So earlier in the year on a bit of an impulse, fueled by the need to get something to drive while my other car was in the shop, I found myself being magnetically drawn back to the E55 / E63 duo like a bug drawn to a porch light. Sure enough....ZAP!! The power and finesse of these magnificent cars won me over. Here is how it all went down.

So my NSX was in the shop due to an Acura technician screwing up something in the heads, and even with a few other cars laying around, I wanted to have something really fun to drive. Initially I went the sports car route and found a sweet deal on a 360 Modena with a 6-speed that was local. I went to drive the car and was less than impressed. I am not sure why, but I just did not get out of the car saying, 'Wow..I have to have that'. So, having been a previous Porsche owner, I started to look into getting a 911 Twin Turbo as they can be driven all year if I wanted to, and they had a 'back seat' for my daughter's child seat, so my wife could not bark that I did not have a family capable car.

Anyway, a local exotics dealership was getting in a super low mileage Twin Turbo in a color that I like, but in the meantime I started to look back at the E55 / E63 cars because I remember being blown away by the power of the E55 I had driven. So, over a few beers and some Internet surfing with my neighbor, we found a beautiful white E63 in Texas. Having never driven an E63, I figured it would only make sense to find and drive one before buying one. As luck would have it there was a black E63 only 12 miles from my house that was for sale. GREAT!! So my neighbor and I went to drive it the next morning, as I am too impatient to wait when I get excited about a car.

We pull up and there is this menacing all black E63 with tinted windows, and I swear to this day, a mischeivous smirk on the front. It is like the car new what was about to happen, and that it would hook me. Kind of like it was saying, 'Hey...come over here and let's go for a little drive. Nothing much, just a short drive. No worries,' all the while knowing this would be addictive.

So my neighbor and I hop in with the early 30's sale girl in the back. We are driving for a little while and a straight away comes up onthe expressway, at which point I said to my buddy, 'Hold on. You are going to see why I like AMG,' and I punched the gas. At this point it seems like the gates of everything evil opened up and an epic roar breaks out like the Devil himself was screaming. My eyes suddenly had tunnel vision, and not a word was said by anyone in the car as the E63 propelled itself from 55 mph to 140 mph it what seemed like a split second. As I look down, seeing this breakneck speed, I let off of the gas and realize that I have not been breathing the entire time the gas pedal has been floored. Finally I exhale, my buddy says something to the effect of, 'Sh*t, this car is pure evil,' and the sales girl says that she is now extremely turned on. Seriously. That happened. I too, was stunned. The sound was so much different than the E55, but the speed was still wicked fast.

So we get back and park the car, and I tell the sales girl that I will have to chew on it, as I really do not want another black car, and am working on a white one too. The next day I am at the Audi dealer because I was told that before I bought anything I needed to drive an S5. Well, long story short, the sales rep there was a total and complete a$$hole, and would not even let me sit in or drive the car, despite inviting me in to drive it when we spoke on the phone. I had haggled with the Texas people on the white E63 the night before, but could not get the black car out of my head. It looked so darn mean!

So I am standing at the Audi dealer going head to head with the idiot sales rep about the fact that I was not blowing just shy of $60k on a car that I have not driven or sat in. My phone rings during this exchange, and it is the dealer with the black E63. Very polite, seeing how I liked the car, and asking me what they need to do to make this deal happen, knowing that I do not like the color black. I shoot them a number that, in my head, would allow me thousands of dollars to blow on frequent detailing and wax to keep the black the way it should look. Thinking it would never fly as an offer, I was stunned when the guy said, 'Come pick up your new Mercedes'. HAHAHA!! Awesome!! I proceeded to tell the Audi rep he just lost a sale because he was a jerk, and I was going to buy an E63 from someone who knows how to handle customers properly.

I hopped into my car, went to the dealership, and saw my new partner in crime sitting there with that same smirk I swear I saw on the first day. It was like the E63 (named 'Bernie') was saying, 'I knew you would be back. Let's go for a drive and eat up some unsuspecting muscle cars'.

So I went in and dropped off my check, and left with a car that to this day, every time I look at it or drive it, I say...'Wow....this car is bada$$, and I am SOOO lucky to be able to have it'. I found what I am looking for, and my friends call it 'Godzilla' because of the power. How cool is that?

 

Very cool story! I'm glad you're hooked. Welcome to the AMG family.

 

So what did you get the car for?

 

Great write up...Give us some details on the car...year, mileage, options pics..Congrats on Godzilla!

 

I Loved that story........................Have fun and be safe, take good care of the monster.

