[zaheer]

Hey guys,

I have been a long loyal customer of bmws but something is not quite cutting it with the new models they are bringing out.

So wanted to get some thoughts from any real owners who done a change from a 335i to the c63 amg and how the two cars compare over long term ownership.

Any feedback is appreciated.

Cheers

[zltm089]

sheps is ur man!

[Kerr]

The C63 is in a completely different class to a 335i.

Without any doubt the bills will more than prove that by a long long way.

[zaheer]

Originally Posted by Kerr

The C63 is in a completely different class to a 335i.

Without any doubt the bills will more than prove that by a long long way.

I'm looking to buy new, so not worried about maintenance other then servicing etc for 3 years as I'm sure il be bored of it by then.

I have test driven one and yes a completely animal.. Was hoping someone on here made the move previously.

Cheers

[zaheer]

Originally Posted by zltm089

sheps is ur man!

Who's Sheps??

[andy9188]

Originally Posted by zltm089

sheps is ur man!

+1 he does have a fuel card though which I would happily cut one of my fingers off for or maybe two haha

[AWBimmer]

[phil200tdi]

In my view you'd be mad to buy one right now when the lease deals are so good. 2 years at £450 per month!!

[sheps]

I run a C63, but came from a 325i (not 335i) albeit via a CL55 inbetween them.
If you've driven one then there's not much I can tell you about driving one that you don't already know; they are ferocious in pretty much any gear.

Make sure you spec a LSD as they are keen to light one wheel up in pretty much any of the first 4 gears in any conditions under WOT. If you buy the lower state of engine tune (circa 450-ish) you can release the full fat 500 via an Evolve remap.

Fuel and tyres will be your highest consumables and the amount that costs you will obviously depend on how you drive. This morning on the way to get a new tyre with a space saver rear on dictating I did max 55mph (blowout on M1 yesterday) I managed to achieve nearly 26mpg. I've never before seen economy like that on this car, but driving everywhere at 55 is boring as shit, so I'll never see it again.

Quick driving will see you average about 19mpg.
Fast driving will see that dip to 14.

My rear tyres has lasted on average 7k between changes.

I'm due a big service in 1000 miles, so i'll let you know what that costs. Previous services have been no shockers - average stuff.

Only failure so far on 36k miles is the power steering pump which was fixed inside of a couple of days by Merc of Cambridge.

I still love the car as much as I did on day one. The only negative is the 60 litre fuel tank - with the 'economy' the range is proper crappy - I spend a lot of my week stood on forecourts. My quarterly fuel usage for circa 20k per annum is about 1300 litres.

I would agree on the comment re lease deals, but pay attention to the t's and c's - if the deal is via Mercedes corporate, then it'll be an a operating lease, so that won't include RFL beyond year 1. Second pint is, most of the deals at that level are base model cars - add the basic (required) options of 19's, Harmon Kardon, COMAND, privacy etc and the monthlies will easily rise to £700+

[zaheer]

Originally Posted by phil200tdi

In my view you'd be mad to buy one right now when the lease deals are so good. 2 years at £450 per month!!

Really,, where are these deals to be had?? What's the down payment too?

[Sparky68]

Sheps im popping over for a blast in the c63, you can have a go in the 335 JB4

[zaheer]

Hey Sheps,

I appreciate your reply, very helpful. I'm a very occasional driver so tyres and fuel should be reasonable.

60 litres seems a bit small.. With expected mpg how much should I be expecting on a range on a full tank?

I hear about the leasing deals.. Hopefully 450 inc vat as this wont be going under as a business car etc.

I'm still undecided about going for performance pack plus.. Should I go for LSD or PPP if I can't go for both?

Do me let me know about your next service costs as would be interested to know how much I' should expect on a couple of years time.

