Considering a C63 as a daily and first Mercedes, looking for feedback
07-18-2014, 09:09 AM
#26
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2009 C63 AMG
Its a great car, but make sure you test drive one first. Things to check you can live with:
- The transmission. Change it to manual and drive around manually upshifting and downshifting. Allow it to change itself down from 2nd to 1st as you slow for a corner or a stop sign. Experiment with downshifting and note the responsiveness of downshifting. This is a real weak point so make sure you know what this feels like before buying
- The oil cooling fan. Build the temp up and then idle around with the window down (also stand outside and listen to it if you care what your car sounds like to others). Can you live with the sound of the cooling fan?
- Try a few quick launches, from a traffic light or in particular turning into another street and coming up to speed with other traffic. Note how you have to modulate the throttle carefully in order to prevent the traction control kicking in.
If you are ok with these 3 things you will love this car.
- The transmission. Change it to manual and drive around manually upshifting and downshifting. Allow it to change itself down from 2nd to 1st as you slow for a corner or a stop sign. Experiment with downshifting and note the responsiveness of downshifting. This is a real weak point so make sure you know what this feels like before buying
- The oil cooling fan. Build the temp up and then idle around with the window down (also stand outside and listen to it if you care what your car sounds like to others). Can you live with the sound of the cooling fan?
- Try a few quick launches, from a traffic light or in particular turning into another street and coming up to speed with other traffic. Note how you have to modulate the throttle carefully in order to prevent the traction control kicking in.
If you are ok with these 3 things you will love this car.
M mode sucks at rolling stops; I downshift to 1st just before the stop to prevent a downshift jolt when hitting the gas.
Traction control is so overprotective; once I got into the habit of the 5 second hold on the ESP button, it became a new car.
I've had Evo v12 for three months, 3k miles and am at 7/32.
Car is great in the winter with blizzaks; of course Chicago has no gradients on any streets to speak of.
07-18-2014, 09:21 AM
#27
MBWorld Fanatic!
I drive my 2010 C63 every day during the summer / dry months here in Toronto. Lets say 7-8 Months out of the year. The C63 has been such an experience to drive. This is my first full summer with it, so I have been spending some time getting to know the car.
The C63 has such a presence on the road, yet its understated. Its a very refined beast. Its built like a tank and sounds like a dragon.
As for the gas, its a matter of perspective. I look at it as its a fill up every week for me. I don't even look at the mileage
If i need gas I get it, just enjoy the car. You already know its not fuel efficient. We don't need to tell you that.
The C63 has such a presence on the road, yet its understated. Its a very refined beast. Its built like a tank and sounds like a dragon.
As for the gas, its a matter of perspective. I look at it as its a fill up every week for me. I don't even look at the mileage
If i need gas I get it, just enjoy the car. You already know its not fuel efficient. We don't need to tell you that.
07-18-2014, 09:44 AM
#29
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C63 AMG 507 Edition
I just figured this out the other day. You have to time it perfectly, manually shifting from 2nd to 1st before it automatically shifts down and you can minimise the jolt. Why an automatic shift from 2 to 1 when coming to a stop causes a jolt is beyond me. How can they not have fixed this?
07-18-2014, 11:11 AM
#30
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2012 S550, 2012 C63
I daily (~90 miles total/day) mine. Its not an exotic, its great for an everyday car. The transmission is fine for stop and go, etc. Its a nice relatively compact car. I live in NorCal so we really don't have much "weather" to speak of.
07-18-2014, 02:44 PM
#31
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C63AMG, NIssan NX2000, Pontiac Fiero GT
Our C63 is the wife's daily driver ,29K miles. She would quickly choose the car as the best ever. The car is a gas and tire hog. Bend over now for the dealer. It is vault tight and a good handler . The steering is kinda dead but love the ratio. With good snow tires ok in 3-4" snow. Exhaust sound very good. Heavy . We will keep it and worry about the headbolts (2009 model).
