C63 Estate - the "sensible" family car

[Ninjacj]

This does look epic in Red, and it would be shame to replace it with an SUV! Which E63's don't you like? I think the facelift S212 5.5tt are rather attractive, and decent ones are approaching low to mid twenties now which seems rather good value! Downside of E55/E63 is no one in the UK ever seemed to pick them in interesting colours from new!

[Court_S]

Nice update; sounds like it’s been a cracking car to own.

Will you be sad to see it go?

[Tin Hat]

krisdelta said:

The C63 hasn't been used huge amounts in the last few months, I've been using every opportunity to drive the Vantage when Dad taxi duties aren't required.

The Merc flew through it's MOT in November and besides being cleaned and polished a few times it's had an easy ride of late.

When I set out to replace my Vantage in 2016, I purchased the red beast over a similarly priced (albeit newer) ST Estate / R estate on the basis it would cost about the same over 3 years - which felt a little optimistic man-mathy at the time, but I think it will be borne out.

It's an amazing car for the money (now low 20's in value), it's only failing now is that my kids are 3 years older and shoulder width + girls = tempers, it's time to sell up and think about what "sensible" car can replace it. My current AT searches include GLS63's and Cayenne's - I just don't like the E63's (that I can afford) - although a 4-Matic S estate will be on the list in a few years.

In the just over 3 years I've had it, over and above consumables (by which I mean ALL THE PETROL) it's only had a single sensor fail on the A/C unit, it's swallowed family and gear for several weeks away, trips to Le Mans and entertained on every drive irrespective of the speed. The engine is just astonishing and news that the next C63 will be a four pot hybrid make me glad I managed to sneak this bad boy in when I did.

If you're on the cusp of "should I / shouldn't I" for a car like this with a big NA engine, be it a Merc a V8 M3 or an Aston - get on with it before we're all driving 900cc turbo cars that wont go over 70mph.

I sold my C63 PP estate December, I had owned it for 8 years and 49k miles, they are great cars, always an event.

I now have a C63s estate, try one before you commit to a lifetime of SUV use (few seem to return from that choice!?), I have found it to be a stunning replacement for the W204 which I felt was the perfect car! ( they are also 20% kinder when fuel shopping )

[krisdelta]

Ninjacj said:

This does look epic in Red, and it would be shame to replace it with an SUV! Which E63's don't you like? I think the facelift S212 5.5tt are rather attractive, and decent ones are approaching low to mid twenties now which seems rather good value! Downside of E55/E63 is no one in the UK ever seemed to pick them in interesting colours from new!

I don't like the interior in the 5.5's and the new 4l are out of my reach without selling the Aston. And you're right, no interesting colours until the much newer ones.

Court_S said:

Nice update; sounds like it’s been a cracking car to own. Will you be sad to see it go?

Very, longest ownership of a car so far. If you aren't too worried about economy, they are fantastic cars.

Tin Hat said:

I sold my C63 PP estate December, I had owned it for 8 years and 49k miles, they are great cars, always an event.

I now have a C63s estate, try one before you commit to a lifetime of SUV use (few seem to return from that choice!?), I have found it to be a stunning replacement for the W204 which I felt was the perfect car! ( they are also 20% kinder when fuel shopping )

My big problem is shoulder width with 3 kids in the back now, the C-class is just too small to be comfortable for them all - they just about managed France in the summer but it was tight - two of them have shot up size wise since autumn so need to go up a size (or sell one of the kids...)

[krisdelta]

Just to close this topic off, I sold the C63 over the weekend and listened to it rumble off down the road. What. A. Car! My longest ownership of a car to-date (3.5 years) and it's done everything I've asked of it and allowed me to take everyone along too. Highlights have been taking it to Le Mans and do numerous family holidays.

If you get the chance to own one of the NA monsters, just get it done.

Definately sad to see it go, but kids just outgrowing the space in the back (particularly middle seat with the driveshaft "lump") so rather than see it resigned to an occasional car, it was time to move on.

I never did get all the glitter from those "frozen" dresses out of the rear carpets

[hyphen]

Whats replacing it Kris?

[krisdelta]

hyphen said:

Whats replacing it Kris?

Nothing for now, we've got a Touran which handles the practical stuff and I've just wheeled my Vantage out of the garage. In the longer term... tough to call, I'd love a Macan Turbo, but it's probably a bit small for 5 and the GL63's are fantastic but I only really need the space once in a blue moon. It's hard to replace what was a pretty perfect all-rounder (except for the space!)

[krisdelta]

krisdelta said:

TL:DR; Dad sells impractical V8 GT, tries to fill gap with a range of (mostly) nice cars that are too small and impractical still and ends up with another V8 that everyone can enjoy, even if they didn't want to.

I then got some "advice" that suggested an estate was the way forward if I expected the car to be usable for us all - so out went the M cars and I looked at the new ST with Sync 2 (nice enough), the Golf R estate (lovely and golfy quality inside) and randomly the X3 35d because I like BMW's.

But then two things came to mind 1) Depreciation 2)That emotion thing. I was pretty sure that a £21k Focus (cheapest Sync2 ST estate) or a £30k Golf (cheapest R estate) would lose around £10k in 3 years / 20k miles and would be competent, but not set my world alight whilst losing £300 a month - not ideal.

Just to revisit the 2016 man-maths here for anyone thinking that a C63 estate is a ridiculous way to spend money for transporting a family.

- £7.5k depreciation in 42 months
- £1.2k for 3 services at Mercedes
- £460 to repair a cracked alloy and replace an A/C pressure sensor
- Absolutely loads of fuel

Now, if I look at the 30k Golf R's estates / 3 years old (my benchmark) - they are selling for @£1k less than I sold my C63 for, so financially it's been pretty much the same to run an absolute belter of a car, factoring in fuel.

[Ninjacj]

This is the man maths we like to see!

I know I already said it back in January, but especially with the facelift just launched, those new 4.0 E63's are coming down fast Most have already lost circa 50% in 2 years, and based on how previous models have fared, probably will lose another 20% in the next 2. Be quite the car at sub-£30k in 2022.....