94jedi

Yup, i think I'm just going to wait it out. The e55 is also calling me... as is the e90/92 m3. We'll see what happens.

Definitely understand. My m45 has been so easy on maintenance. And yes, the last time i test drove a c63, i couldn't wipe the stupid grin off my face for a week. That's what sold me.

JimGnitecki

What works even better to sell a buyer on a c63 is to have an experienced C63 driver drive the car FOR you as well as you driving it. When I shopped for mine, my salesperson at the MB dealership was a hobby racer with C63 experience who was also at the time transplanting a a 375 HP version of the turbo MB 4-cylinder into his personal MB wagon.He drove the C63 for me for the first 10 minutes of the 35 minute test drive, on a very winding rural road,in driving rain, including doing a few things like hard stops from highway speeds,and hard acceleration, to show the effectiveness of the traction control and stability control systems under even fairly bad weather conditions. The combination of his demo plus my own test driving sold me on the car.

JimG

94jedi

That's a great point. I test drove a Weistec E55 this weekend. It was insane. However, I didn't get the full experience until the owner drove it while I was the passenger. No apprehension, he knows how to drive the car, etc. That car was a monster. The last car that scared me was a 600+ whp Kenne Bell 2004 Cobra. This car was right there.

RIANF1

I think with an E55, that is a whole new beast compared to the C63. With the E-class, then you need to worry about the air suspension bags, compressor and modules for it as well. There are also a plethora of modules, computers and sensors that are not present or needed on the much "simpler" C63. I personally would feel more comfortable driving an E60 M5 than an E55/E63 (minus the rod bearing, SMG3 and horrendous fuel mileage) as a BMW service advisor.

I personally also looked at E9x M3's, E60 M5's and even the STI/EVO before pulling the trigger on my C63. To this day, 9 months and 8.5k miles later, i have ZERO regrets. My car had approx 82k miles when i drove it home from Nashville to Atlanta. I had to replace the tires immediately, I did a Mobil1 oil change and eventually replaced an idler pulley due to a bad bearing but other than that it has been pretty bulletproof. I am soon going to replace the trans and rear end oil. i also see that the expansion tank cap seems to have a bad seal and is letting out coolant. I do indeed drive my car in s and m mode quite often. My philosophy is that if the car has it, it is meant to be used and enjoyed. I am also under the general consensus, if the car has 90k plus miles, it should be free and clear of the headbolt issue (knock on wood).

Every performance car has its own niggles/issues that are known. 996 Porsche (IMS), M3/M5 (rod bearings), E46 M3 (SMG pump and subframe). These are all high strung vehicles. But proper maintenance is a small price to pay for a vehicle that makes you smile every time! I say go for it man!