WhiteDiamondAMG

I want to get a 4matic AMG as the weather here makes the RWD ones a pain in the *** large parts of the year.
For some reason the V6s and the 2L 4 Cylinders "AMGs" don't speak to me. I don't know if it's the lack of power after 60MPH , the sound or that i just don't see them as real AMG cars. But that's up for debate.


This leaves me with the E63S

I can't afford the W213 yet so i am looking at the E63S W212 which seems to be hard to find.
This brings me to my question:

How much of a ticking time bomb are these cars at higher mileages?

I have read all the threads on this topic but feel like they are not enough.

Older AMGs and Mercerdes models could go 300k miles and beyond while still being solid as long as they were taken care of.
Since the car world has shifted into making less quality products and we all know Mercedes isn't the bomb proof car that lasts forever anymore i am worried that the W212 would start racking repair bills + workshop visits very soon considering the complexity and number of electronic and mechanical components in this car.

I understand the M157 engine is a very solid engine, but what about the transmission and the rest of the car?

Should one even consider this? Or wait another year for the W213 E63S to be more affordable 2nd hand?

MerchantM5arine

I was in your shoes over a year ago.....

TLDR - I bought high mileage and so far pretty reliable (as far as german cars go).... maintenance history is key.

So far the M157 has been reliable for me. I bought a car with an immaculate service history. I bought my 2014 E63 Wagon almost exactly a year ago with 112,000 on the clock (coming up on 118K now). Which is funny to me because I sold my 03 M5 with exactly the same mileage on it.... I was (sort of still am) mostly a lurker around here - but much like M5board, there is a tremendous wealth of knowledge that I was able to read about before I pulled the trigger. The timing chain and noisy rattle on start ups seem to be the one of the bigger problems for some people. I personally have a 2 second rattle on warm start ups only. Its been with me so far my entire ownership and has not gotten any worse, I feel its acceptable at this point. I've read about folks bringing their cars in about this only to have the dealer tell them, its normal, or in some cases a repair was performed only to have the issue come back a short time later.

I've read about some issues with coils and plug and misfires, possibly associated with the extra heat under hood due to the location of the turbos - I have original coils on my car. I might change them out at the next plug change. I really don't have much to complain about - also my e63 is completely stock. For me, this thing is so damn fast I have no chance to use all of its potential anyways - so I figure I'll just leave well enough alone, and maintain its stock condition.

The MCT transmission is my biggest criticism - I miss having the control and predictability of a normal manual box. My MCT has had all of its regular services (filters, and fluid changes) and 95% of the time for me in all modes shifts fine. It can be a little jerky going down from 4th to 3rd but I only have this happen when its cold, and if I am in a mode other than comfort. I've never had any jerkiness, cold or otherwise in comfort mode. It is a complicated tranny that has a lot going on - and there is a bit of latency to get used to if you insist on using the paddles all the time... In auto - I think its great. In manual between when you ask for a gear (pull a paddle) and when the command is executed (actual shift) there feels about a .25 to .5 second delay - I anticipate this now and it doesn't bother me much at all. It still shifts faster than I ever could, the actual executed shifts are very fast...

No complaints about the airmatic yet... No axle issues, no thrust arm or other suspension issues (typical E39 M5 problem I was well acquainted with). I've had my motor mounts done once so far - this seems to be another M157-ism. I'm waiting for East Coast Euro to release another set of M157 AWD mounts (don't know if it'll happen). I have CCBs - I'm on my original rotors still and the first owner only needed one set of pads, at 90,000 miles. - This feels weird - I've never had brakes like this before - they are an anomaly. Whisper quiet, incredible bite, no dust..... Steel brake guys I've heard have to change pads and rotors every 30-40K miles - of course I'm sure driving style dependent.

My auxiliary battery dies on me, and it was fairly new (only a couple years old at the time) - that was an easy DIY process though.

Tires - original P Zeros have a wear rating of 220... That's pretty sticky. Once mine wear enough I'll switch over to some from form of Michelin... I've personally always had good luck with SS or their AS3+

My car is garaged (for the most part) and I'm a merchant mariner, so I only put between 5-7K miles a year on my car, so you mileage and ownership experience may very well vary.

Some tools I recommend for any DIYer on these cars, at least this is what I bought as soon as I purchased my 2014 E63 Wagon... 1. iCarsoft MB v 2.0 2. Hazet 4766-3 this was a major time saver for me when doing plugs. 3. A fluid filler system (for transmission services) with fittings. I bought a schwaben one...

Hope this little blurb helps - there are plenty of members out there on this board whom I'm sure have much different ownership experiences - this is just my $.02, take it as you'd like. Also, this is my only car and I driven it fairly hard thus far (when I am alone), it does dad duty as well and does it very well indeed. Personally I always liked the look of the w212 facelift over the more rounded w213 but to each their own. Best of luck to you in your search, and or decision.

Regards,

Matt

kenneyd

I would imagine if you find a w213 for the same price as a "high mileage w212", it would have to have like 200k miles on it.

chassis

The W212 and comparably-aged models are not your father's, or your granfather's, Mercedes. Mercedes quality is multiple notches lower in recent models, than it was in the 1980s when the reputation for durability was established. Mercedes has been milking their brand since Shrempp and Zetsche were leading the company.

