Hi guys, I have been a member here for a long time, but very first post. I know people hate these types of posts, but here goes. I'm a day away from pulling the trigger on a 2015 C63 s sedan located in PA. From what the dealer told me, it was purchased from auction in FL and is a 2 owner car. Autocheck shows no accidents. Car has about 21k miles and has several mods including BC Forged wheels, suspension-brand unknown, catless downpipes, ecu tune-both unknown manufacturer and lots of carbon fiber goodies. They are asking a good price for the car I feel, just under $44k. I haven't been in a performance car since I sold my last B7 RS4 about 6 years ago, and I've never owned a car with any mods like this C63 has. The car is 6 hours away from me and I won't be able to really inspect and drive it until Saturday, when I will go and complete the deal. I have the option of backing out for whatever reason, I would just be out a days worth of travel. The salesman assures me there are no issues with the car, no check engine lights, etc.

So my question is- how reliable could I expect this car to be? With only 21k miles it seems like it is just getting broken in. How can I determine the manufacturer of the downpipes and the ECU tune? Would you guys be hesitant of buying a car like this? FWIW, I live in an area that doesn't have a ton of options for tuning shops. I have an MB dealer in my city, but I'd have to travel a couple hours to find any independent tuning shops that would be able to work on the car.

Should I pull the trigger, or should I stay away?

https://www.murraychevy.com/VehicleD...-PA/3707762113

Thanks for any input you guys can give me. I have been cross shopping lots of cars lately but I keep going back to this one.

 

Looks like a nice car. Based on the aftermarket parts (looks like PSM diffuser and sides, BC forged etc) does not look like the previous owner was on a tight budget. Just check the service history, buy a car fax which provides protection against major issues and good to go. Suspension - you would have to look underneath to check ...likely HR or KW. Tune, well not sure how to tell. Does it come with the flash tuner...or send the VIN to a the known tuners like renntech, DME, velos and see if they have a match.

 

Thank you for the feedback. I'm honestly not sure that it comes with the flash tuner, but my gut is telling me no. I'm already having buyers remorse and I haven't even bought the car yet. Is there anything that I am missing out on by getting a 2015 model vs 2017 or 18?

 

Not really - not much change from 15-18. I have 18 with similar miles...

 

Looks like a tastefully modded sedan, it's most likely tuned. I'd pay to have a PPI done by a second party/MB dealer nearby the car. Least you can do is get the VIN and check it with MB dealer for voided warranty/ other tuners if they have it on file for a tune. They're pretty reliably cars. 2015 is same as 17-18 sedans mechanically and aesthetically.

 

I would never buy a heavily modified used car. Why not spend a little more and go for a cpo?

 

I agree with this sentiment - I wanna be the one beating on the car. Never know how the previous owners treated it. Plus 2 owners with low miles is concerning.

 

I would agree on some parts of this... although depends if OP wants the mods or not.. if You do NOT want nor car about the mods, then definite go for a CPO from MB.
but then you end up with a "stock" car (per say)

As for this car, it looks nice and clean (alcatera and leather etc) so I doubt it was a beater..

I am from S. Florida, and we lots of people that buy cars , sup them up, and they sit in the garage because they have 10 others to drive, or they only drive it when its nice out and they happen to be in town.

If you get to look under the car, and see if there is an exhaust hanger with a name on it (AWE, RENNTECH, etc) (if it has custom exhaust). Then yea, just call a couple of the tunners, there are a couple major ones here in Florida.....

 

There are modified cars and modified cars - a low mileage AMG with some CF parts, wheels, a lowered suspension, and maybe a OBD tune is not a beater a young kid modified on a budget to beat it it up. Just look how many people on this forum modified there cars and are proud of it and keep it clean.

modified does not equal to beating...and would you prefer a single owner car with 100k miles instead? As said before, some use these as second, third, or weekend car.

In short, I would not hesitate - would do my homework (Carfax, service check, VIN check etc) but that is not any different than any other used car buy. The fact its looks to be maintained and has high priced mod's and low mileage likely means it was somebodies toy. Nothing wrong with that.