Thanks

[sheps]

I typically fill up at 200 miles +/- 10 miles and I'll get 58 litres in.
220 is doing well. If I don't know where the nearest shell station is and I'm at 220 miles I'm concerned to say the least.
I very much doubt you'd lease one of these cars at £450 inc. VAT - that's more likely a +VAT figure.
I can't remember the details of the Performance Pack + PPPlus; lik I say, the LSD is a must. I wouldn't be concerned with paying for the higher engine output at factory level, similar figures are available with a map at much cheaper cost.

[AlanYoro35i]

wow...i get circa of 240 ish mile per tank. C63 is actually not to bad considering it runs a V8?

[SteveC]

Originally Posted by andy9188

+1 he does have a fuel card though which I would happily cut one of my fingers off for or maybe two haha

Unless you drive about 14,000 private miles a year, the tax man will be the one cutting off your 2 fingers, or maybe more. haha.

Seriously I can have a fuel card but the tax is higher that the saving. something like 130%. Thank the previous non-driving, socialist chancellor for that. " If I can'na drive, why should they"

[andy9188]

Originally Posted by Yoro35i

wow...i get circa of 240 ish mile per tank. C63 is actually not to bad considering it runs a V8?

I get around that out of the m3 driving with a medium foot mixed between motorway and non.

[SteveC]

Roughly speaking, based on the UK tax system. a C63 or M3 will see you paying roughly £3000 more tax annually than say a 330d (fuel & road tax). For this reason, such cars are hard to sell and manufacturers and dealers have to reduce their margins to make them more attractive. They do this by hiding massive discounts in the finance terms, APR rates and residual values, which means that any purchase should be:
a new car
leased
with as few options as possible (options don't get the massive discounts)
with as low a deposit as possible
with mandatory GAP insurance (to avoid being hit by the wildly optimistic residual in the event of a write-off or theft)*

Also, on such a lease there's no way to hand the car back early unless you want a very deep, cold bath (financially speaking).

Normally, a 36 month lease is cheaper than 24 months but in the case of these 'superleases' that's not always the case, so check for the best term economically.

In summary, thanks to consumers' overreaction to the previous Government's punitive taxes on CO2, cars with mighty engines and correspondingly high CO2 outputs can now be had on 'hot hatch' lease terms. Don't you love market forces

* Gap insurance is always way more expensive through a dealer. Buy through the Daily Telegraph's offers for a >50% saving on a 'return to invoice' policy.

[sheps]

Originally Posted by Sparky68

Sheps im popping over for a blast in the c63, you can have a go in the 335 JB4

Deal!

[$pringy]

My view on my C63:
I have owned it for 2 years, Only use it on weekends and get around 140 miles to the tank, rear tires last maximum of 3/4k, last service cost £1540 which was a big service, i have driven a 335i and could say that the c63 is completely different. 335 being turbo and 63 being NA with massive torque the power is there instantly when you need it. best thing i love about it is the exhaust note (which is addictive) and the throttle response, my previous car to the C63 was a e93 M3 dct and in my view the c63 is a much more exiting car. You won't be disappointed, i can say that the c63 is one of the best cars to own and once you have an AMG its hard to sell it as you never get bored.
Like mentioned before make sure you get one with the performance pack: better brakes, lsd, SLS engine internals, delimited etc. i have had a a dms remap to approx 520bhp with also a black series gearbox map and it transforms the car... GO FOR IT!

[Guvernator]

What's the gearbox like on these? One thing that's always puts me off with AMG cars is their insistence on using a slushbox, they don't offer a manual or DCT option which I think makes them less exciting then they could be.

Oh and 335D/C63/Q7, those are some pretty scary running costs!

[$pringy]

The amg gearbox is not as bad as you would think. I went from a dct M3 to the c63 and the gear change is obviously a bit slower but not so much that you would care too much if you know what i mean. Still very exciting using the paddles in manual mode and does the job. unless you plan on tracking the 63 the gearbox is more than good for road use...

[m1bjr]

Originally Posted by zaheer

I hear about the leasing deals.. Hopefully 450 inc vat as this wont be going under as a business car etc.

Not a chance.