 

Great story! Enjoy the beast!

 

Great read! Now you have me reconsidering

 

Last time you told this story (when you first got the car) I think you said you never mentioned anything to the Audi salesperson. Did you? I'm curious only because it seems like every Audi place I've been to when shopping was a crappy experience. It seems like they think the cars are so super special that they'll sell themselves. I never said anything at the time but wish I had....

Anyway, enjoy Godzilla/Bernie.

 

The W211 AMGs are a work of art enjoy the beast

 

Isn't that the truth. When my best friend was searching for his new A4 the dealership that is right down the street from my store "graced" us with the worst car shopping experience ever. I thought it was just because we are young and looked like tire kickers... Completely rude and asked us to wait to speak with a sales person because all of them were apparently too busy checking facebook or something of equal importance.

I bet they thought a little different when we stepped out and got into the E55.

It's tough to watch especially being in a customer service industry myself. I was actually surprised he still purchased an Audi after the experience.

 

Great Story, my worst crappy story was at Jaguar dealer !! but was great... because I walk away at the next door dealer .... (Mercedes dealer)... got my first MB that night !!

 

I had the same experience when I got my car, they wouldn't let me drive it. I am 24 years old so I don't really blame them, but when I came back the next day with a check in my hand they were happy to let me drive it LOL

 

Almost bought the designo gray e63, and ended upnwith a black/carbon fiber interior one. Extremely glad I got the black. It def grows on you with this car.

 

Hello! People wanted me to go back and throw it in his face, but I just could not do it (eventhough it would have been fun). My personality is not like that. I prefer being low key, and being a better person. The funny thing is that a friend of mine who drives a sweet A5 went in for service and saw that sales rep recently. He asked her for referrals for sales and she said, 'Well...I sent someone in here already for an S5 and you treated him like *****, so he went and bought an $80k Mercedes E63,' to which he reacted by being quite shocked. When she told me this story I laughed out loud! It was great.

 

That sounds beautiful!! I would love to see pictures of that unique carbon fiber interior if you have time. Congrats!

 

Yes, it seems like I talk to several people around here to have has similar poor experiences at this Audi dealer. Plus, like you, I am very much in tune with customer service, as I have been in sales in one form or another most of my life. So bad experiences really stick out. On the flip side, the people at my local Mercedes dealer in the service department are super cool. Very helpful and polite. What is funny is that usually while I am waiting for my car I will mill around the showroom, and the sales reps do not even give me a second look, or even a simple 'hello'. That is the part that blows my mind. That is fine. Their loss.

 

So....anyway, more from the world of Mitch and the E63. I had to run up to Fort Wayne from my home on the north side of Indianapolis (around a 100 mile drive) to take my brother to a pumpkin carving thing he does with a friend of ours. Well, on the way up we discuss how a slight diversion off of the path would allow us to pop into a wonderful bakery called Heyerly's Bakery in Ossian, Indiana. Wonderful place!! Anyway, I promised if we could pop in there for some cookies, pastries, and brownies, that I would do my best to 'make up the time'.

(* For the sake of legal clarity, the following is totally not real, and must have happened while I was asleep, but it seemed real. Ummm...yeah.)

So, we stop and grab the yummies, and then head off to our destination of Fort Wayne. Well, there is this bypass that is 2 lanes on each side, cement divider in the middle, and sparcely travelled. So I hop onto this stretch, as it has been a frequent testing ground for me for years since there are no ramps on or off, you can see for miles ahead, and it is essentially a runway with no way for any other vehicles to suddenly obstruct your travels.

Merging onto the smooth and clear roadway I cruise along at normal speeds for about a half mile and then see all of that beautiful, glorious, open road. The gas pedal is making my right foot twitch, my subconscious switches the transmission into Sport mode, and I swear (during the midst of this imagined event...hehe) I heard the car say, 'Go ahead, Mitch. Floor it. You know you want to. There are 507 hp waiting here for you to use. Don't you want to see how fast I can really go? I know you do....so just do it, Mitch. Do it....,' and so I gave in and firmly planted the gas padal into the deep onyx black carpet and......BLAM!! The E63 shot forward like a rocketship! With the GPS switched on to verify the vehicle speed, the numbers on the digital display could not keep up and was skipping forward in increments of 5 - 8 mph, while the speedometer needle shot to the right like it had been given an adrenaline shot! My brother (if he had been there in this imaginary event), exclaimed, 'WOW!! This thing is fast! It just keeps pulling'.

