otakki

I'm sticking with the 18" rims around here in greater Chicago. Man, was out driving yesterday after the road is cleared of snow and ice--and look at all that potholes.

Nice pix out of the container. Look at all that slushes on the ground!

oswiff

Went for a nice drive today.

tarsands

That is just outstanding. I've ordered the twin to yours.In response to your earlier question mine is loaded except for the CC brakes and CF exterior and Night Vision. Those photos really have me looking forward to delivery. Thanks for posting.

lunarx

Wow!
Are the wagon rear fenders flared out more than sedans?
Looks Nice!

oswiff

I think it might just be the light. Here's a similar angle of my old 212 sedan.

lunarx

Yes, it's the black paint revealing all the subtle lines.
It's not nearly as visible on Steel Gray.

oswiff

don't be fooled. it only stays this clean for 10 minutes. and then it's covered in dust. arg.

otakki

That color for car is for those with plenty of elbow grease every weekend.

Jonathan G.

Greetings,
Can you please explain to me the logistics of doing a trade in from nyc to a dealer in Ohio without going there?
Was the trade in vehicle appraised for them in nyc by someone of their choice so you knew the trade in value you were getting beforehand?
Did the transporter that brought your wagon also pick up yor trade in vehicle to take back to Ohio?
Or did you have to ship your trade in there first to be appraised?
That would seem crazy if youdidnt like the price they offered you and had to retrieve it from Ohio ....
Thanks!

oswiff

hot. when's delivery?

oswiff

it wasn't difficult. told dealer what new cars i wanted, gave dealer vin/window sticker info on trade ins, negotiated prices, no visual appraisal (more on that in a second), dealer flew in to nyc, transporter brought my new cars, we all met up, they took my trade ins. the end.

i don't know if my case was simpler than normal, but my trade in was a 1-year old G55 and they all come loaded one way so no options to talk about, easy to appraise. a 1-year old G wagon is pretty easy to move if you know what you're doing. they bought it from me sight unseen. what if i had huge damage on the car? maybe they figured it's a G and it's hard to beat it up that bad in a year's time? maybe they just didn't care? i really don't know.

i wonder if it would have been any different if i had traded in a more "normal" car but i'm sure it still wouldn't involve you actually shipping the car anywhere for appraisal. that doesn't make sense for either party involved. i'm guessing they'd just call in a favor to someone local and have them check the car out.

otakki

Wow, that was easy. I have a feeling the more dough they make off you, the easier things will get.

oswiff

Yep, easy peasy. Yea I'm realistic that of course they're going to make money, but they also gave me good prices and a good deal overall. It is what it is. Now I'm just waiting for AMG school.

edit: I've spent more money on a car before and received worse service. Go figure.

Jonathan G.

Thanks, Oswiff for the quick response.
I have an 06 CLS55 with 57k miles so I guess it would not be as easy to appraise long distance but could be done by a local representative.
I still enjoy it but am being tempted by the 2012 E63 especially the wagon(!!) & the 2012 C63.
We have a 2011 GL 450 so my kids think I'm nuts to get a wagon as well but there is just something cool about it.
You will love the AMG driving academy. I had a blast at Limerock and really enjoyed the 2011 C63 which, on the track ,was my 2nd favorite Benz after the SLS.
My concern regarding the C63 pertains to its lack of adjustable adaptive suspension and it's ride quality limitations around nyc & long island as a daily driver. I commute 50 - 60 miles per day and really appreciate the touch of a button adjustible comfort, sport1 and sport2 suspension settings in my CLS55. I ordered this ADS as a special option on our 2011 GL450 and it is the best $500 or $750 I ever spent in options when compared to our 08 GL450.
So how do you and your wife find the C63 ride quality around nyc compared to the ADS equipped E63? I know that Bilstein make an electronically adjustable coil over set controllable from the driver's seat but, surprisingly, they don't make this for the C63 model.
Any thoughts or opinions would be appreciated since you have both.
Thanks!

oswiff

If you are interested in the dealer I worked with, I am sure they would make it as easy as possible. They are a MB dealer and know their stuff so I'm sure they would do what they could to make you happy. They were honest and since you're doing MB to MB, it should be simple. I traded in a 2012 RR sport limited edition as well sight unseen and they gave me a better price than anyone in the tri state area.

