C43 v C63 - Head vs Heart
Discussion
So I find myself with £35k to spend on a new (used) car. I toyed with S4/335i etc but I love my W204 (albeit a 220cdi) and I want to stick with Mercedes. I bought my current diesel as a cheap to run eco box following a separation and having to buy a new house. Now I want something quick again. I need an estate to ferry around a 40kg Siberian Husky and so arrived at the C43/63. My head is saying 43. 4Matic, cheaper to run, subtle and my budget can just get me into a facelift model with much nicer interior, slightly more power and quad exhausts instead of that awful exhaust trim in the older model. My heart is saying 63 because it's a V8, probably the last ever thumping Merc V8 C Class (the next model looks to be a hybrid 4 cylinder), the extra power, smiles, soubdtrack and because it's a V8. Also, it's a V8.
Does anyone have experience of both or long term of either and can offer some feedback?
Does anyone have experience of both or long term of either and can offer some feedback?
Worth mentioning the pre-facelift C43 cars are significantly louder / better sounding than post-facelift.
A performance exhaust is a must for either option and just walk away from a car that doesnt have it.
On UK roads there isn't too much difference in real-world performance between the models.
A performance exhaust is a must for either option and just walk away from a car that doesnt have it.
On UK roads there isn't too much difference in real-world performance between the models.
I've had a 2019 C43 Estate for about a year. I toyed with the idea of a C63, but ultimately the practicality of 4wd won - I take regular trips from the South East to the Scottish Highlands. I also have a 2019 R8 V10+ so the Merc didn't need to be a 'special' car.
The C43 is a pretty decent vehicle. Plenty of performance for the public road, well built, practical, nice cabin. However I don't think it feels that special. Noise in Sport+ is ok, but not great, and handling wise I'm not super impressed with body control. The ride is firm, but it doesn't seem to translate into hugely incisive cornering.
Unless you need the 4wd, if this is your only car, and you want something special, I'd probably look to the C63. The C43 is like a Bosch washing machine - does the job well enough, but it's hard to get too excited about owning it.
The C43 is a pretty decent vehicle. Plenty of performance for the public road, well built, practical, nice cabin. However I don't think it feels that special. Noise in Sport+ is ok, but not great, and handling wise I'm not super impressed with body control. The ride is firm, but it doesn't seem to translate into hugely incisive cornering.
Unless you need the 4wd, if this is your only car, and you want something special, I'd probably look to the C63. The C43 is like a Bosch washing machine - does the job well enough, but it's hard to get too excited about owning it.
For that money i'd go for a W212 Facelift E63s Wagon. Older granted, but a compete powerhouse and size wise i imagine a lot more accepting to your pooch.
If not then it has to be the C63s, pre OPF filters (Pre 2019 cars if memory serves me right). I think if you go for the C43 you'll love it for the honey moon period and quickly lust after the 63s and wish you did it.. as you say especially that the v8 is now obsolete in the next generation.
a w204 507 Estate would be the absolute one for 35 large if you could find one, but i think the odds are incredibly low. Even a regular W204 C63 would be the business and a car i always drone on about petrol heads experiencing.. I had one for two years and even though i have a new E63s now, its still the best car i've hard purely for that 6.2.
Edit: out of curiosity i just checked online for a W212 E63s. I never knew how rare they were - or that owners are just keeping hold of them! Hardly any on PH eBay or Autotrader.
If not then it has to be the C63s, pre OPF filters (Pre 2019 cars if memory serves me right). I think if you go for the C43 you'll love it for the honey moon period and quickly lust after the 63s and wish you did it.. as you say especially that the v8 is now obsolete in the next generation.
a w204 507 Estate would be the absolute one for 35 large if you could find one, but i think the odds are incredibly low. Even a regular W204 C63 would be the business and a car i always drone on about petrol heads experiencing.. I had one for two years and even though i have a new E63s now, its still the best car i've hard purely for that 6.2.
Edit: out of curiosity i just checked online for a W212 E63s. I never knew how rare they were - or that owners are just keeping hold of them! Hardly any on PH eBay or Autotrader.
Edited by irfan1712 on Saturday 20th March 23:45
Edited by irfan1712 on Saturday 20th March 23:47
Hey OP,
I'm in the same boat as you. The W204 C63 has been my dream car for a few years now, however I have realised that I could afford a W205. The only thing putting me off the C63 is the running costs - tyres, brakes, servicing and warranty. I don't want to run one without a warranty. It's coming out at around £2500 a year for a Merc warranty.
On the other hand, the C43 looks to be just as quick, sounds good, looks great without the premium running costs. Insurance is roughly the same, servicing is cheaper, brakes are standard brakes as far as I know and warranty is only £700 for the year.
