Would love a RS5 but they are rare and the one available near me is 90K+. At that price point I would rather be looking at lot of other options too. I am also considering a CLA 45AMG and perhaps C450 although no news about the dates on that one yet.

4 doors isn't really a requirement, 4 seats is.

 

From Jeep, to rs5/cla45/c450?

Figure out what you need first. The x5m and ML I would take over the Jeep, but you pay more for those.

Do NOT get the CLA. If you feel like AMG to Jeep is bad... C63 to CLA45 is worse. I drove the CLA and while it did exceed my expectations, the SRT is even better.

Try an x5m and ml63

 

I would avoid the RS5. I have some friends with the RS4 which has the same engine. The carbon buildup is insane. They have to do decarbonizing every 30k, which is $1500 at the dealer. We have done walnut blasting on them and that's such a huge pain in the ***. That alone would drive me away.

 

I don't mind Audis but man do I dislike the RS5. Looks like a Hyundai Tiburon to me. Of course, I'm sure the Tiburon is a fine car in itself, but if I wanted that look, Id just buy the Hyundai.

 

Haha I know I am all the over the place....I am quite indecisive as you can tell. Think sticking to the C63 for now would be ideal. Especially since winter is pretty much over anyway, then I can think about what to do before the next one.

 

^Same boat. I almost just picked up a 48 Ford f1 but thinking I should shy away, for now.

Winter is done, maybe a flurry or two left for us northerners but I'm not scared. Drive the c63 and enjoy it. I just went looking at all kinds of cars under the sun and there is really no replacement vehicle for me.

As for the mention of carbon cleans in the rs5... Carbon cleaning happens in ALL direct injected vehicles. Is it a pain? Sure. But if you drive 10k/year thats 3 years to 30k and you really can get away with going 4 years. It isn't all that bad, besides, if you're driving an rs5 you should be able to save $500/yr for the job. The RS5 is a great car that sounds mean as hell with an exhaust. My RS4 was easily the best and most fun car I've ever owned in the winter.

 

Okay, as someone who owns or has owned both of these (along with a few other options), I'll offer some of my thoughts.

I previously had an '11 Range Rover Sport S/C, which was my "family" vehicle and winter beater, with the C63 as my toy / summer car.

I swapped the Range Rover in late 2013 for a new Jeep GC SRT ('14, with the 8-speed tranny). The RR was a great SUV, but it had some quibbles in day to day life, mostly around the ancient NAV / entertainment functions (no Bluetooth audio, crappy NAV, etc). But it was otherwise pretty quick for a nearly 6,000 lb car, and handled reasonably well.

I never cared for the looks of the WK1 Jeep GC, but the WK2 was pretty sharp, and I looked at a '14 fully loaded model. Great touchscreen, heated / cooled seats, power tailgate, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring etc. Handled and drove pretty well, and with a full Corsa exhaust on it, it sounded pretty good as well.

So I traded it in, thinking that maybe I'd drop down to a single vehicle and the Jeep GC could handle both daily driver duties as well as fun-factor and I could get rid of the C63 ('12 Coupe). I did get rid of the C63 eventually, but only because I swapped it for a V8 Vantage S (eventually).

Long story short....the Jeep is a great day to day vehicle, but it doesn't have the same driving dynamics / fun-factor that the C63 does (nor does the Aston Martin, but I'll admit the AM is significantly better looking!).

First things, the throttle response on the Jeep GC SRT is lazy unless it's in Track mode. I tend to like a vehicle that responds the instant you squeeze the throttle, and the C63 did that extremely well (better than the AM as well). The Jeep, however, has the laziest throttle of any vehicle I've driven. If you want a car that "feels" responsive, the Jeep isn't it (unless you keep it in Track mode all the time).

That being said, with the full Corsa exhaust, the Jeep sounds good, though I think I still prefer the AMG burble over the Jeep OHV burble.

The Jeep sucks in the snow. Caveat....with the factory all-season Pirelli Verde run-flats. Honestly my C63 was better in the snow with proper winter tires (Falken) than my Jeep SRT is with all-seasons. The all-season Pirelli Verdes have crappy life, and really crappy winter traction. Next year I'll put a proper set of winters on it. The Range Rover on all-season Michelins was far, far better in winter than the Jeep is.