With the suspension settling in to a happy groove, a subtle roar from the engine bay, and scenery blurring quickly, the E63 seems to be at home here. Running wide open, consuming all of the atmosphere and cool air of the crisp morning air like it was at an all you can eat sushi buffet. On the way up we had been talking about how much better European cars are, especially German cars, because they are designed to be rock solid at speed. The E63, with its speedometer zipping past 140 mph with a high degree of urgency, is proving my point. These cars are made for this.

Ultimately the on-board computer nanny cuts the fun off at a verified 155 mph top speed, and the ol' E63 was still pulling when it got there. At some point, after a few miles cruising at top end, and hearing the music from Top Gun in my head, and a desire to call and ask the tower if I can buzz them for a fly-by, I let off of the 'fun pedal' and went back into cruise mode. Merging onto a different highway, and setting the cruise at highway speeds with the rest of the drones, the E63 settled in like the Jeckyll and Hyde switch had been flipped back. It went from being a barn storming super car with 4 doors and a wicked desire to burn fossil fuels, to a subdued black sedan just cruising along not bothering anyone. Needless to say, we managed to not be late for the pumpkin carving. LOL!!

Did I already mention that I love this car? Now how do I get that pesky speed limited removed?

 

Mitch,I absolutely loved reading your two write ups. It makes me itch to finish dental school and acquire one one these beauties.

 

Great story. The E63 is an awesome car, mine is a keeper.

 

Awesome story! You made a great choice, AMG's never disappoint. Every time you get into the car, it's a great driving experience - because you know all you have to do is press that pedal a little bit and there comes the fun.

 

I read this part so I just assumed that you did

The more I think about it I figure it's probably worth saying something to salespeople. It left me with a bad taste for Audis. Imagine if it was flipped and you had the crap experience with the Mercedes dealer; you wouldn't be in the E63 right now.

I never felt comfortable saying anything to a salesperson's face either, and I figure they probably wouldn't get it anyway. But I dunno maybe in the end it's really better to actually say something, it might even wake up the salesperson.

 

So, I just went outside and saw it sitting there at the end of the driveway.....yep, I love having this car.

 

Bravo and congrats on Godzilla!

 

So the last few days I have been putting 200+ miles per day on the E63 running back and forth out of town for work, and one personal errand, and yesterday reminded me again one of the reasons I love this car (there are several).

So, I am driving across I-70 and am behind a group of slow pokes driving under the speed limit in the passing lane (HUGE pet peeve of mine), but I have my seats reclined back, some classical music on to relax from the day of visiting clients, and am content for a while just muddling along at less than stellar speeds. Then, after about 10 minutes I start to get annoyed. I would have passed them long ago on the right, but the occasional vehicle was there, so I did not bother to check that lane much for a passing option since it was obvious that the line of 10 -12 cars I am behind have no intention of speeding up, or doing what they should do, and get their butts in the right hand lane.

Well, eventually I realize I would like to get home sometime this year, and I signal, and slide over into the right hand lane to do some 'passing recon' and see if I have an opening. I look WAAAAY up ahead and see an opening in front of car number 12 or so, and the truck in the right hand lane is a ways up from them, creating a large opening for passing that is about the size of a semi-truck. So I slowly start sliding past and as I am getting to the front pack of 5 or so cars I signal that I will be getting back into the left lane, and the douchebag at the front of the line guns it!! WTF?? Man, if this guy had been speeding up in the first place I would not be having to pass people over here. Well, I do some quick mental math, the opening is still huge for me to get over into the left lane safely as long as I act quickly. Something in my head says, 'Mitch...you have 507 hp and some momentum already built up, and that hillbilly's rust bucket has maybe 200 hp or so.....go for it,' so I punch the gas. WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!! The quad tip exhaust barks out notification to everyone else that we will be passing them now, please proceed to suck exhaust, get out of the way....have a nice day.

In no time flat I am past the offending hillbilly, whose face portrayed that they had desired other results, and did not expect the black sedan to run away from them like rocket boosters had just been lit. I made the pass, slowed back down to normal highway speeds, and relaxed into my cozy seats again. Smiliing like the Cheshire Cat, I basked in all that is AMG greatness. Not many cars on the planet will let you complete this move with such quickness, and I am so glad this one does. In my NSX I would have had to switch down two gears, floor it, and pray I would have enough momentum to make it. In this car it is as simple as point, punch it, and hold on!! I love this car.

 

Yo Mitch - i am 100 miles south of you in New Albany, Indiana and am in Indy all the time. We'll have to get togeter when I finally pull the trigger...