As much as I'd love a V8, just not sure I can justify spending that much when there seems to be a great alternative available.
Decisions!
I'm in the same boat as you. The W204 C63 has been my dream car for a few years now, however I have realised that I could afford a W205. The only thing putting me off the C63 is the running costs - tyres, brakes, servicing and warranty. I don't want to run one without a warranty. It's coming out at around £2500 a year for a Merc warranty.
On the other hand, the C43 looks to be just as quick, sounds good, looks great without the premium running costs. Insurance is roughly the same, servicing is cheaper, brakes are standard brakes as far as I know and warranty is only £700 for the year.
As much as I'd love a V8, just not sure I can justify spending that much when there seems to be a great alternative available.
Decisions!
Knoxville2410 said:
Hey OP,
I'm in the same boat as you. The W204 C63 has been my dream car for a few years now, however I have realised that I could afford a W205. The only thing putting me off the C63 is the running costs - tyres, brakes, servicing and warranty. I don't want to run one without a warranty. It's coming out at around £2500 a year for a Merc warranty.
On the other hand, the C43 looks to be just as quick, sounds good, looks great without the premium running costs. Insurance is roughly the same, servicing is cheaper, brakes are standard brakes as far as I know and warranty is only £700 for the year.
As much as I'd love a V8, just not sure I can justify spending that much when there seems to be a great alternative available.
Decisions!
If you buy direct from Merc you will get a 2 year warranty included. A service plan can also be purchased for under £50 quid a month. I'm in the same boat as you. The W204 C63 has been my dream car for a few years now, however I have realised that I could afford a W205. The only thing putting me off the C63 is the running costs - tyres, brakes, servicing and warranty. I don't want to run one without a warranty. It's coming out at around £2500 a year for a Merc warranty.
On the other hand, the C43 looks to be just as quick, sounds good, looks great without the premium running costs. Insurance is roughly the same, servicing is cheaper, brakes are standard brakes as far as I know and warranty is only £700 for the year.
As much as I'd love a V8, just not sure I can justify spending that much when there seems to be a great alternative available.
Decisions!
If you can buy a C63, there is plenty of time in the future for smaller, blown engines and eventually milks floats for us all.
My 204 was a fantastic daily for 3.5 years, one fan speed sensor in all that time went wrong. Find a good one (estates seem to be better cared for on the whole) and you’ll grin every time you start the engine and fly down the road.
My 204 was a fantastic daily for 3.5 years, one fan speed sensor in all that time went wrong. Find a good one (estates seem to be better cared for on the whole) and you’ll grin every time you start the engine and fly down the road.
krisdelta said:
If you can buy a C63, there is plenty of time in the future for smaller, blown engines and eventually milks floats for us all.
My 204 was a fantastic daily for 3.5 years, one fan speed sensor in all that time went wrong. Find a good one (estates seem to be better cared for on the whole) and you’ll grin every time you start the engine and fly down the road.
How did you find the running costs? The maintenance is the bit that scares me - fuel costs and insurance are not too much of an issue. My 204 was a fantastic daily for 3.5 years, one fan speed sensor in all that time went wrong. Find a good one (estates seem to be better cared for on the whole) and you’ll grin every time you start the engine and fly down the road.
Knoxville2410 said:
How did you find the running costs? The maintenance is the bit that scares me - fuel costs and insurance are not too much of an issue.
I know you directed this question to another poster, but I thought I'd chip in given that I've had my W204 for over 3 years now. I bought an AUC car, so got the 2 year warranty. I didn't bother with the service pack.
During the warranty period I had one front spring snap, I managed to get both front changed via the warranty. A headlight leveling sensor broke outwith the warranty period. That's been it for issues. The rest has been general upkeep.
I've replaced the front disks and pads, I did these myself. From memory I think I paid just over £200 from ECP. Autodoc are similar. Merc wanted around £800.
I've replaced a full set of tyres, going for Mitchelin PS4S's. Costco supplied and fitted them for just over £500.
Servicing is every year or 10k miles, whatever comes first. I've stuck with Merc dealer servicing so far due to having a contact in the trade. Going independent effectively halves servicing costs.
A basic A service can be had from 250 via an independent. A basic B service from 325. There can be additional items depending on the cars age and mileage. Double these priced if going to Merc directly.
My last service although an A service had a few additional items including the gearbox. In addition I had an MOT where the light sensors fault was identified. I was around £650 quid. Pretty much what it would have cost from an Independent.
I hope this helps.
I have an E43 Estate. It is a 2018 W213 and I bought it last Feb (2020) with 10,000 miles on it for £36k. I think an E43 2018+ is well within you budget and they are cavernously practical and the interior IMO is nicer than the C43 with the iPad stuck to the dashboard.
