E55 or E63?

[GAL001]

Am after a bit of advise from the experts (ie the owners), looking into getting either one of these in estate but would like to know if the 63 is worth the extra money or not.
My partner had a SLK350 last year and I briefly had a E320 diesel, both very nice cars and although diesel was not my choice have to say I was very impressed with the E class (2003).
Having owned a RS6 (C5) recently I am no longer afraid of the bills that kept coming in, really hoping though that the AMG will be better but will also throw the question out there on what to expect with ownership.
Me and my partner have both got our heart set on one of these now, E55' s are good value for money now but then so was the RS6 so am I better off paying more for the 63 in the hope that the later car has fixed any niggles?

Thanks for any help
Gary

[vilus]

They are both epic cars. The character of the engines is very different. The E55 is very torquey from low-med revs, and the E63 needs a harder shove to 5k+ revs to get the best out of it. Both cars will have Airmatic suspension. More critically the E55 will have SBC braking, which the E63 will not. When the E55 SBC pump reaches around 300,000 cycles then it is timed out by the electronics, costing £1500-£2000 to replace. The E63 does not have this system, however parts in general, especially brake disks and pads are mega expensive since the E63 was produced in smaller numbers. The E63 will have the later 7 speed gearbox, wheras the E55 will have the 5 speed.

Good E55's are getting thin on the ground now. I would try to drive both and see which appeals most to you. Do a search on the UK Mercedes forums for advice. MBClub has threads discussing what the pitfalls are.

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/amg-lounge/162410-e...

[kevinpsw]

I have a CLS63 having chosen it ahead of a CLS55. There are owners that prefer the 55 engine. I, however, believe the 63 is the one to have, likely the last NA engine of such power to be produced and a future classic.

The 63 is slightly more thirsty but it is mated with a 7 speed paddle shift, as opposed to a 5 speed button shift on the 55. I think an E55 may have the SBC system that is not found on the 63. This can, apparently, cause trouble. The 63 drawbacks will be the extra cost when buying (it'll be newer) and the post 06 £490 road tax. Not entirely sure but I think there may be a minor facelift on the E63.

Anyway, whichever you choose (if you buy carefully) will provide you with a great car for the money.

[Mosdef]

Another vote for the 63. The engine is more responsive and I think they face lifted it so it has slightly more recent electronics. I can't imagine any large scale european manufacturer will ever produce an engine like that again and I keep considering whether I would go back to one when I get rid of my 2013 E 63 (5.5 TT).

To put the brake costs into context, I recall that front discs and pads were around £2k (possibly before labour) if bought from MB but they are far harder wearing than discs on previous iterations. They aren't carbon/ceramic etc but are called composite on the basis that difference metals are used for different parts of the disc. Rear discs are far, far less.