Hey everyone!

I've been asking around a lot by hijacking some existing threads, and I really don't mean to ask what has already been answered but I figure I want to consolidate my ideas into one thread regarding this topic so bare with me . I live in Colorado and I currently own a 2007 E550 4-Matic. My dream is to sell the E550 for a decent price and upgrade to an E63 of the same year, for the main reason that who doesn't love the fun of rear wheel drive and 507hp!

I am aware of some known issues with the 2007 E63 but I don't think they are terribly different than what I have experienced with my E550, and I guess I've gotten used to an average of $500-700 of repairs/maintenance every few months (sometimes up to 6 months fortunately) with my car at its current mileage, going through an independent shop. Let me preface this by saying I am a student right now and only purchase cars with cash as to not have any loans to pay off, as I am a firm believer of living within your means to be healthy financially so please don't blast me for saying I'm irresponsible for playing around with this idea if I'm not sure yet. So I have a few questions pertaining to this and other concerns/curiosities:

With an E63 would I expect significantly higher maintenance expenses?
-I'm aware brakes are $2000 to $3000 depending on what needs to be done which scares me
-Are regular maintenance intervals more at the dealer like Service C / D / etc.

Are there any other significant "known" issues other than gaskets and Airmatic problems?

If I drive conservatively, is gas mileage on this car significantly worse than a non-AMG if anyone has had the luxury of owning both (Fila comes to mind)?

How terrible is it in the snow? I think I know the answer to this and most are probably garage queens but if anyone has driven it in bad weather, how does it do with a conservative driver and some snow tires?

Thank you all. Any insight to ownership or comparison would be really helpful. Right now I'm a little discouraged and might wait until I am out of college as I am really really not opposed to driving an E550 as this age just always looking for the next upgrade or opportunity if it won't break the bank, as a lot of my money goes into my car and I figure the E63 has many of the "mods" I would do to my car as standard, so worth it to ask right?

 

I was also a full time student like you graduated last may and will be starting med school in the fall, so I'll be in school for a while lol. I have an E55 not an E63 but from what I've heard the E63 is a bit more maintenance heavy. Running costs will be higher then your E550, gas mileage is bad and the car eats rear tires. Also insurance is pretty expensive especially if you're younger. As for maintenance and reliability my E55 has been great if you can DIY you will save a ton of money. I daily drive mine 9 months out of the year and only occasionally take it out during the winter, with snow tires I'm sure it's doable but I have an ML430 which is my winter beater. If you're not someone who can turn a wrench I would recommend a good warranty or be ready to drink keystone for the rest of the semester lol. If you think you can swing the extra costs go for it they're great cars if not wait till after school you already have a nice car.

 

Alright, thanks for the advice! I'm just wondering how much more it will be than my E550 but I guess I should check out some TCO charts before I start asking everyone around... interestingly I would expect the E55 to be more maintenance intensive since it's supercharged than an N/A V8 but I guess various parts of the E63 (IE the two piece rotors) make for more expensive upkeep. Already used to bad gas mileage but hoping it won't be THAT much worse. I don't know... I might just wait, though I am also headed to medical school after undergraduate so we will see where that takes me job wise at the time.

 

Truthfully, AMGAffalterbach after reading this forum for a while, I have witnessed many AMG owners ***** and whine over the brakes, the air system, the tires, the this the that but at the end of the day it is the way they drive or treat the car in their possession. If you are doing heavy acceleration stop light to stop light with heavy braking, just what do you expect, you are playing with a 2 ton missile not a freekin Honda bi turbo intercooled with a 6 inch pipe and dingo ***** hanging from the rear view mirror and lets not forget the 22 inch sub woofer in the hatchback, ha ha .
Now reality, drive the car respectfully and you will not see a constant drain on your pocket, other than gas ha ha. Personally I have not seen the cords on my PSS after 2500 miles as some have, or rotors reduced to scrap or warped in 200 or 2000 miles, but I do find it sort of comical when guys spend good money to "tune" their cars only to see multiple issues pop up one after the other shortly after. This does include the dreaded engine failure from inferior components or constant "look at me" scenarios. These are the ones that do burnouts in a circle, then complain about tire wear, really. Now 500-700 dollars a year in maintenance sounds more like it. If you want one buy one, mine still remains to be a German Devil and would hesitate to sell it, no matter what.