Having said this, go for it. And be sure to budget several thousand in repairs during the time period until you get your arms around the vehicle, and until you understand the care and feeding it needs.

Head bolts, camshafts, cam buckets, timing chains, chain spockets, chain tensioners, water pump, ignition components. These are all consumable items at high mileage, even more so with some of MBs known weaknesses.

Do not buy a car like this that "looks well cared for" and hope that it doesn't need expensive maintenance.

AMG140.6

Maybe I can set your mind at ease a bit. Up until 2017 I worked for a few yrs at Mercedes Benz AG . Its no secret that MB Engineers and Gold Level Techs adore the last iteration of the M157 found in any 2014-16 E63S.

I've got 105K miles on my tuned E63S and it's been a phenomenal car .
As countless other have said, try to find one that has had all the critical services done at least a few times. Trans service, diff service, coil packs, plugs, fuel filter, and whatever you do, take it to an authorized MB dealer and have them do a compression and leak down test as well as coolant pipe check( turbo return lines ) . A car that has had a bunch of misfires could have a cylinder #5 issue.

Icing on the cake would be a higher mileage car that has had the tranny mounts done already as that's about a $1200 job at the dealer.

C2 Turbo

Care to explain the #5 cylinder and signs of tranny mounts issues?

NoVAe63s

Right off the bat, I don't know anything so take this with a grain of salt.

You're going to have an AMG tax on parts, so running these cars into their 100k - 300k years is going to be very expensive. I've replaced about $4k on my 2006 Toyota Sequoia since it rounded 150k which I would imagine would be at least double if on an AMG. So while the M157 isn't a ticking time bomb it will still wear and tear like every other car. I would be even more wary of the M177 just because it seems to pack more thermal load into a smaller package.

Personally if I was buying a high-mileage AMG it would be my weekend car and probably never see 200k. You can still count on expensive preventive maintenance items and your airmatic going out every 75k miles (according to my dealer tech), but probably nothing catastrophic. Maybe that is your intent and all the advice here applies. But if it's going to be your DD I would keep looking for a lower mileage garage queen - they're out there but will take some time to track down.

Good luck!

Bilal Dinc

I bought and daily a 90k mile e63s and love it. its had zero issues as long as youre good about diy preventative maintenance stuff

cdk4219

It’s been my experience that trying to save some money by buying the less expensive higher mileage car leads me to not saving money in the long run. I live by the sayin that there is nothing as expensive as a cheap Mercedes.

cls5504matic

I did a video about this. I'm just a guy though:

maxusa

Like many others spoke, it depends on your situation, requirements, and specific vehicle. Here is my rationalization that you may find useful:

1. Your situation. Big impact on the buying decision. Budget, and cost model (lease vs. loan vs. cash) for the initial purchase and then periodic maintenance. Do I plan DIY or must count on paid repairs and maintenance? Do I have another vehicle? If I have skills, tools, time, then repairs and associated risks are less costly and more tolerable.
2. Requirements are your intended properties, use, and duration. Color, options, some of which are impossible or unreasonably costly to change later. Look into how much time you plan to keep/operate the vehicle? If the vehicle is high mileage 7 years old (MY14) and you plan to operate it for 10 more years, then you look into serious depreciation and maintenance costs. On the other hand, 3-5 year as a secondary vehicle may be reasonable. A project car is another level altogether.
3. Specific vehicle. As others noted, your experience varies based on a specific vehicle. The game here is to acquire the best possible specimen. Once you figure out the previous points, then this one becomes mechanical execution. It may take time, and although supply is limited (as any special item shall be), AMG hunting in the North America is better than most other markets in the world.

Good luck to you in making a good decision.

cotmfk

If you're prepared to spend money on a thorough PPI, higher mileage can be ok. I would have a more thorough review of the car since risk is increased:

1) Carfax would be the starting point, but they don't capture everything.
2) Paint meter the car to check for paint work. If budget is tight, you want to reduce risks. A car with accident history is inherently riskier, as it may not have been repaired properly.
3) Ask for maintenance records. They should be thorough and include a lot of what has been said above as far as preventative maintenance.
4) PPI, including compression/leakdown test.
5) Warranty??? That's up to you, but if you don't do the warranty stick whatever the quote was in a savings account for yourself.

Good luck and happy hunting!!

WhiteDiamondAMG

Thank you very much for all the answers and all the great tips.

The car has a proper history and is in good shape. The high mileage is the main deal breaker. I spoke to the previous owner who vouched for how he treated the car for 3 years and 25000 miles of ownership.

Where I live I will get warranty up until 94k mile and or 10 years, the car is almost there tho.
So any initial major issues will be covered, at a self cost of around 1300 USD of the total cost.

The problem is it will be very hard to sell this car whenever I am done with it and if i decide to keep it the warranty won't last long, there is a possibility to sign for a 3rd party warranty but they are not cheap. ( way cheaper than AMG repair costs tho )


Is the car even worth it? I only have hands on experience with C63S, i just want an AWD car now.

This car has depreciated 75% off list price while for the same money i can get a 2017 CLA 45 AMG AWD that has lost 20% list price. The CLA is so much less car tho.

Man, buying a brand new AMG must be such a luxury..... shame they are so expensive