So I'm seriously looking at a 2009-2010 C63 AMG as my next car but there's a few things that scare me.
1. Gas: How bad is it really? Remember I used to drive an RX-8, which I pretty bad as well. Will it get about 14L/100km if it's 70% highway?
2. Brakes: I know that the Performance pack has 2 piece front brakes, which cost a fortune to replace so I'm aiming for a non-performace pack so I can get an aftermarket LSD and tune.
3. Winter driving: This part scares me the most... Can it drive 365 a year in Montreal with good winter tires and a cool head?
Anything else I should know? I'm also looking at the B8 S4 and E90 M3, but the C63 is my go-to car...
Thanks!
Hello Munchy, a few things to note :
1. Gas: AMG anything will mean a lot of gas unless of course you go diesel blu tec /CDI, its just a fact of life that your will get shitty mpg, I get 15 -17 in my winter beater SUV. --> However a Merc diesel will get you pretty good mileage.
2. Brakes: I won't talk about brakes only ,but as a whole Mercedes has a
reputation for having among the most expensive parts bin, but that is not the most important take away point. The real take point to note is that there is
little/no aftermarket solution for Mercedes, meaning
almost everything has has to Bosch/ original Mercedes, and that's annoying, for even little things which I have described below:
Oil Change
In my case you are looking at 8.5-9.5 quarts of synthetic Mobil-1 type oil plus special honeycomb cylindrical filter, 150$ plus taxes at the dealer. I tried to go to a mr. Lube / Speedy type place for an oil change as no fucking appoinment was necessary.
None had the cylindrical honeycomb filter that most Merc SUV's use, (I don't know if the c class has that honestly- but for exaples sake), I ended up having to dealer. Finally Penzoil, had the equipment for it but wanted 120 ish. Maybe a AMG sedan engine is a bit smaller versus so you might get better rates ?
Brakes : You have to use Bosch (maybe now things have changed a bit) cost me 460$ for the front two! (But this is an SUV not a sedan), but you get teh gist that you will be paying out of the wazoo not matter which Merc you buy.
Lamps: Xenon headlight have to be Mercedes. I tried to get Fog lamps from Canadian Tire, they told me dealer for pete's sake ! Merc West-Isalnd told me wait four days for an appointment I got annoyed just bought the damn thing form teh parts dept, disconnected that battery at home and did it myself. And yes, 28$ plus tax for a fog lamp is highway robbery , but that is what you bargain for.
Wires and Plugs : I get detailing on even my winter beater SUV, including high pressure engine wash, and special de greaser soap. One year I noticed that my engine was knocking at red lights eventually finding out thathigh pressure water and degreaser got into one of the plugs. :-( cost well a lot .
Dealer Charges: Its a well known fact that dealerships screw you . Mercedes is no-exception, well..... actually they are . They double screw you. Here is a sampling of dealer charges I have seen : DDO : Mercedes West Island : 140$ /hour. Montreal: Silver Star : ???? If you want to vacation with car: Palm Beach Florida : Mercedes of Palm Beach ( my home dealership) : 130 USD/hour. Manhattan NYC: 145 USD/hour . (probably more now).
3. Winter Driving : While all Mercedes have traction control, the ones with
AWD/ and 4-MATIC give you extreme confidence * provided you have good snow Tires I use Toyo's on mine. You seem like a practical guy worried abotu practical things. So , I think 4-matic/diesel CDI is the best for you