What sort of discount would you be asking for, to pick up a remaining 2018 C63S? One of my cars was t-boned and likely going to be a write off, so I'm looking at new car options.

The upgrades on the 2019 are appealing to me, updated panamericana grille, update infotainment and steering wheel, updated rear defuser, etc. but if I can score a really good deal on a 2018 I could be onboard. What would be your price to take a 2018 over a 2019? 10% off? 15%? More?

 

So this is actually quite interesting because the 2019 includes the $1750 performance exhaust as standard. That's a considerable amount of savings (approximately 2% off msrp).

I'd spec out your ideal 2019 car and then look for 2018's from there. Remember it's generally not hard to get a good discount off the 2019 and now that they're starting to pile onto lots, you can probably get even better than invoice.

Compare that 2019 price against the best discounted price you can get from the 2018's. I'd say if the difference is $5K or less, 2019 is the way to go.

 

I just went this exact route. I bought a brand new 2018 C63WS in November 2018. I was strongly considering a 2019. In the immortal words of Vito Corleone. I was made an offer on a 2018 I couldn't refuse. I got a loaded (spec below) car with a $94,465 sticker for $84,999 out the door. This car had everything I wanted and more. I am of the 50% camp that likes the pre-facelift grille. As my GTR has a panamericana grille. No big deal there. Digital gauges... meh. It's the same cluster as my GTR and I like it and it does everything I need. Nine (9) speed MCT - no biggie there as well. IMHO you have to really be looking at diffusers - to notice a difference. I'll admit the 2019 diffusers do look better. However, I really like the new steering wheel and infotainment screen. So for me to order a new car because of basically a steering wheel, infotainment screen, 64-color ambient lighting - didn't make sense. Not at 10 grand off a 2018. You have to do whatever makes the most sense for you after you weigh all of the pros and cons. Good luck!

 

I was ready to order a 2018 coupe about a year ago before even knowing any details about the 2019 or that it's gonna be a facelift, but passed after test driving it. I couldn't stomach the old transmission. I couldn't deal with the laggy manual mode, and the pulling off in 2nd gear when in Comfort mode. Ruined the whole experience for me coming from super responsive dual clutch transmissions and 15+ years of owning manual transmissions. Now I'm awaiting delivery of a 2019. The new transmission finally has a responsive manual mode and it properly starts in 1st gear regardless of the mode and the two extra highway gears in combination with the reworked suspension will make it a more comfortable everyday and cruiser car. The reworked more comfortable suspension is the second big reason I ordered a 2019. For me there is no discount that would make me take a 2018. I would always regret not spending the money and getting the 2019 with all the improvements. FWIW, the digital cluster is optional for those who still prefer the analog cluster.

 

I think the improvements and changes made to the 2019 model is pretty drastic and really alters the driving experience. Unless you can get a REALLY good deal on a 2018 model, my money's going to the 2019.

 

 

I never had/experienced any of those complaints or concerns. In fact, I had a 2015 C63WS for two years. I regretted selling it and so I decided to get another one at a nice discount.

 

I know what you are saying, mate. This 2018 is my first automatic, and it takes some getting used to. Lots of power on tap, just not as instantly available. I needed a car after my RS4 was totaled and this seemed to be the best of the potential choices in the price range. I have done a long drive and incredible as it may seem, it was comfortable for the long haul - in fact possibly among the most comfortable ever.

 

Thanks for all the detailed and real world feedback so far. I'm getting about 10k off the 2018 right now but I'm hoping to do a bit better than that. Here a couple responses to some questions/comments:

 

If you are planning on driving it year round, then another plus for the 2019 is the new slippery mode that sits below comfort mode and makes the car more manageable in wintry and slippery conditions in general, and the new 9-stage AMG traction control, donated from the GT-R, may come in handy if you ever need to dig yourself out of the snow.

 

I'm very familiar with the 9 stage traction control in the GTR. It was not designed, nor will it help you dig out of snow. For a C63 sedan, it's more of a gimmick then anything else. Most of these cars will never see a track. It's adding one more thing that isn't necessary, which can have the potential for problems/complications down the road. A more useful option would be something like soft close doors. I would imagine that most ordering a new C63, if given the option of soft close doors or 9 stage traction control. Most would say soft close doors. I know I would.

