I know it sounds crazy but I'm looking for more driving excitement than the mundane S600. Of course I would take a huge depreciation hit but...

I don't need the larger interior volume of the S600 and i've owned an ML63 before and loved that engine and 7 speed trans.

Okay let's hear from the crowd here...good and bad.

Thanks,
Dave

 

The S600 is a luxury cruiser, while the C63 is more of a luxury/sport sedan.

Even though you say you don't need the extra interior room that the S600 has, I think you will find the C to be very small in comparison.

Why not get an E63 ?

 

Yes, the C is definitely much smaller inside but that's okay with me. REally like the front sport AMG seats!

I've driven the E63 and it just doesn't provide the excitement like the C63 does IMO anyway.

Thanks for the very quick reply !

Dave

 

Yea, the interior in the C63 is very nice, and the seats actually look better than the ones AMG uses in the E63.

I would also get the C63 over the E63 if space was not a concern. Some people will say its a downgrade, which it is, but its only a downgrade on luxury, not on performance and handling.

Heres some pics posted by another member for you to drool over, love this interior

 

What kind of driving do you primarily enjoy....fast fwys; mtn twisties?

Do you care about interior materials/aesthetics (even the SL/CL63 have rather low-grade interior materials vs 600)?

May want to also drive/consider SL63 030....and CL63 030/65....

Recently had a chance to test-drive extensively (in mtn twisties and fast fwys) SL63 030, as I was intrigued by its MCT box and its boisterous exhaust note.....great car, but came away even more impressed than ever by my CL63 030 (and passed on SL63 030 that I had ordered)....

 

If you don't need the extra interior space then I think you are making a very wise decision. My wife's C class (2008) is awesome. I drove an E class and a C class (previous generations however) on the autobahn and the C class handled so much better at higher speeds than the E class You would think the opposite but I've also owned just about every class of Mercedes and the C class is a great car for what it is. The E class is roomier but not by that much. I think you are making a great decision.

Truth be known, that's all I need but the S600 has spoiled me to the point that I may never go back

 

While I don't own a C63 I do however own a w204 C and would advise you to seriously think about what your saying. I couldn't imagine anyone going from a S class to a C class even if it were an AMG version. The C class is just an average car, it doesn't excel in any one particular catagory. The AMG version has a bigger engine and some nice tweaks, but your still getting a C class and with the C class comes the under impressing plastic interior (although it grows on you eventually) the cramped back seat (good for kids and dogs) and lots of creaks and groans from interior bits. It would be best if you go to a dealership and look one over, give it a test drive before making any decisions.

 

if you're serious about letting your S go let me know.I'm on the market for the 09 S550 but may sway on 07/08 S600

 

Haven't driven the C63, but the loaner C300 Sport I got while my car was in the shop was incredibly cramped, and the interior materials felt definitely sub-par. Then again, it is a whole different class of automobile. All I am saying is you will be in for a bit of remorse, if stepping down from an S, which is arguably one of the nicest cabins since pre-nineties Benzes.

 

I think this is not good idea and I do not advice you to do it. We call C class (with my applogize to all people who have it) "poor man mercedes" at my home country. What ever thing you place in C class it remains C. this is really weird idea and it not good idea at all.

Guess what they call C63 in my country... they call it poor man AMG .. lol

 

Even with an S600 you are apt to be ignored at Wynn valet and on an opinionated forum such as this, vitriolic debate reaches a fever pitch when comparing the merits (or lack) of an S600 vs S63 vs S65. So, when you ask about replacing an "S" with a "C", the real floodgates of personal commentary are released. You've already acknowledged the probable large depreciation on an early exit S600, so obviously you are willing to accept the financial hit. If after you get the C63, you can always go back upstream and get another S600 (great leather, no body kit), or maybe an S63 (grainy leather, great body) etc., etc. The bottom line is, do what makes you happy and don't let people validate their own decisions under the guise of "helpful" opinion.

 

Creaks and groans from the interior? That's what the loud burbly exhaust is for.