The in-car entertainment / nav system is pretty good, once you get it all updated and sorted out. The SRT performance pages app is neat, but takes forever to load, and isn't worth starting up eventually.

The adaptive cruise-control is awesome....love, love, love this feature.

The interior is pretty nice...in fact, I like it better than the interior of my C63. It's not as nice as the Range Rover was, nor is it as nice as my Vantage. But it's nicer than my wife's X6 and most other cars I've checked out lately.

I also looked at a brand new Range Rover Sport SC, and honestly I figured the Jeep was a better bargain at $65,000 loaded up vs $125,000 for a loaded up RR Sport SC.

As far as any SUVs go, about the only other one I'd really consider is the Porsche Macan (I don't need tons of space...)....the Jeep is pretty good in my view.

If I was going to pick just a single vehicle as a day to day driver, I might give up the Jeep and go back to my C63 (again, I don't need much space, so it was mostly a case of having a winter "beater"). With the Vantage, I need a winter vehicle, so the Jeep is hard to beat as a fun winter driver.

The C63 is a more fun vehicle overall, but the Jeep is a more complete package in terms of absolute practicality while still being somewhat fun. If practicality is more important than pure fun, then the Jeep is a good choice. If having a "fun" car matters more, than keep the C63: the Jeep WILL disappoint in the fun factor when compared to the C63.



Patrick

 

To the OP - I think you just may not have the best winters for your C63. I know you have Blizzaks, but there are a few different Blizzaks, at a rather wide range of prices… I don't know which Blizzaks are best for the type of winter you get, but that's something to look into.

With the proper winters, you shouldn't have issues in the winter, assuming the roads are plowed.
But I'm not sure this is really the issue - perhaps you are just tired of your C63 and are looking for something else?!

 

Thank you for the input Patrick. The AM and a winter beater would be my ideal garage! Hopefully one day!

And surge you're right. Sometimes I think I may be using the whole RWD thing as an excuse when I have started to feel bored with the C63. But then I think if I can get bored of the C63 in less than two years, then what would I not get bored of? So I might as well though it out until I can actually get something way better!

 

Yeah, I probably will think the same as you in about 2 years (just got my C63)…
but where do you go from here without spending a lot more?!

 

That's the bottom line. Any move I make with the same amount of money it would be a sideways move at best. So until I am in a position to spend a lot more should stick with this.

 

Yup! Same dilemma as me! Sure you can increase performance for the same money (GTR/Z06) but if youre like me you need GT3 Money, Mclaren Money, Ferrari Money, etc.

Audi R8 V10s are coming down in price and Im looking but Im not a fan of AWD

 

I currently own a wk1 GC SRT8 (had it four years now) and I am honestly considering going the opposite direction of OP and selling the Jeep and buying a ~'10 C63 AMG.


I had a B5 S4 prior to the Jeep and I really miss something about the way that car made you feel when you would drive it.. The Jeep interior in the wk1 is pitiful in comparison to the s4 (or the C63) and since I am a single 25 year old guy with a medium sized dog I think I can live without the space.


My only concern is am I getting over my head with maintaining one of these cars? Its not going to be another B5 S4 is it? I managed to have a decent time with them and have a family friend that has a indy German/Swedish shop that I used for the S4 and plan on using if I do end up with the Merc, but I know how OE parts can go so I'd like to know if there's any outstanding items I'd need to make myself aware of?

 

Zoom_oh - yes I would say the maintenance is allot on these (especially compared to the JGC SRT8) also if you are looking for a 2010 you have the headbolt issue to possibly contend with. Nothing on a Mercedes or more sp an AMG is cheap unless you are DIY type and even then there are some things you will still have to pay to get done because they are difficult. The c63 is an amazing monster but it can also turn around and comp your bank account to pieces unless you are well funded. I know that might sound overboard but keep in mind that this is basically a supercar in a 4 door clothing. Maintenance and repairs are that level, not jeep, standard Mercedes or SRT. Hope that helps!


