s4play

Well my m3 is finally sold so I can start to really look for a new sedan in the market. My budget is around $50k give or take depending on the car. Had my heart set on a IS-F, but the car is just too small

Anyways I know this is a MB board and I'm hoping to get some mature real world responses here. I don't plan on tracking the car nor am I going to heavily mod either one.

My criteria is to be able to hold x5 6' plus adults in a squeeze, have a large trunk and fold down rear seats if possible. Besides that, fuel economy is also nice since I know both cars are pretty thirsty: V8 vs. V10

I'm sure you guys cross-shopped both cars so my question is why did you pick the E63 AMG? Or if you also own a E60 M5, perhaps you can tell me which one you like better.

So far I've driven the E55 AMG on a test drive and had a e60 M5 for a weekend. Never drove the E63 yet so.....going to wait for the weather to clear up.

Also with the AMG, should I make sure to get a pre-owned car with the extended 7/100 warranty? I've seen a few 07's with 30-40k miles in the mid $45k range price wise. Are those safe if it's a one owner, no accident car?


thanks in advance,
rick

Vic55

Tons of info via the search key... Id give you my thoughts but have answered many times already and Im on vacation so Ill let others chime in or give you links.

Carl Lassiter

E63 is quicker from a stop due to more low end torque, V8 Nascar sound, it'll shift smoother, rides bad roads smoother and go further on a tank of fuel. 030 option is expensive but adds bigger brakes and LSD.

M5 is the more focused car with standard LSD, 3-time performance engine of the year, a paddle shift manual, 285 rears, V10 race car sound, faster on the highway, more involving through the curves.

E63's speed is easily accessible and it is a better in town car while also being a monster on the freeway, M5 needs to be pushed to get the performance but when you do it is a more thrilling dose.

Both cars have their place, for me, there was only one choice but when I see an E63 I don't think that guy messed up, I just think it's a case of different horses for different courses.

sshu930

I'll chime in with my minimal experience with the E63 and 06+ M5. I'll actually be in the market for one of these cars in a year or two. I think alot depends on how much you drive, if you are driving 10k+ miles a year these cars will be expensive to maintain after warranty. After owning a BMW with an extended warranty I feel that warranty gives you peace of mind but the chances of the warranty actually paying for itself is very little, IMO. I would venture a guess to say that the E63 would cost about the same to maintain as your M3. The tranny is solid, and a lot of the electrical bugs have been worked out. The expensive items would be engine maintenance and brakes. The thing that makes the M5 more expensive to maintain than the E63 is the SMG tranny (I can almost guarantee that you would spend $3k fixing that within a 3 yr span). I also feel that the E63 engine is a simpler engine than the M5’s thus making it more reliable and easier to maintain. Personally, that alone is enough to sway me toward the E63. Is the extended warranty a full factory warranty or limited warranty?

itsmeek

Most of what is being said above has been covered many times. However- neither of the two cars will comfortably fit 5 6 footers.

TopGun32

stock for stock..

the m5 will be faster above 120 for sure.. no doubt.

with a good driver.. it will be faster from a roll.. but won't see a major advantage until you get to higher speeds.

both great cars.. but SMG3 is the key for better performance.

Buy the one that can be purchased and have extended warranty..

if you like to modify your car.. E63 probably does not have as much support as the m5.

JamE55

Hawaii? Cancun?

V12Godspeed

Coming from an E its a torque monster but that ASR set up on an M5 is growing more and more each day...I wouldn't mind giving it a try...

alphanumeric

the m5 looks more aggressive then the e55 and e63. 98% of people in this world would see an e55\e63 as an e320 or e350.

E55_GT3wheels

i dont know about this. Most people here in Boston know what an E55/E63 is for sure. Most people also know the M5 here...

Cylinder Head

iTrader: (1)

That sums it up, close the thread.

MB_Forever

Just a quick correction here, as I've seen this statement posted a few times for the E63..... the E63 P30 option is different than the CLS63 030 option. The E63 P30 does not come with any brake upgrades while the CLS63 030 option does.

The M5 and E63 are both great sedans with very advanced engineering behind them, so there is no right or wrong answer here, it's only a matter of choice. Both cars are close in performance and both have their strong and weak points, which makes the styling a decisive tie breaker..... basically, which one do you feel looks better. Here is a few other points to consider:

- M5 is a better handling car that has more of a sports feel to it while the E63 is a more luxurious car with more of "comfy" type feel to it.

- E63 has more torque and so is quicker off the line but will likely lose to the M5 at very high speeds (140+ mph).

- Both cars are very reliable. There has been talks about people having some trouble with the M5's SMG system when it first came out, but with the latest software, many such problems have been fixed. The same goes for the E63.... there's been a few software revisions to the TCU and ECU since it came out.

- The E63 seems to be much better on gas consumption when driven in comfort mode while the M5 in P400 mode still seems to have relatively higher consumption.

- Exhaust sounds of both cars are great.... I actually prefer the sound of the M5 exhaust a little better than that of the E63, as it's more sporty and mroe exotic at the same time. Mercedes have made changes to the 63 exhaust in the CLK BS and C63, which I do like much more than the E63 exhaust.

- The used 2008 M5s seem to be cheaper than the used 2008 E63s, and from my quick search, you'll be saving close to $6k on average between similarly equipped 08 cars.

- The M5s come with the paid service plans for 4 years (except for tires), so they do cost less to maintain. The E63 brakes are expensive and although service A and B are not too expensive, it's still money that will be saved over time with the M5.

- Mercedes allows you to extend the warranty on used AMG models, but BMW will not allow you to extend warranty on used M5s and they will not certify them after their warranty has expired. If you're planning on keeping the car for a long time, extended warranty should be a very high priority for you. I learned the hard way

EDIT: Carl pointed out in post # 16 that now BMW will actually CPO the M5s....