As far as the cars go, I live in Manhattan and work in Manhattan but we go out to Long Island about (100 miles each way) on the weekends. I had a 2010 e63 sedan that was incredibly comfortable and obviously fast as heck. In the interest of full disclosure, our other car was the G55 so it's beyond night and day as far as ride quality but the e63 was simply put an incredible ride and just a lot of fun to be in. I felt like I could drive for hours in that car. We had 18's on that car and with the potholes in the city and some of the road work they were doing on the LIE at the time, we were grateful we didn't have the stock 19's because I honestly believe we would be visiting the tire shop more than I would care for. The stock AMG 18's looked good enough for me so I just never bothered changing it out. We did buy the wheel and tire protection but we never had to use it. The dynamic seats are awesome, the bolsters inflate depending on the turns you make. This car really has it all, it is refined when you want to just cruise around and it's a beast when you switch the settings. It's unbelievable.

The c63 is really a different animal. I have the coupe (I have pictures over on the c63 w204 forum) and it is really just a lot of fun to drive. The car is super responsive but it also feels a lot more of the imperfections of the road. You will feel most every bump on the road but it won't send you bouncing around, just a nudge to let you know you hit a bump or small pothole. But I can tell you that it's a lot more fun to drive the c than the e in my opinion. Something about climbing into the car and starting up the car just gives you the slightest rush every time. The e is loud too but it's a little more refined whereas the c is a raw noise. I also have 18's on the car for the same reason I mentioned before. The bolster on the c could be a problem though. Depending on your size, a lot of people say that the bolster digs into their sides and they can't drive for long periods of time. I am far from small and lean, but I drove last weekend a combined 5 hours and I was not sore or tired afterwards or the next day, I actually was thinking where else i could go driving.

Personally and I know I am probably in the minority here, I don't like messing with the car too much. I am changing the amber side markers but that's really about it. I feel like if you are buying an AMG, you should trust that the builders will build that specific model to what they think it should be. Who am I to say that car should be better? So I tend to buy cars for what they are and not really what they can become. Let's be honest, neither cars are all that inexpensive and with mods, that's a lot of money to put on something that is already pretty great.

I think if you want comfort, power, fuel efficiency (relatively) and a sense of flying under the radar, the 2012 e63 sedan or wagon (this is only for wagon or fuel efficiency as it's the 5.5 bi turbo versus NA) would be your best bet. But if you want something that will be a blast to drive day in and day out, turn some heads, the c63 is the choice. If you go with the e (which i think is where you are headed personally), definitely consider the wagon. It is such a cool car and you just don't see them out there all that often. It looks amazing on the road!

Good luck and let me know if i can be of any more help.

otakki

I remember the LIE and all those pothole-riddened roads all over NYC when I was around there...will definitely get bubble on the tire sidewalls in no time.

South Ocean1

Oswiff:

Your E63 wagon looks great! There is just something about an AMG wagon that is so cool. I have not yet seen one (the W212 version E63 wagon) in the wild yet here in Chicagoland but was admiring an E350 wagon with the sport package and was trying to imagine how awesome it would look with the styling tweaks, wheels and exhaust tips of the E63 version.

Congratulations!

oswiff

south ocean - thanks! loving the new car.

btw it's definitely louder than my NA was. and I don't think its because of the open wagon cargo.

Jonathan G.

Oswiff, I appreciate your lengthy discussion on the differences in ride attributes between your E63s and your C63. Your E63 description is much like how I feel about my CLS55.
I did the AMG driving academy at Limerock which i highly recommend and I had the opportunity to drive the n/a E63 and C63 on back to back laps (, same motors & performance packages so real apples to apples comparison,) and FOR THe Track, I definitely preferred the C63 but as an every day daily driver around the Tristate metro area, it would be the C63.
I think a big part of it is my driver skill level ( or relative lack there of) and being more comfortable with the smaller dimensions of the C63 vs the E63.
Interestingly, car and driver mag , on last years Virginia international raceway lap times tests , had the C63 and n/a E63 with virtually identical times.
I also have an Audi S4 that when compared to my CLS55, has 129 less HP and 216lb-ft less of torque, yet on a tight twisty road, I feel more comfortable pushing the S4 harder, closer to the guard rails, braking later etc which I attribute to its smaller dimensions.this, of course, makes the S4 more fun in a certain way even though the CLS55 is so much more of a car except in foul weather which is main reason I have the S4.
I would have much less reservations in moving down from the CLS55 to the C63 with its smaller more tossable dimensions ( for me) if the C63 had the driver adjustable ads suspension to vary ride in regard to road quality like the CLS and E63 have. I was disappointed that with the C63 2012 refresh, M-B did not add this as the current e92 M3 since 2008 , the CTS-V since 2009 and the current S4 since 2010 have an ads option available.
this just in , the perfect car for me doesn't exist, lol!
I guess it would be a modern AWD version of the Porsche 928 on a shortened Panamera chassis with much improved styling.
I had high hopes for an audi RS5 (or RS4 or RS6) but the euro reviews have been disappointing and it likely will never get here. Anyway with torque less than an S5, it can't hold a candle to any AMG torque monster engine.
I was interested in the GTR, but VIC55 on this forum and several mag reviews who love the gtr, have been emphatic about its ride quality disqualifying it as a daily driver around new York .
The F10 M5 remains intriguing as well.
You were shrewd to go with 18"s as I have never had any problems with them on multiple vehicles where as my 19"s on the CLS55 have needed a few tires and wheel repairs around ny potholes, though I am told that the 19" m-b wheels from 2006 are particularly prone due to a contaminant in the Italian aluminum used to make them which m-b is aware of but staying mum.
Thanks again!

