If you wanted to upgrade sedan wise, does any other car make sense. After a flash it's down in the 10s with lightly modded gtr sand 911 turbos but very comfortably seats 4 and quite a stylish car. Floating around 65 for a 2012 seems like very good value. Anyone else thinking the same. It's just a torque monster

 

From driving a C63 AMG with 451 bhp and seeing how fast it was in a stright line i agree. The only department I am not super comfortable in is the reliability and how long I can keep the car without having to dump insane amounts of $$$ into it to keep it running properly. I heard the electronics were not their strong side.

Power and comfort wise, I am with you, this car is a monster.

 

Ah yes, the E63, v8tt's are monsters... ran against a few on the hwy, and holy *****, the acceleration after 80mph for the e63 is in a completely different league compared to the ISF. Was probably 5 bus lengths behind by the time i was hitting 120-130mph...

As for purchasing any 2-3 year old AMG or M car, warranty and extended warranty is a must if keeping it past warranty period. But if modding, doesn't really matter as long as your budget allows for "possible" maintenance and repairs. But yes, it is the best of both worlds if you're looking for bonkers power and luxury. Track...not so much..

 

Haven't stepped foot into a Benz dealership to see the new E63. A little shooken up with AMG-ownership. These cars, I would 100% lease. Not something I'd consider for Pre-owned.

 

I have been looking at the 2012 as well. I wish I could afford a 2014 E63S with AWD. That car feels planted and extremely fast. I am also looking at the new C63S with the 4.0L TT. It uses the same engine as the new AMG-GTs. I had the chance to drive the GTs and the engine is remarkable. While I can't afford the GTs at $180K I can pick up the more affordable C63s.

I'm feeling the itch to move on from the F...

 

I'm feeling a little itchy. Considering one more season in the F and either adding a 996 with serious mods already completed or selling and upgrading to a 2012+e63 with low miles, a 997 turbo or a 2013+ GTR. With an F part out and selling the car I'm comfortable shopping in the 60-70 range. There's always a new RCF too but It needs more tuning ability. It will never be a 9 or 10 second car

 

have you looked at a 2012+ Audi S6? my buddy has one chipped with an intake and exhaust and it's over 600hp now. they get to 560hp/580tq with just a chip and you can get a clean, low mile example for low $50s.

Merc reliability/quality is not something i would count on.

 

The Benzs are Autobahn bombers and absolute torque monsters, BUT reliability and resale are pretty average. I always tell people there is a difference between great cars to drive and great cars to own. I have been looking at GTRs recently too. They hold value pretty well relatively. I test drove one when I had my LS460 and its was easily the fastest car I have ever driven , BUT it was also the noisiest and harshest riding stock car I have been in. After 3 years riding in the LS460 even the ISF felt like a race car. I went with the F to kind of work myself up. LOL My wife was pushing me to get the GTR because she knew it was my attainable dream car.

 

bmw > mercedes. if you could, get the m6 gran coupe. one hell of a machine.

 

new M3's are putting down 480whp with a $800 chip, just fyi.

 

AMS has an Alpha 7 package...

 

I thought the reason why most of us were here, I know it's a big reason why I'm here, is reliability. I have owned both MBs and BMWs in the past, and both haven't been able to hold a candle to any Lexus or Acura products I've owned when reliability, quality and fit and finish are concerned. Put simply, the ISF is the best Japanese performance sedan on the market, and that's why I'm in one.

Now MB, BMW and others certainly make some fantastic performance machines, and the E63 is one of them for sure. It's a beast. I personally would not want to roll the dice with getting a used one though. I agree, this is a car that I'd lease only, and when you lease, you can't really mod, so I'd stay away.

For you guys not in need of four doors with an itch to upgrade, I don't know how Porsche isn't at the top of the list, with the GTR on there if you're looking for pure performance.

 

The alpha packages are where IM at. Evrery car I would consider leaving Lexus for has an alpha package available! My only other thoughts are a 2013+ isf and take my parts with me or move on up to a Rcf which I shy away from because again it will not ever be a 10 or less second car. The Benz takes a huge dump on the Audi. I would not even consider it.

 

I agree with some of your point and disagree with others buddy. The Lexus win the reliable card but I think your going over the top when saying that the fit and finish tops MB and BMW. Not that I have had a lot of issues with my F but I have had a few. Radio failure twice, my dash has a small deform along the middle vents. Both my exhaust tips have fallen off the car twice. Water pump has been replaced. 3 recalls now. So it's not perfect.

If we get to the power, newer higher end sedans really are crushing the F. Audi, MB and BMW are all in turbo V8 that have tuning ability.... New M5 is struggling but regardless. If I didnt care about the back seats which I do. I would be in a 997.1 turbo already. But now that GTR's value is dropping so fast and you can pick up a 13-14 for 70ish grand that is more appealing that buying a 7-8 year old porsche..... I'm in the air about that topic.

 

I've been fortunate enough to not have the fit & finish issues that you have had, but I will concede that the Lexus is not leaps and bounds ahead of all of the competitors in that category. The interiors of BMW may look spartan and kind of blah (to me) but they hold up nicely. MB does interiors well, and Audi may be the best of all of the lux market. My buddy's S5 with red interior is gorgeous. So yes, I'll give you that Lexus is not way ahead of the pack there.

I don't think there's ANY question that the Germans (and Americans) are stomping Lexus with performance. Yes, the newer luxury sedans are really just better performance cars when compared to the F. Part of that is because they are newer, and the ISF is a 7-8 year old design. But even when you look at the RCF, the competitors are simply faster. That's why I was saying that most of us that own ISFs are here for a reason, and one of those reasons has to be reliability. You can't tune this car, you can barely mod it, and the competitors are faster. I doubt many of us are really worried about gas mileage in this segment (though the ISF does that best too)... so reliability has to be a large part of it. So if you're looking at the E63 like Tom is, you should consider what you might be losing on one hand to gain power on the other.

I'm a car guy though, and I appreciate all types of cars. The GTR is one of those cars that I can't help but be impressed with. For the money, I don't know if I'd want one, but it is quite impressive. For MY coin, I'd be looking at a used 911 4S in that $70-$75K bracket over a GTR. Obviously the GTR is way faster... but I like everything else about the Porsche.