- Finally, the styling for the M5 is much more aggressive and sporty while the E63 has more of an innocent luxury sedan look

drop997stop

Both cars are great cars-

I went with a e63 due to acutally liking the look of the car better than the M5. I have to say I never really like the 5 series and think BMW dropped the ball on the design.

What I really enjoy in my AMG is the airmatic suspension. Much more of a cruiser which a heavy 4 door sedan should be. If you plan on lowering it, its great that you can raise and drop the car whenever you like. It rides much smoother than a spring and shock suspension but does not have same "feel the road" aspect

Both cars are great and really cheap now.

I heard the m5 has worse gas mileage than the e63. Knowing how bad the mpg is already- i

s4play

First, I honestly did try a search and did not find any particular threads so if you guys have a specific one, please link me and I'll be in your debt

I'm one of those guys that can't leave things stock and love to modify stuff. However with this car, it's "supposed" to be a daily and I promised my girl I won't do too much to it. The extent of mods will most likely be: Suspension Drop, Exhaust, tint, clear bra and maybe some nice rims if budget allows.

My criteria is that it needs to seat 5 adults if required but most of the time it will just be 2 of us, maybe 4 if some friends go out with us. I would love fold down rear seats but that's not a deal breaker.

I appreciate all the comments so far - some very useful tidbits for sure! I did not know the e63 is better on gas or the fact that you can adjust the ride height of the benz anytime you want! Is there a factory button inside the car? So the lowering is done electronically?

Personally, I love the look of both cars so it's a very tough decision for me. BMW M-cars are hard to fault and AMG cars are just plain classy looking. I guess it will come down to which car I find a nicer example of first...


Carl: Thanks for the input from a BMW owner's eyes - I do love the SMG paddle shift paddles after using them a few times! Doesn't the e63 have a paddle shifter too?


rk

jtc55

yes, the E63 has an airmatic raising button next to gear shift -- it will stay raised until u reach a certain speed ( i think around 60 mph) than it will lower itself.

yes, the E63 has paddle shifters behind steering wheel.

Carl Lassiter

You're welcome. The E63 does have paddles but it'd take a real AMG-loony to argue that they're comparable. The M5 has a clutch and is a manual tranny that tries and fails when put in auto mode while the E63 is the exact opposite.

Mo- good catch on the brakes. I've got one for you now- original M5 owners can extend the factory four yr warranty to six years at any time in the first four years while BMW also now sell CPO M5s.

sshu930

What software revisions were done? When did benz rectify the issue, what build month? Was it a major issue or just fine tuning? I did a quick search and didn't find much. Little worried since I'll be looking for a 07 E63

Max.H

i enjoy the sound of the m5. its like music to my ears, very intoxicating and can put you into a trance.. But i proffer the deep burble and angry noise of the e63. BTW i really enjoy the smg tranny, if you dont want your morning coffee all over your shirt then it may not be the right choice for you.. The ride in the M5 is pretty harsh but well connected to the road. Driver feel is intense. Drive both and see what fits you better.

M5 sound = Philharmonic orchestra

E63 sound = Loud rock concert

just my 2 cents.

MB_Forever

The problem was not consistent with any particular build dates, but here were some of the symptoms:

- Some 63 would always start in 2nd gear no matter if it was in Comfort mode or Sport mode.

- Some 63 exhibited hesitation from 1st to 2nd while others did it from 2nd to 3rd.

- Some 63 owners reported sluggish throttle response and relaxed shifts, etc...

There were multiple upgrades to the ECU and TCU that the dealer applied automatically as the car went in for service to fix some of these problems but again, not all cars had this problem just like not all M5s had SMG problems.

liquiddi

I picked the E63 over the M5 for the size. It just seemed like the M5 was huge for some reason. The front quarter panels and things like that. I just liked the sleek look of the E63 body style. Both are great as far as performance goes. That should not be a criteria. They will both put a big smile on your face. What it comes down to is which one do you like the looks better.

angleadict

Agreed, not to mention the sound is absolutely sex with an after market exhaust, I think I would go with the M5 personally, I also feel you will have a better resale value in the future, I just bought a 2003 s55 and regret not saving for a 2007 M5.

Carl Lassiter

Couldn't disagree more. What you said only pertains to E63 versus CLS63.

Yes, the E63 and M5 are both great performers but the way they produce that performance is very different from their engines to their transmissions to their chassis's.

liquiddi

No, the M5 just looks bigger to me when standing next to the cars. Trust me, the dealer I bought from has every exotic manufacturer. They actually brought a M5 out to sit right next to the E63. I didn't even have to drive the M5 to say no. I just think that the M5's front end is "THICK". I really don't know how else to put it. Maybe it's the tires and rims in the front. The CLS to me looks like the same size as the E63 just sculpted differently. I'm not saying the M5 is a bad looking car it just wasn't for me.

Carl Lassiter

Now I understand. It's certainly an important criteria to like the look of your car so you made the right choice. I can see where you're coming from, I myself only like the looks of the 5-series in M5 form so it certainly is a car that divides opinion.

MB_Forever

Carl, having driven an M6 for a couple of months, I can honestly say that is one of the best descriptions of both systems I've read in a while.....

Nice..... I didn't know BMW will certify the M5s now.... that was a really good step towards used sales Did this just start recently? And is it all BMW dealerships? I remember reading on the m5boards for the longest time that they won't certify them.

Regarding warranty, I know if you buy new (original owner), BMW will let you extend the warranty, but OP was looking for something around $50k, so likely 1 to 2 years used.... would it be possible to pick one up, then extend the warranty? Also, would it be possible in any way to pick one up from auction or private seller, then pay a BMW dealer to certify it?