oswiff

I am definitely fortunate to have the best of both worlds, a rocket ship wagon and a fun coupe to throw around. I have gotten a few more miles under the belt of both cars and I will have to amend my previous suggestion. I think the c can be a fine dd if you don't expect it to drive like a sedan. It's awfully close to the ride of a sedan but you will feel the bumps and potholes. The car is smaller than it looks but the one small issue I have is the giant hood bulges on either side of the hood. They can be a little distracting in my opinion. If you are on the taller side of things (i'm 5'11) it may help but one issue I have is difficulty seeing the front end of the passenger side. You really have to come up off your seat to even get a glimpse. But like I said, it's a narrow and short car so once you get the hang of the edges, you will be just fine.

A few of my comments after having the car for a few weeks now. The car is bare bones relative to the E. There is no ambient lighting around the car, the leather trim around the car doesn't seem as nice as the E and if you don't get the leather package (i didn't i got the dinamica) the passenger seat doesn't have full power or seat memorization. I got mine with the aluminum trim which for me is the way to go, I can't stand the wood on these types of cars and I think I would love CF trim initially but it may get old. The new steering wheel is awesome in your hands and the COMAND is great. The new bluetooth streaming is great but a little unsafe because it streams the music but unless you set playlists on your media device (in my case it's my iphone), you will have to switch playlists or podcasts or whatever through your phone which sort of defeats the hands free thing. The dash gauges are beautiful at night and the colored instrument readings while at first I thought was pointless is actually quite nice.

I actually drove around the city today and went to brooklyn for a bit, the car handled the roads beautifully, ran over a few unavoidable pot holes and everything was fine. Parking this thing is a breeze because it is so small but again just have to get used to the edges of the car.

My only other complaint is that the front one fin grille is a little cheap. I think it's made of plastic although I was told it's a lightweight aluminium. It's held into place by a few clips in the front above the bumper and if you push on it, it gives a little. If you push hard enough, the grille will pop inwards out of it's clips. It's not going to fly off or anything as it's hooked in on top by the engine but it annoyed me that a MSRP of $70K couldn't get me a better grille. It looks awesome but it's a little cheap. The star on the grille of my car also seems to be bubbling, I'm not sure what caused it, I thought one of the garage attendants bumped into it but there's no crack or dent, it's just bubbling on the surface so I'm taking it into MB Manhattan tomorrow to get it checked out. Should be a simple swap, but we shall see.

Go for the c63 if you are more comfortable with it, if you can live with some of the missing "nice to haves", you won't be disappointed.

tarsands

I just received the VIN and was able to track it. It is in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean. ETA in Halifax is Valentine's day. Arrival Alberta by the end of the month. This is much earlier than I expected. I'll be shopping for snow tires now.

otakki

It's a mild winter this year at my location. So what kind of winter tires are you planning?

tarsands

It's mild here too this winter but you never know.

I just ordered Nokian Hakkepelita R's on 18's.Non staggered. I'm sacrificing dry road performance for the ultimate snow and ice performance.

I'm still looking for suitable wheels at a reasonable price.

otakki

Good choice. Nokian's winter tires has been rated quite high in Consumers Reports.

Instead of winter tires for the E63, I have opted for a set of new Michelin X-Ice XI2 in narrow 195 width in a set of old oem rims for my old 19 year old RWD car. All for under $600. Was contemplating with 185, though.

Yes, you never know. Thus I had that all set up last week. Now I'm ready to go.

diononiz

I am really liking the wagon. I too may have to get one