So I need a larger car with a larger backseat. 2nd and final baby on the way. Thinking about going with a low mileage w211 E63 (under 50k) or a higher mileage w212 E63 (over 80k). Any of you guys out there come from one of these rides that can share experiences? I know I'll probably have to give up track days for a little while. There isn't much else out there that interests me in a large sedan. M5 smg trannys scare me too much and manual is no go for the wifey.

 

Like u I needed more space for my 1 yr old daughter and passengers so I went looking at different cars. My buddy has a 2014 C63 with only a few thousand miles and already has a few issues. It's under warranty so he doesn't care but I would. I had a $50k budget so I considered a used E63 cause it had the space I needed. I soon realized after pricing extended warranties on AMG cars resulted in serious sticker shock and it showed me these cars are meant for people with $$ to burn. I ended up trading my F for a 2012 CTS-V sedan with 6 speed manual transmission. Car is certified with warranty for several years so good peace of mind. I have had it for a month and absolutely love it. Pulls like a freight train and nice having room for 2 adults plus my daughter in back seat.

 

Hope this helps. I had a first year w211 e55 and took it up to 80K miles. I had to shell out for a tranny right after the warranty ended. Also brakes were severely expensive. And when the service schedules showed up on my cluster, it made me nervous. I was also getting 11/12MPG.

But yes, it was tons of fun. Good luck.

 

I guess the logical question is... is this going to be your daily or toy? How many miles do you put on it? MB maintenance (Especially on the AMGs) is definitely $$$ compared to Lexus, but if you don't intend to put that many miles on it, then it's not as big of an issue. I wouldn't buy a high mileage out-of-warranty E63 for a daily.

 

It would be my daily. My work commute is only 10 miles round trip. We have an SUV for family outings but my car obviously needs to be a back up for daycare runs and such. There's no doubt MB going to be more maintenance $. I never really thought about ctsV. I assumed it was similar in size to ISF M3 c63, am I wrong?

 

High mileage AMG cars are very expensive to maintain...I've had a w209 clk55 and a w211 e55. Never again will I buy a out of warranty supercharged AMGs. It was a nightmare for me The w209 clk55 was fun until the electronics started to go out one by one around the 70k mileage range.

 

Maybe get a GS-F ?

 

^^^^^^this

 

CTS-V is def a bigger car. Much more room in back seat, no bucket seats in the back, more like a bench seat. Power is insane in the car. U should drive one for sure

 

I had an '08 w211 E63. I still miss it. Biga$$ heavy car, with a naturally aspirated V8. Kind of took me back to my childhood when I grew up driving big block Chevelles, El Caminos, etc. Load the converter and blow the tires off. The F is more like driving a Nova or something with a strong running small block.

I would love to find a spotless low mile w211 car. Loved everything about it except the fuel mileage!

That being said, I have already told my wife I will be checking out the GS-F's. Just curiosity!

 

That's not bad at all.. 10miles x 5 days x 52 weeks = 3000 miles a year if you put in a few during the weekends. Your risk is relatively low if you find a good sample that's been well-maintained and doesn't have any lingering issues. I don't think you put enough miles to prioritize the reliability factor.

 

GS-F All the way.....

 

Rich congrats on the new baby. I would say the CTSV should be test driven. Its going to make stupid power and its cheaper and probably more reliable. Id say check it out.

 

Thanks Tammer, I think I am going to check out a CTSV. Just drove the E63 and it's fast but man it's kind of a porker. Definitely not a car to toss around. May also consider an S6.

 

There are some good options out there. When I had my second kid I ended up ditching the GS350 I had and got the LS460. I went to a Car and coffee event on the 4th of July and it was packed with worked CTSVs and I was talking to a couple of the guys and they said the later cars are pretty reliable ( like any car ) and they compared the cars ability to produce reliable and streetable power to a GTR. Not the same kind of power but they said it loves mods. lol