And yes I have owned an SRT vehicle before as well as several HEMI Dodge, Jeep and Chrysler's so I am familiar with their maintenance which is very "cost effective" and one of the good sides of ownership of those fine American, err german, umm I mean Italian cars.

 

As an owner of both a Jeep SRT and C63, I can tell you first hand that maintenance on both the C63 and Jeep are on completely different spectrums. $80 for oil changes on my jeep, over $200 for a C63 (given, it is every 24000 kms or so). Especially if you completely leave it up to the dealers, they will strip you for everything you have. I went in for my service A, and they ended up quoting me $429. I asked them what do they do in this service that is different than a $220 oil change, they tell me they do a visual inspection of some drivetrain components but if something is wrong, they'll replace nothing. I also recieve a phone call after I tell them just do the oil change, they made a $1200 bill for services that my car needed (I had just bought my car 10 days ago from a CPO from a dealership). I called the dealership where all the services were previously done and they tell me that everything on the vehicle was done during it's last service and all it needs is essentially a oil and filter change. When i called the dealership back, the lady was at loss of words and I promised myself that that's the last of that dealership.

In other words, know when your services are done, and what they need. Don't let the dealers try and scam you. Find a independent shop and go from there.

 

Thanks for the replies.

I already have a great indy shop lined up (same guys I used for the major work done on the S4's...) but I did learn to wrench on the S4 so I can do brakes, oil changes, plugs myself for sure.

This is giving me vivid flashbacks to my days on the Audi forums when people would ask about reliability and what not. I think I will do fine. I manged to live through the S4 phase so I don't see why this wouldn't work. I just will spend as much time as I can trying to find a clean car to buy.


And what is this head-bolt issue? is it fixed in newer model years? like say 2011?

 

Dude, just go on Carmax and have them bring you an RS5 over...if it isn't in the conditions you want, you dont have to pay nor sign a contract. And if you want an SUV, anything but an SRT8. Haven't heard good things from those outside of their power.

 

It effected all 63 cars until the middle of the 2011 model year so the only way to know your safe is to buy a 2012 or newer OR find a late 2011 car and have the user 'Valvestud' verify the engine by the VIN#.


Read the sticky on the top of this forum for more info, while rare if you don't have a warranty it could cost you thousands to get fixed.

 

yeah I spent an hour going through the thread(s) yesterday after posting that. I honestly have had horrid experience with a 3rd party warranty that I had on the Jeep iirc it was a fidelity warranty and I paid 3300$ for it and they wouldn't cover anything that was a lubricated part on the car. They wouldnt work with certain shops/dealers etc.. anyways to sum up that lesson I am not sure I would even bank on that working, so I will avoid it altogether!

 

Oh I agree I would never go with an aftermarket warranty only manufacture, I say this for multiple reasons one is no deductible, the other is every Mercedes dealer takes it no questions asked and the last is I have heard too many stories of aftermarket warranties denying claims. I got the Mercedes extended warranty on my car for $2700 which covered me for 3.5 years from the date I purchased the car from the original owner (that was a year ago so I have 2.5 years left on the warranty). After my warranty is over I will probably get rid of this car because I don't want to be left holding the bill.

 

just FYI the price on the MB extended warranty is much higher than this now, for AMG is closer to 6k+ which makes no sense.

There are plenty of aftermarket options that are reputable you can just ask your local MB rep and they will recommend a few. I know one person here had the head bolt fix done via fidelity, I got ez care which came recommended.

 

They didn't just double in price in the last year! Search this forum and you will find there are several dealers that sell them AT COST, that is how I got my MB warranty! Some dealers sell them online at cost so they can meet their numbers, FYI!

 

trust me....i contacted one of the forum warranty suppliers who was at that rate. AMG prices nearly doubled sept1. I'm not making it up and I know how to search a forum. I was flat out told third party would be cheaper now and their hands are tied.

 

okay at 6500$ there is no way. I will either buy one that has the updated part or whats from stopping me from having the wiesman/arp's installed as a preventative measure on a low mile 09?

 

From what I've been told the cost of the weistec bolts being installed isnt really that bad, and if you are very mechanically handy could be done yourself.