Which fast fun family car? AMG, M, RS... ?

[Jrock]

I've read a lot of the threads w/r the 'best family car' and I am looking for owner experiences and suggestions for fast & fun family cars.

For those of you with(out) little ones: those child seats are very big (for good reason). This means that if you have to fit three you can not fit them in a A4/5, Merc C, etc. Even 5 series do not fit; Audi A6 does and some S classes. And if you want to avoid the SUV route (which defaults to Ford S-Max or Merc R) then you have a fun challenge looking for alternatives.

My budget is 35k and prefer <40k miles. Performance wise these are heavy cars and 300bhp is a floor for me, I will consider tuning.

What else is there besides E63, Alpina B5, RS6?? I value driver experience over outright performance, fun is key as I've raced a lot and occasionally still go to trackdays I know the limits of driving on public roads.

[petjam]

I had a C63 estate but as the kids have grown (rear space in a C is not good) I transferred over to an E63s estate.

Those three you have listed are the obvious (never driving a B5 though), I can't think of anything else unless you go to a 4x4.

[ZX10R NIN]

E63 for me killer engine can do pretty much anything you need it to do the M5 is a better drivers car but the Mercedes is better for the days when you're not on it.

The VXR8 may well be worth a look, or you could go super leftfield & get one of (I reckon you could haggle even more off) these:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Then you could use the money saved & bag yourself a toy, then the rest of the time you & the family you can waft around in luxury.

I have driven a few of these in the states & they're a decent steer very nice inside average performance.

[Jrock]

Petjam - is the E63 the true does-it-all type of car? Which type do you have, any issues with it?

[Jrock]

ZX10R NIN said:

E63 for me killer engine can do pretty much anything you need it to do the M5 is a better drivers car but the Mercedes is better for the days when you're not on it.

The VXR8 may well be worth a look, or you could go super leftfield & get one of (I reckon you could haggle even more off) these:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Then you could use the money saved & bag yourself a toy, then the rest of the time you & the family you can waft around in luxury.

I have driven a few of these in the states & they're a decent steer very nice inside average performance.

Thanks. I am always tempted to buy a fast toy in combo with a boring SUV but I only drive 6-7k p.a. & have owned a e36 M3 tracktoy (next to a daily). I find that the more I race the less I need a 'fun' car for normal driving and the other way around. I don't have the time for 20+ days at the track anymore so renting a car works best

[ZX10R NIN]

The E63 is the answer the 5.5TT isn't as sweet as the 6.2 but it's still a bombastic engine nigh on 700bhp is a remap away, there are no real issues with the hardware,

[Jrock]

Ok I'm going to drive a ' 10 6.2 sedan - sounds like the only option besides B5/M5.

[Crackie]

Jrock said:

I've read a lot of the threads w/r the 'best family car' and I am looking for owner experiences and suggestions for fast & fun family cars.

For those of you with(out) little ones: those child seats are very big (for good reason). This means that if you have to fit three you can not fit them in a A4/5, Merc C, etc. Even 5 series do not fit; Audi A6 does and some S classes. And if you want to avoid the SUV route (which defaults to Ford S-Max or Merc R) then you have a fun challenge looking for alternatives.

My budget is 35k and prefer <40k miles. Performance wise these are heavy cars and 300bhp is a floor for me, I will consider tuning.

What else is there besides E63, Alpina B5, RS6?? I value driver experience over outright performance, fun is key as I've raced a lot and occasionally still go to trackdays I know the limits of driving on public roads.

In bold - if 3 seats don't fir in a 5 series, why do they fit in the Alpina ?

No doubt you've looked at tackling the problem a different way and buying smaller seats instead of a bigger car ? Smaller car equals less weight equals more fun in the twisty bits

http://www.madeformums.com/reviews-and-shopping/be...

[petjam]

Jrock said:

Petjam - is the E63 the true does-it-all type of car? Which type do you have, any issues with it?

I have a 2014 S. So the 5.5 TT. I have had it for nearly a year, no issues at all. Goes like the wind and has a huge amount of space.

Quite a rare car also, my dealer told me they only sold around 20 estates in S guise in all of the UK. Because of this it is holding its value very well (I don’t think I have lost anything on it in 12 months of ownership).

[MarcelM6]

Have you thought about BMW 750 or similar in Mercedes? Very fast, will take 3 child seats and tuneable. Lots of fun on motorways as mistaken for a diesel and will surprise most sports car drivers.

May be a handful at a trackday though.

[Jrock]

Crackie said:

In bold - if 3 seats don't fir in a 5 series, why do they fit in the Alpina ?

No doubt you've looked at tackling the problem a different way and buying smaller seats instead of a bigger car ? Smaller car equals less weight equals more fun in the twisty bits

http://www.madeformums.com/reviews-and-shopping/be...

Simple men logic: BMW 520i, nothing fits. B5 or M5? Yeah that will work, no problem.

Haha true - it does fit with trouble/switching seats et cetera - I guess there is a correlation between power/fun and how much 'trouble' to fit the seats/get in.

[Jrock]

MarcelM6 said:

Have you thought about BMW 750 or similar in Mercedes? Very fast, will take 3 child seats and tuneable. Lots of fun on motorways as mistaken for a diesel and will surprise most sports car drivers.

May be a handful at a trackday though.

Thanks, I did look at a couple of them.

The E63 was not to my liking, '10 just to old. I will look at 750's/40's.