I'm considering purchasing a 2019 C63S in the future, I've never owned an AMG. I've had a few M3's and currently have a 911 Carrera S. The C63S would be in addition. I have a few general questions, if anyone could help it would be great:

1. I know the 2019's is the first year of the facelift, how long until a brand new design?

2. What are the odds that the next design keeps the turbo V8?

3. What's tire life like on these? Is it possible to get 10k out of the rears if not tracked?

4. Are maintenance costs similar to the BMW'w and Porsche?

5. Is there anyway these could be driven in light snow if it had snow tires?

6. The depreciation curve on these seems really steep, is there a reason it seems higher than comparable BMW's and Porsche's?

 

1. I know the 2019's is the first year of the facelift, how long until a brand new design?
- Probably another 3-4 years (probably 3)

2. What are the odds that the next design keeps the turbo V8?
- Slim

3. What's tire life like on these? Is it possible to get 10k out of the rears if not tracked?
- Yes

4. Are maintenance costs similar to the BMW'w and Porsche?
- Yes

5. Is there anyway these could be driven in light snow if it had snow tires?
- Absolutely yes. Deep snow is OK too.

6. The depreciation curve on these seems really steep, is there a reason it seems higher than comparable BMW's and Porsche's?
- New, the C63S costs quite a bit more than the M3/M4, so when they hit the used market, people compare them straight up, so the price gap starts to shrink.

 

1. Probably another 3 years (new model in 2022). It'd make for a 7 year model cycle which is typical for MB.

2. Very strong. The M177 is meant for the long haul. Other models might get different engines and hybrid-type systems, but my understanding is that the M177 (or another new variant of it) will be around for a while.

3. I'm not kind with the throttle, and I get 10K-12K out of my rear tires. I've had the stock Dumlop MAXX, Michelin PSS, and Continental ExtremeContact Sport. All have held up for longer than 10K miles.

4. Similar. Depends on what model for the other brands, but normal maintenance hasn't been anything out of the normal so far (I have 40K miles on a '15).

5. Anything can be driven in snow. It's just a matter if how well it works. I'm in TX, so can't really help you out with that one. Can't imagine that, with proper tires and throttle management, it'd be any different than any other C-class.

6. A new AMG's value tanks in the first year and then plays catchup over the next half-decade. The reason why is up for debate, but it is what it is. Don't buy new if you plan to change to something different soon after.

 

I'll just chip in on a couple of points
a. snow driving - a 2019 c63 has a special slippery mode. I'm very very sure this mode will prevent excess power from reaching the wheels and provided you have winter tyres, i cant see why you would struggle. I drove around for 2 weeks in the snow in my 2018 c63s with summer tyres and while i was bricking it, there was actually nothing worse about driving a c63s in the snow than any other rear wheel drive car when in comfort mode and auto shifting.

b. The V8. While the V8 on the C63 produces the same/slightly less CO2 than the inline 6 on the M3 and Audi RS4/5, i think emissions regulations are getting even more strict and that might require 6 cylinder hybrid engines on this platform and any V12s being downgraded to hybrid V8s perhaps. So I think there are maybe only 3 more years of C63 V8s potentially.

c. Tyres: if the 2019s come with MP4S or MPSS tyres in your region, then expect to get at least 10k miles generally, if they come with Contis , then , good luck!

d. Maintenance: within the warranty period, i konw in the UK, you can get service care plans and i strongly recommend those, I reckon i pay possibly around gbp500 per year over the 4 years and it will cover all my service costs except things like tyres and brake pads

e. depreciation curve: I always snag 15%+ discount on mine to at least take most of the initial 20% VAT hit on the chin. The max discount ive found on the 2019 in the UK at the moment is around 11%. Out here in the UK, you walk out of the showroom and lose 16.67% on the price paid straight away due to VAT + any other adjustments on top. Residuals on mine, post discount, after a 4 year PCP, 10k miles per annum are £30k vs a price of £64.5k including road tax etc or 46.5% which seems fine to me except maybe not against a porsce (vs £30k over £81k without discount or 37% which is hard to swallow in comparison).

 

I don't want to pick a fight but this just isn't true unless you really consider $1500 "quite a bit more." I think you're trying to compare a C63S to a base M3/M4, which isn't really fair since the "S" is effectively an up-level trim for the AMG. You need to compare the C63S to the M3/M4 with Competition Package. And if you compare base to base, the BMW cars actually start higher.

Base M3: $66,500
Base C63 Sedan: $66,100
Base M4: $69,150
Base C63 Coupe: $67,500

M3 w/Comp: $72,200
C63S Sedan: $73,700
M4 w/Comp: $73,900
C63S Coupe: $75,500

 

Yeah but the residuals for leasing a C63 are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay worse than F80s. My 2015 F80 M3 was 65% for 3 years/30k miles. I think the C63s are in the high 40s. So on a lease, your monthly payment for a C63 will be exponentially higher than an M3. I dont think Ive seen a C63 lease payment for under $1k a month whereas with an M3 you can easily get them in the $700-$900 range.

 

My point is not to debate whether AMG's depreciate more than M cars, or which cars have better lease deals, just to point out that it's not because the AMG cars are vastly more expensive when new. Of course, with options, especially "personal taste" items like carbon fiber, you can buy a $95k car that will trade the same as a $75k car on the used market, but that's true with BMW as well.

And back to the OP, I wouldn't even compare a C-Class AMG to a Porsche when looking at depreciation, as the 911 and 718 are more or less in their own classes and tend to hold values better. The sports coupe/sedan market (versus a high-end sports car like a 911/718) has a lot more competition, and I think historically Mercedes is associated with high maintenance/out-of-warranty costs that may be contributing to higher depreciation.