07-18-2014, 03:08 PM
#32
Senior Member
Bottom Line Up Front: It is a great daily driver that handles all environments very, very well. If you find you're spending too much on gas/brakes/tires, just back off a little and drive it a bit easier and you'll save some money. May not be the best car for the track or most sensible grocery getter, but God I love it!
- How's the car at the track and driving events? A- I've driven it at the Nurburgring and it is a blast. Yes GT3's and M3's go past, but handling the weight is manageable. If you have good throttle control the car always responds the same. I drive with Traction in Sport and Transmission in Sport + when at the track.
- Reliability and build quality - how has the car held up? A- I haven't had a single issue in the 8 months I've owned it. 8500 miles.
- Is it usable in the winter with some decent dedicated winter tires and wheels? A- I used mine during the winter here as my daily drive. It was mild with very little snow/ice. Winter tires handle the 10-30 F temps just fine. I never really pushed the car though when it was below 40 F.
- I'm not expecting an economy car, but just how bad is the gas mileage in real world use? A- I have the V5 tune and get about 13-14 mpg. That is because driving in manual mode with the car at 2500 rpm is addicting. Letting of the gas pedal and listening to the burbles is the closest to crack I'll ever get. If I keep it in Comfort and drive sensibly i can see 17 mpg routinely on mix of city and highway.
- On the topic of daily driving and commuting, how is the car in that aspect? A- Wonderful. It responds instantly. If you need to hit that hole in traffic you can. Someone hits the brakes in front of you, your brakes bite harder.
- How quickly do the brake pads get eaten and what can I expect to pay for a brake job at a Mercedes indie shop? Can't answer.
- One more "responsible purchase" question: I know the stock rear tires manage to shred themselves within 10,000 miles or so, but what can I expect out of a less aggressive summer performance tire? Can't answer. My fronts are actually wearing out faster than my rears. I blame that on going quickly around round-a-bouts and going to the Nurburgring. I try not to break traction with the rears as I'm not sure how fussy the German Polizei will be with "wreckless driving." I try not to risk it or putting a bad image of an American to the German population.
07-19-2014, 03:32 AM
#33
Senior Member
I had a 335i with the sport package as well & the base C63 was noticeably stiffer, & if you get a P30 the ride will be even crappier.
As far as gas mileage I average 10-11mpg driving regularly in the city, 8-9mpg if I am really on it all the time, my record has been 7mpg. Pure highway I have reached 19mpg, but that quickly dropped back down as soon as I got off the highway
As far as gas mileage I average 10-11mpg driving regularly in the city, 8-9mpg if I am really on it all the time, my record has been 7mpg. Pure highway I have reached 19mpg, but that quickly dropped back down as soon as I got off the highway
Last edited by BiturboSF; 07-19-2014 at 03:35 AM.
07-19-2014, 12:48 PM
#34
The C63 is a fantastic daily driver. I have used it for several years as my daily and it still puts a smile on my face. In between, I have had a Porsche Carrera (997) as an additional car and tried to use that as a daily. With the manual shift in traffic, it was not enjoyable. The C63 does the trick. I also like that it doesn't draw attention. Most people don't know what a C63 is and just assume it is a C class that looks sharp.
Gas mileage in traffic is 11MPG. Highway is 20.5MPG. Eats tires every 8k miles. May use a quart of oil between changes.
These cars are very reliable (in my experience). The only weak point worth mentioning is the headbolts. Other than that, I am amazed at how solid this car is. Yes, there is the occasional rattle but so what. The sound and torque of the car are amazing.
Hope this helps and hope you buy one...
Gas mileage in traffic is 11MPG. Highway is 20.5MPG. Eats tires every 8k miles. May use a quart of oil between changes.
These cars are very reliable (in my experience). The only weak point worth mentioning is the headbolts. Other than that, I am amazed at how solid this car is. Yes, there is the occasional rattle but so what. The sound and torque of the car are amazing.
Hope this helps and hope you buy one...
Last edited by SixPointThree; 07-19-2014 at 12:50 PM. Reason: included wrong quote