 

Thank you very much for the input, puts it in perspective. I guess I just have to find one that is in good condition from start and won't necessitate tons of wear items and treat the car respectfully. As Fila put it, with 507 horsepower on tap now versus his E550 he finds little "need" to go over 4,000 RPM anymore and I could see myself in that same position. I find it weird that a car you can drive just as slow as every other could eat rear tires that fast unless you abused it. Now to be realistic here I am a spirited driver, but I figure I'd calm down with the E63 and go occasionally on weekend canyon runs.

 

Plugs... all fluids...rotors and pads all around....
I did pay to flush the trans and cooler.. that was it...
hoping for a Weistec SC or maybe save up for a used E BiTurbo...

 

One thing I would point out - any AMG has a higher maintenance cost vs non AMG. E55/E63 is a $80K car - maintenance cost of these cars are like a $80 car. Just because initial cost of purchase is low does not mean low cost of ownership.

I have seen more often, most owners pass on the "maintenance items" "headaches" to the next owners vs fixing them up or perform service with non approved parts/fluids.

I have seen very few e55/e63 with a good/excellent service record (per book). To me maintenance is the KEY.

Just my 0.02 cents and ride them hard

 

Hey Joey!

Just for comparison, I finally got like 205 miles off one tank in the e63. But that was very conservative driving ( I think my car is asleep now in comfort mode loll) Compared to the AWD 550 if I recall correctly it was around 230-250 miles. But the good news is the e63 would get 400 miles on highway when I was transporting it from Chicago. A few things off the bat is you will miss the awd grip and oomph of the 550 and overall practicality. Tires are a thing to keep an eye out for. The car breaks traction in rain, (not even trying to think about snow right now) and dry cold weather.

Now that the bad is out of the way, I am pretty sure you are will love the e63 or e55. Reliability wise, I would say like most benzes the suspension is the weak spot. Now, I only have love for the e55, but i would say that those model tends to have a little bit more problems concerning the supercharger. (ie pulley, heatsoak, ect) BUT if you're in the market for modding, those cars have a better hp/tq output per dollar spent than the e63.

But just driving the AMG will make you ready to sell your e550. First thing I noticed is the low rumble during low idle, gently reminding you that all hell is ready to break loose. The second thing I noticed is the acceleration. I mean the acceleration from the start is good and all, but I am talking about that acceleration in the 4-6k range where the 6.2L really shines. Its like surfing on a never ending wave of torque. The last thing you will notice is you are constantly breaking the speed limit. I was pulled over for speeding my first 3 miles in the car loll. And I wasn't even taking the car over 4k revs or anything. It just feels very stable on the road and wants to keep going.


I'm actually going to be taking in my car into the shop, there seems to be an annoying creak/groan in the front when going over speed bumps or uneven surface. So I'll let you know how that goes. But more or less that's my opinion

TL: DR you will miss the 4matic grip, but the amg motor will make you forget about 4matic, until rainfall or the first snow. Then you just accept defeat and coast on.

The best of luck Joey

 

Fila,

I remember talking to you about this a little over PM but thank you so much for elaborating, read every word of it, very good insights and makes me really excited / reconfirms the possibility of owning an E63 hopefully within the next year or so. I figure I will outfit the car with a Valentine One radar detector and some cameras for the fun of it hahahaha, the way I see it Colorado only has a few days of really bad snow each year so I think I can survive. A little less practical and grippy? Yeah but I think that's what adds to the fun of it, plus I see myself driving relatively more conservatively since I have all that power under my right foot. Good to hear from someone that has owned both, and thank you for ALL your help over the past years