 

Go for it in a big way! The S600 is a old man's car. The C63 is a rocket, i love the interior as well

 

Ah I must have passed the line into "old mandom"... now in my forties ...it must be a state of mind... after the S600 I don't even want a C63!

...though the S600 is a rocket... just a quiet and civilized rocket...

Chris

 

LOL....

Indeed, so much of this stuff re: cars is a combination of "image" issues and actual driving/ergonomic/aesthetic expce/views.....

Been commuting via new AMG CLs since my early 20s...skipped straight from college to a curmudgeonly guy's car....

At least in SF, most buyers of M3/C63/whatever tend to be kids who work at BestBuy and live w/Mommy....

That said, many of the wealthiest, car-oriented guys on SF Peninsula drive CL63 030s or SL63 030s (and never bothered w/65s...or soured on 65s after having one/two)....

Valets are an amusing issue....any major city in world only has 3-4 relevant restaurants anyway....valets know all the regulars who are generous tippers....it's not very difficult to self-park any car up-front if one knows how to pay the right people....in BH, lots of new 65s are parked up-front in front of key restaurants....but it's usually the one-off, aspirational crowd from awful places like Calabasas/NwptCoast that cringes insecurely about whether their rapper-wannabe-mobile might be worthy of an up-front spot....

 

I'd say, Whatever tickles your fancy...
I knew a guy once, he sold his Penthouse Appt. on 5th. Ave.
bought RV + small tent and moved out to Adirondack. Don't know the outcome, never seen him after that.
Maybe he ate a bear, maybe a bear ate him

I too, stop by on rare occasion and buy a BigMAc. Mind you I'm sick for half a day after that. But that serves a real purpose, it's a reminder - that steak at Peter Luger's tastes like 7th. heaven after that.
So my suggestion would be rent/borrow C63 for a weekend or so and COMPARE.
That itch may wear off really quickly
Mark.

 

I don't know that I'd call it Macdonalds v. Peter Luger, but the cars are very different. My wife wouldn't trade her C55 for my S65 as daily driver for anything. On the other hand, she wouldn't dream of taking her car on a long trip, like the 400 miles to LA or the 1,000 to Seattle. In the S you can drive for hours and get out feeling refreshed. A long drive in the C55 is harder on the body, and all indications are the C63 is even more so.

When I drive her car, it's a bit more nimble of course, but any V8 seems so noisy and crude after the V12. You realize that the turbine-like balance of the 600/65 engines contribute a lot to the driving experience and is an integral part of a flavor I'd hate to lose.

 

Well,
In my book, almost everything is about comparison.
Whoever said, ignorance is a bliss - was right.
I remember long time ago, when I complained to my Father
that I feel depressed, he took me to a hospital (as an observer).
Than he said, these people have a right to feel depressed, now go and face your day. One of the bigger lessons.
A nice comparison lesson... I guess to judge anything, we have to know how and what to compare.
Mark.

 

Wow !!! Great replies and great advice ! I thank you !

I may have some "interesting" news tomorrow when I will reveal my decision and the action I took. The deal isn't finalized yet..but all the papers are signed and I've paid the drive off costs. I'm picking it up in the a.m. if all goes as I expect.

I'll post here as soon as it's final or any other outcome develops.


Dave

 

Sounds to me like the deal is already done

 

Yeah,
It looks to me the same. I think Rider having second thoughts on the subject wanted reassurance from the members that he is making the right decision ???
A bit strange to me.

 

Strange was buying 21 gallons of gas today at $4.16 per gallon for a 518hp 4600lb 2 door car!

 

Congrats on whatever you decided to buy, as long as it makes you happy then who cares what others think.

Please post up pics of whatever you decided to buy

 

I can sell you a bicycle ... Much less weight, one caveat - all the torque depends on the driver

 

Rider 1, tear up the contracts and give your head a shake. "Chilled Benz" sums it up. You want to leave one of the best cars in the world for more driving excitement. Hey why not get a second car, like a 911, and then you can go back into your S 600 and truly appreciate what you obviously take for granted?
Secondly, why bother even consulting this forum if you are just going ahead anyway? Of course you're free to do whatever the hell you please, but going to a C from an S is a real bummer...