Edit: and I am not making a case to defend my position - I bought mine new.

 

Trust me there are a bunch of rich college kids who modify these cars and beat the crap out of it. They daily it and even plow through ice and snow here in Boston.

 

absolutely....but that has nothing to do with being modified...they also beat the crap out of unmodified cars and even CPO does not guaranty that this did not happen...but the chance a car looks maintained, service records are fine, VIN checks out, and has well done mod's and being a beater is not any higher (my case its likely lower) likely hood than not.

 

not a valid point. i daily mine and drive it in the snow and ice here in canada....its a car.. its meant to be driven.. driving it like its meant to doesnt mean you are beating it up

 

Agreed! Being CPO and non modified don't necessarily mean the previous owners took a good car of them. But buying a 5 year old car with unknown flash tune + other mods without any warranty is definitely a risk in my humble opinion.
Hope OP can get a PPI done if he were to pull the trigger!

 

I always check the previous owners digs, if it's a flat in the middle of the Bronx then it might have been stored outside. Not a major issue, just gives you a starting point of what to look for, i.e. rust, especially if it's from a known salty area.

Check the 2000 mile diff service was carried out.

Check the steering wheel controls for a mileage blocker, return along with either + or -, especially with low mileage.

Look down the panels and down the glass.

Plus all the usual stuff.

If I think the seller is a duchebag, I walk away

 

Thank you all for taking the time to respond with your thoughts. It is appreciated. As far as CPO cars go, I have been looking and haven't been able to find an equal car optioned out the way I like with decent miles that can come anywhere close to touching this price. It's not that I can't afford to spend more, it's just that I don't want to. This wouldn't be a daily driver for us, more of a toy to drive around when we aren't hauling kids. The VIN checks out on this car and it has a clean car fax. The first owner put 18,000 miles on the car and sold it in 2018. The second owner bought it in Jan 2018 and put less than 3 thousand miles on it during the time they had the car.

There is a recall issued in Dec 2019 that doesn't look like has been taken care of involving the GPS. I do worry about this and having a tune on the car of unknown manufacturer. I would want the recall taken care of but worry about losing the tune and the car throwing a CEL with the downpipes. Service records aren't great from 2018 on, but like I mentioned, less than 3 thousand miles have been driven since that time. I looked into a PPI but there are no MB dealers near this auto dealership so that doesn't seem like an option.
So at the end of the day, I just don't know. I really like this car and I like the mods that are on it. I would probably end up doing something to the car if I had one in stock form. To be honest, I don't even like the looks of the sedan in the stock form.

And while typing this whole message up, just like that, they sold the car out from underneath of me, after I was told to hold off on giving them a down payment until today when I had the loan check in my hand. Oh well, that makes the decision easier. Thanks for the discussion gents. Maybe I'll talk to you guys again at some later date if I can find the car that works.

 

is there any factory warrently left on the car ?? if so, you can even opt to purchase (extend it) , also a 3rd party warrently company is good..

I think you go with your gut.. at the end of the day, you will love it..

 

Next time don’t post link to the car for sale. Someone probably saw it here and put a down payment.

 

Personally, I tend to stay away from used cars that have been modified. You just don’t know the whole story and that concerns me. Once modified, the warranty became null and void by the way. If it was me, I would buy a used one from a Mercedes dealer that has been CPO’ed so you have some warranty with it. These cars can be extremely expensive to fix especially if it is engine related.

But...if you really love this car, I would strongly suggest you get it inspected/PPI at a Mercedes dealer to see if they find any issues with it and speak to the tech about what mods have been done. Remember mods are fun, but can cause issues with the car if not done just right.

Just my 2 cents...good luck.

 

Do people not read the whole thread before they reply?

Talking about approved used, a friend of mine bought an M2, took it for a service at the dealer and they didn't tighten the sump plug. Spilled it's oil out and he ran it for a good while, was making some right noises. BMW tried to take it in for repair, but he refused it (blokes a mechanic). Anyway, a few days later it was back on the lot as approved used - they basically filled it up with oil and put it back out there.