 

2019

 

While i can appreciate some validity to comments about the harsh ride (also note, tyre pressure makes a difference here) and the transmission. The transmission is self-preserving when cold and is slow to shift and cautious until warmed up. Once warmed up, in auto mode & sport plus, it is highly intuitive and downshifts/up shifts super fast to give you max performance and noise. it is not possible for any human being to shift better in manual mode than that auto once it has got going especially if you need to do 3 or 4 downshifts to get into the max powerband, that autobox takes me down from 7th to 3rd in a heartbeat. Any intuitiveness you might have about what you intend to do are counteracted by the box which can shift faster than your fingers can. DCTs are faster to shift, sure but it is millseconds of difference. I cant fault that transmission when i leave it to its own devices and driving hard, except it wont cruise at 7th gear in sport plus so you have to use the pedals to get it to 7th. It is not perfect in manual mode but as it downshifts itself when you slow right down (understandable i suppose), or refuses to give you underpowered upshifts, eg it wont go higher than 5th gear if you are at 30 mph.

My car is a 2018 s estate. I'm glad i didnt wait for the 2019 which i was about to do but followed through on my existing order. The particulate filter muffles the sound, and i think 9 gears is quite ridiculous. I do like the sound of a 9 stage traction control, but equally, each mode, ie comfort, sport, sport plus and race already has varying level of traction built in on the pre facelift. If i want to slide around, i just stick it in sport plus and the traction control allows continuous wheel spin on tap but keeps the tail in check. if i want to do slides where the back end comes it, i stick it in race and do drifts. no need to overthink what number out of 9 i want to choose. it is a nice to have but not necessary. Last, comes down to price. the sticker on my c63s which i built was £80k including OTR tax. I paid £64.5k, With the same options, a 2019 would be around £88k and i probably wouldnt get more than £10k off ( did some preliminary checks with some dealers late last year). Now i dig the 2019 but it is not worth 14k more than the 2018, no chance. Not with speaker "enhanced" engine sound and a muffled exhaust. Still the better car i'm sure if you werent interested in saving any money, but i feel emissions regulations have potentially blunted the experience a tad bit with too many gears and the particulate filter.

Having said all that, as soon as MB brooklands have 2019 AMGs available on their driving experiences, i'll be in one testing it out. If it is a quantum leap over the 2018, i'll be the first to eat humble pie and post it to this forum.

 

No particulate filter on North American builds, at least USA. On another thread it has been determined that the filter is option code 598 and shows up on European builds, but not on USA builds. Besides, nobody who has had a 2019 to drive has confirmed any muffled sound or speaker enhanced sound. I've only seen the latter be claimed by commenters on here and YouTube, none of which had ever driven a 2019. On the contrary, there's a German outfit that has put their 2018 up side-by-side with a 2019 and revved it. The 2019 sounds as good or they actually say better, than the 2018 (inside and outside). There are plenty of reviews already from folks who have tested/driven both the 2018 and 2019 like RBR and the verdict is in regarding the improvements in the 2019, but if they don't matter to you and the financial aspect weighs higher, then that's fine.

 

BTW, anybody considering a 2018 due to discount should factor in depreciation before comparing. The 2018 will instantly be a 1 year old car now.

 

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What if it is a 2019 coupe build that was sold in the US? Reason I ask is that coupes (as least in the case of the c63 coupe) are built in Germany and some of the sedan counterparts are built in US. So I'm assuming that the coupes would have the particulate filter since it's built within the EU at the time, then exported to the U.S.

 

Particulate filter code 598 is not on the US order sheets. I have it on mine which arrives middle of next month.
I will no doubt post my observations about the exhaust sound, as I would have owned/driven both 2017 and 2019 models.

 

Doesn't matter where it's built. US spec is US spec. My build is a coupe and I'm even doing European Delivery. Will be driving it in Europe for two months before it gets shipped to the USA. No particulate filter on the detailed build printout from NETSTAR.

 

I test drove a 2018 before ordering my 2019, which I took delivery of a few weeks ago (I'm in the U.S.). There is no particulate filter and no noticeable change in noise. It sounds as angry as ever.

 

 

 

I never said anything in reference to the suspension. Only to the 9 stage traction control. As I stated earlier, in a C63 sedan, 9 stage traction control is a gimmick. It will not be used by the majority and is for the race track only. Who is going to be playing with 9 stage traction control while driving around town or on the highway? Not too many. Since most will be commuting/errands/leisure - why not have something more useful/practical? Like soft close doors. Wouldn't take away from the spirited drivability. I'm opening/closing doors a heck of a lot more, then I would be playing with 9 stages of traction control. I would venture to guess most others would be as well.

 

 

 

Stating my opinion on one feature in no way renders the entire car useless. I only mentioned that 9 stage traction control is a gimmick, and that it's useless unless you are on a track - which is true. My comment about 9 stage traction control as a gimmick, came about when someone earlier stated that it may help dig you out of the snow - false. Don't get me wrong. I love the C63WS and it's the best car I've ever owned. If I had my druthers I'd take it over my GTR. Most likely I'll be ordering a 2020 C63WS. Depending upon the info that's out on the upcoming W206 at that time.