




AFTER ALL OF THIS
Is there anything you would change about your c63
Is there anything i can change to improve the car? (ie can i put wider tires on? will they fit?)

mdgrwl

Only thing I would change is the weight... if it were 200-300lbs lighter, it would be even more tossable and faster feeling.

If you can get a 12+, you would love the car even more. The suspension and transmission are much improved.

Ezec63

Agree 100% Its the stupid pano roof ! Big amount of weight and in the worst place at the very top of the car affecting center of gravity. One day i will remove it and replace it with a carbon fiber roof than this car would be PERFECT

meinbeast

If the car has the head bolt issues repaired/replaced, how has the reliability been?

I read that model year 2010.5 has the new head bolts from the factory but many are still getting the low coolant light? I dont want to pysch myself out from getting an AMG based on the reliability concerns that i am hearing.

Patrick B

For the use cases, it really depends on how much you're planning on using the car for each.

When it comes to being a track car, the M3 has the C63 beat, hands-down. Not because the C63 isn't capable; it fully is. The challenge is that Mercedes has let some serious flaws slip in (lack of proper oil cooling for one) that prevent it from being the equal of the M3 on the track.

Secondly, the M3 has a proper 6-speed, 3-pedal manual available, or if you prefer, a proper dual-clutch automated manual. Even with the new MCT, the 7-speed tranny in the C63 is still a planetary gear based automatic. And on the track it likes to do some funny stuff every now and then (down-shifting even though you never pulled the paddle for it).

Now, all of that being said, I'd take the C63 over an M3 for day to day use. It's more visceral to drive, it arguably looks better (4-door vs 4-door, anyway; the M3 coupe is better looking than the C63 Coupe), it certainly SOUNDS better, and the 2012+ has a nicer interior (pretty much every BMW has an identical interior).

For reliability I haven't had any issues with my C63 (barring one broken valve stem which wasn't a MFG defect). One reason I did choose my C63 is that a large, naturally aspirated V8 should (in theory) be more reliable than a blown V8 (such as on the CTS-V) or a higher strung, small V8 (8300 RPM redline in the M3).

I have precious few complaints about my C63....if it came with a proper dual-clutch automated manual, or even better, a proper 3-pedal 6-speed, it would be a proper sports coupe / sedan (heck, the CTS-V can be had with a manual!). And the oil cooling / trans cooling issue is annoying, especially since the Black Series has the problem solved (so it would be a straight-forward fix on the stock C63).

I've been a huge BMW fan for years (and raced one for several years in Touring Car), but I'd be hard pressed to replace my C63 with an M3. In fact, I probably wouldn't do it.

I have been tempted by a CTS-V in wagon form, with the 6-spd manual tranny. That could be an interesting sleeper car that had significant practicality for day to day life.



Patrick

Diabolis

Very well put - my own experience is also in line with the above (with the only minor difference being that I also like the C63 coupe better than the E92 M3). As an everyday car the C63 is overall a better package.

As for the ultimate practical sleeper, I just came back from Vegas where MB Canada had a little track-day test for all of the 2014 AMG cars, one of which was an E63S wagon (with ceramic brakes to boot). That thing is absolutely sublime in every respect. It is the nicest 5-person grocery hauler I have ever seen (let alone driven), but so capable when pushed that it can hold its own against an SLS. The CTS-V *almost* has enough power to match the E, but it is crude in comparison in every other respect. From the 14 AMG cars that were there everyone was talking about the E63S wagon at the end.

Sorry about the off-topic excursion.

esses

C63 is a great every day car.
No car will be faster on the street in real terms — you will run out of road before you run out of car. Its comfortable, solid and quiet enough for conference calls. It seats 4 comfortably. It fits a child seat and has a good size trunk. As far as handling, it's on par with M3 and is more tossable than the CTS-V, and it has the best engine of the 3.

It's not a track car the way that a 911 is, but then again, few cars are, and without questions, neither is an M3 or the Caddy.

I looked at all the same cars before buying mine and don't regret it or a second.