RE: Mercedes C63 AMG (W204) | The Brave Pill
Discussion
cerb4.5lee said:
This is definitely a car that you buy for the engine and they make an awesome noise I reckon. I've always wanted one but I wish these were offered with the option of a manual gearbox though.
Same thoughts LeeThey seem to be a pricier, rwd version of the Vectra VXR also offered recently in this Brave Pill series - make a decent noise but not the last word in handling and fast. Stung by low mpg/high tax
stuart100 said:
BarcelonaLewis said:
I never thought I'd be saying this, but our next family wagon will most likely be a plug-in. In 5 years time the demand for petrol stations will be significantly lower, and in 10, 15, 20 it'll surely be difficult to fill up - that doesn't seem to be taken into account when people pre-empt future values of cars like this.
That’s hugely pessimistic. Petrol and diesel cars will still be able to be bought new in nearly 10 years time. Hybrids for another 15. There will be a huge amount of ICE cars on the road in 10-15 years time. Perhaps in 20 years you will see a few petrol stations disappearing. I can’t see a Mad Max situation of finding petrol hard to find anytime soon.That engine is definitely on the wish list, before they get banned. Maybe not this particular example though, which needs quite of bit of de-chavving.
There will never be another six litre naturally aspirated V8 dropped in a family saloon car, I think Lexus have the only n/a V8 still left in production.
There will never be another six litre naturally aspirated V8 dropped in a family saloon car, I think Lexus have the only n/a V8 still left in production.
Yes, petrol will still be available post-2030. But I regretfully predict that to encourage EV uptake, there’ll be an alarmingly hefty punitive tax levied on a gallon of unleaded.
To the extent that any car with a multi-cylinder, large displacement engine will have the resale-appeal of arable farmland in a flood zone.
To the extent that any car with a multi-cylinder, large displacement engine will have the resale-appeal of arable farmland in a flood zone.
As an existing AMG owner, I wanted one of these from the outset, so saved up and bought this 2013 car in 2018.
I sold it (didn’t lose much) last March back to the supplying dealer having covered around 14,000 miles.
The drivetrain is magnificent- everything everyone says it is. So too is the ride quality on 19” wheels, especially up here on the North York Moors.
Economy was reasonable (averaged around 23 over the course of ownership) and running costs containable when you know where to source parts.
By a million miles though, the worst aspect was the image of the car and how other road users saw it as a threat to their masculinity.
I tired of the grimaces of loathing and puerile challenges from under-achieving angry-dads.
I get none of this with my R129 or C36.
In years to come, they’ll almost certainly be viewed as more of a connoisseur’s choice, but for now, I’ll tell myself I don’t really miss it at all.
NGK210 said:
Yes, petrol will still be available post-2030. But I regretfully predict that to encourage EV uptake, there’ll be an alarmingly hefty punitive tax levied on a gallon of unleaded.
To the extent that any car with a multi-cylinder, large displacement engine will have the resale-appeal of arable farmland in a flood zone.
This sounds about right to me as well. ‘You’d like to drive around in large capacity ICE car Sir? No problem, that will be £5000.00 for the road tax please.’ No doubt there will also be an increase in the social stigma attached to them the way things are going, the situation be similar to when flat screen televisions arrived, rendering CRT’s about as desirable as Covid.To the extent that any car with a multi-cylinder, large displacement engine will have the resale-appeal of arable farmland in a flood zone.
s m said:
cerb4.5lee said:
This is definitely a car that you buy for the engine and they make an awesome noise I reckon. I've always wanted one but I wish these were offered with the option of a manual gearbox though.
Same thoughts LeeThey seem to be a pricier, rwd version of the Vectra VXR also offered recently in this Brave Pill series - make a decent noise but not the last word in handling and fast. Stung by low mpg/high tax
MyV10BarksAndBites said:
s m said:
cerb4.5lee said:
This is definitely a car that you buy for the engine and they make an awesome noise I reckon. I've always wanted one but I wish these were offered with the option of a manual gearbox though.
Same thoughts LeeThey seem to be a pricier, rwd version of the Vectra VXR also offered recently in this Brave Pill series - make a decent noise but not the last word in handling and fast. Stung by low mpg/high tax
The M156 engine is a masterpiece, imo.
I had a pre-facelift W204 Performance Pack estate, and foolishly sold it after a year to move onto other things. It's been replaced with an E63 with the M157 5.5l, and it's just not as special. Objectively it's probably a better engine, more power and torque, more easily tuned. Still makes a great noise.
.... but it's just not as special. I guess that's a sort of w
ky, hazy quality that's hard to really put your finger on, but in my opinion the M156 has it and the M157 doesnt. I haven't tried and M177, but I imagine it to be closer to the M157 than the M156.
I had a pre-facelift W204 Performance Pack estate, and foolishly sold it after a year to move onto other things. It's been replaced with an E63 with the M157 5.5l, and it's just not as special. Objectively it's probably a better engine, more power and torque, more easily tuned. Still makes a great noise.
.... but it's just not as special. I guess that's a sort of w
ky, hazy quality that's hard to really put your finger on, but in my opinion the M156 has it and the M157 doesnt. I haven't tried and M177, but I imagine it to be closer to the M157 than the M156.I've had my PFL C63 for over 3 years now.
I didn't buy it for its looks, or its 10/10th performance. I bought it for that engine and noise.
Its sensational.
Prices have very much firmed up recently, but I think that's the case for alot of the 2nd hand market.
I've no idea what I'd replace it with. It's now 10 year old but only has 41k and still has full Merc dealer history. I might even consider storing it away for a few years.
I didn't buy it for its looks, or its 10/10th performance. I bought it for that engine and noise.
Its sensational.
Prices have very much firmed up recently, but I think that's the case for alot of the 2nd hand market.
I've no idea what I'd replace it with. It's now 10 year old but only has 41k and still has full Merc dealer history. I might even consider storing it away for a few years.
leglessAlex said:
My lifters were a little rattly if you listened very closely, but they never got worse and it wasn't a big deal. They can be replaced witht he M159 items which I believe solves the problem?
Oh nice. It's the one thing that's put me off. I had a V8 S4 and had to deal with the timing issue so wouldn't want to go through that again.So the M159 was an adapted version of the M156 which they put in the SLS and those components were uprated to a higher spec and didn't have the issue. Not sure what price/availablity would be like though.
Edited by cobraBLACK on Saturday 19th June 13:09
Fact: This block still used in the factory gt3 race cars (and not the newer biturbo doodah). Cooooool.
https://customerracing.mercedes-amg.com/dam/acr/do...
https://customerracing.mercedes-amg.com/dam/acr/do...
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