In terms of reliability, no issues.
In terms of practicality, outstanding.
In terms of build quality, no issues
In terms of comfort, very, especially as it has fully adjustable dynamic suspension and air at the rear.
In terms of driver involvement, to be honest not brutal like the 6.2 for example, but in Sport + with manual shift it is a quite a fun car to boat around in.
In terms of economy, my car has now done about 17k miles, in just over a year I have managed 7k miles. Predictably fuel is averaging around 24-25mpg for me, although on a run in Comfort mode, I see around 30mpg. I never use Economy mode. Why would you in a 3.0 V6 Twin Turbo AWD?
In terms of performance, plenty fast enough for UK Roads.
So, in summary, 43 is a very capable car and IMO all you need. (I have owned a C63 Coupe 6.2 from new back in 2012. Had it for two years and 50k miles and it was an utter beast, but the 43 is perfectly good enough)
In terms of reliability, no issues.
In terms of practicality, outstanding.
In terms of build quality, no issues
In terms of comfort, very, especially as it has fully adjustable dynamic suspension and air at the rear.
In terms of driver involvement, to be honest not brutal like the 6.2 for example, but in Sport + with manual shift it is a quite a fun car to boat around in.
In terms of economy, my car has now done about 17k miles, in just over a year I have managed 7k miles. Predictably fuel is averaging around 24-25mpg for me, although on a run in Comfort mode, I see around 30mpg. I never use Economy mode. Why would you in a 3.0 V6 Twin Turbo AWD?
In terms of performance, plenty fast enough for UK Roads.
So, in summary, 43 is a very capable car and IMO all you need. (I have owned a C63 Coupe 6.2 from new back in 2012. Had it for two years and 50k miles and it was an utter beast, but the 43 is perfectly good enough)
Love my 63. Did ponder a 43 as would have been a year younger and lower mileage, but knew that I would always miss the sound of the big brother.
Coming from an S4 the ,43 was a more direct competitor but I thought might as well go for the v8. Mine is non-S but power/performance is ‘sufficient’.
Coming from an S4 the ,43 was a more direct competitor but I thought might as well go for the v8. Mine is non-S but power/performance is ‘sufficient’.
Knoxville2410 said:
krisdelta said:
If you can buy a C63, there is plenty of time in the future for smaller, blown engines and eventually milks floats for us all.
My 204 was a fantastic daily for 3.5 years, one fan speed sensor in all that time went wrong. Find a good one (estates seem to be better cared for on the whole) and you’ll grin every time you start the engine and fly down the road.
How did you find the running costs? The maintenance is the bit that scares me - fuel costs and insurance are not too much of an issue. My 204 was a fantastic daily for 3.5 years, one fan speed sensor in all that time went wrong. Find a good one (estates seem to be better cared for on the whole) and you’ll grin every time you start the engine and fly down the road.
focusxr5 said:
So I find myself with £35k to spend on a new (used) car. I toyed with S4/335i etc but I love my W204 (albeit a 220cdi) and I want to stick with Mercedes. I bought my current diesel as a cheap to run eco box following a separation and having to buy a new house. Now I want something quick again. I need an estate to ferry around a 40kg Siberian Husky and so arrived at the C43/63. My head is saying 43. 4Matic, cheaper to run, subtle and my budget can just get me into a facelift model with much nicer interior, slightly more power and quad exhausts instead of that awful exhaust trim in the older model. My heart is saying 63 because it's a V8, probably the last ever thumping Merc V8 C Class (the next model looks to be a hybrid 4 cylinder), the extra power, smiles, soubdtrack and because it's a V8. Also, it's a V8.
Does anyone have experience of both or long term of either and can offer some feedback?
We go "camping" every year in the New Forest. One year we had a chap in a C63 near us. Every time he drove past, the caravan would literally shake from the bass. That is all you need to know.Does anyone have experience of both or long term of either and can offer some feedback?
TX.
Thanks for the replies everyone. Certainly some food for thought. It's definitely a 205 model I'm looking at over a 204, simply because I've owned a 204 for years now and I want to change the look of the car, not just the engine. Economy isn't a huge issue, nor is servicing as I have an excellent Mercedes independent very nearby. From the feedback so far it looks like I'll be trying to source a 63 over a 43. I think I'll regret not scratching the V8 itch before it's too late and we're all driving Tesla's and Nissan Notes
i went through this recently and decided upon C63 S. I could have got myself a newer C43 probably for less money, but I don't regret it at all! I started a thread similar to yours but enquiring about the C43 and someone said something that stuck with me although I kind of dismissed it to start with. Basically you'd always be regretting getting the runner-up model when you could have had the full hit, and all in the context that ICE engines are doomed. Get it done, we are PH after all.
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