Mercedes S205 C63 AMG
Discussion
Debated whether or not to create this thread as I don't imagine much will change under my ownership, but thought it may be worth documenting and I know there are a certain niche of folks who like a quick wagon.
A very brief overview of my recent car history;
Honda Integra DC2 Type R which I imported via Torque GT back in 2017. This was immaculate. I had lusted after one for years, spending a lot of my early teenage years driving one on Gran Turismo. Done some bolt on mods and essentially drove about in a car I had created on the PlayStation 15 years beforehand. Lots of memorable drives over the 7 years I had it, and even took it to Le Mans in 2018 (1,400 miles!) but as I got that bit older, I felt the time was right to sell, which I did in mid-2024. Truth be told I had fallen a bit out of love with it and for the last 3/4 years it literally went to its service and MOT and was then tucked back up in the garage.
Running alongside the DC2 I had an E220 wagon for daily duties, a brilliant (albeit maybe boring) car. Good spec on it, cloud like suspension and what seemed like endless capacity for tip runs, holidays, transporting dogs and bikes! With a remap it could also carry it's weight quite well (in a straight line). I sold this mid-2026 and its last turn was the 1,400 mile trip to Le Mans and it was faultless.
Coming to now, I had been looking out for a C63 wagon since the start of 2026. The market for S205's is/was mainly mid-England and below, and being just north of Edinburgh this made shortlisting pretty tricky. However in June and out of the blue, a C63 appeared locally.
It ticked a lot of boxes - It was a non-S (which was preferred as I did not want the e-diff), it had a few options such as AMG Performance exhaust, AMG Performance seats, carbon centre console, 360 cam. A previous owner had also spent a bit of money on the facelift grille and front end PPF. The only detractor was the interior colour, I would have much preferred all black, but the initial owner had specced two-tone black and red.
Realising this was the closest I was going to get to my desired spec and locality, I paid my deposit and agreed to collect shortly after returning from Le Mans (The E's final journey).
The ups and downs - At collection I realised the car had a Ghost immobiliser and a CarPlay module fitted. These are things I would have considered anyway, so I was really pleased to learn it already had them. However, a week or so in to ownership, the blind spot detection stopped working. I reported this to the dealer and booked in to get it looked at, however prior to that booking, I had also arranged for the specialist I use to perform a "new car check" which identified a few things; the obvious stored blind spot failure, a failing bush in a control arm and a weeping shock absorber. To their credit, the dealer replaced everything noted, however when leaving the forecourt the blind spot error reoccurred - turns out the right sensor was causing the problem and was replaced but as I drove away the left sensor chose that exact moment to die! A quick u-turn, my keys handed back to reception and I was back in the GLB courtesy car for a few more days!
Bringing this up to date, the car has recently had it's gearbox and diff oil replaced, ceramic coating applied and a few minor cosmetic changes, such as a new "centre lock" cap due to the old one fading and one or two badges for the same reasoning. It's done a few tip runs and today carried 300l of compost without much of an arguement. Starting to really gel with it now and enjoying the AMG journey so far.
A very brief overview of my recent car history;
Honda Integra DC2 Type R which I imported via Torque GT back in 2017. This was immaculate. I had lusted after one for years, spending a lot of my early teenage years driving one on Gran Turismo. Done some bolt on mods and essentially drove about in a car I had created on the PlayStation 15 years beforehand. Lots of memorable drives over the 7 years I had it, and even took it to Le Mans in 2018 (1,400 miles!) but as I got that bit older, I felt the time was right to sell, which I did in mid-2024. Truth be told I had fallen a bit out of love with it and for the last 3/4 years it literally went to its service and MOT and was then tucked back up in the garage.
Running alongside the DC2 I had an E220 wagon for daily duties, a brilliant (albeit maybe boring) car. Good spec on it, cloud like suspension and what seemed like endless capacity for tip runs, holidays, transporting dogs and bikes! With a remap it could also carry it's weight quite well (in a straight line). I sold this mid-2026 and its last turn was the 1,400 mile trip to Le Mans and it was faultless.
Coming to now, I had been looking out for a C63 wagon since the start of 2026. The market for S205's is/was mainly mid-England and below, and being just north of Edinburgh this made shortlisting pretty tricky. However in June and out of the blue, a C63 appeared locally.
It ticked a lot of boxes - It was a non-S (which was preferred as I did not want the e-diff), it had a few options such as AMG Performance exhaust, AMG Performance seats, carbon centre console, 360 cam. A previous owner had also spent a bit of money on the facelift grille and front end PPF. The only detractor was the interior colour, I would have much preferred all black, but the initial owner had specced two-tone black and red.
Realising this was the closest I was going to get to my desired spec and locality, I paid my deposit and agreed to collect shortly after returning from Le Mans (The E's final journey).
The ups and downs - At collection I realised the car had a Ghost immobiliser and a CarPlay module fitted. These are things I would have considered anyway, so I was really pleased to learn it already had them. However, a week or so in to ownership, the blind spot detection stopped working. I reported this to the dealer and booked in to get it looked at, however prior to that booking, I had also arranged for the specialist I use to perform a "new car check" which identified a few things; the obvious stored blind spot failure, a failing bush in a control arm and a weeping shock absorber. To their credit, the dealer replaced everything noted, however when leaving the forecourt the blind spot error reoccurred - turns out the right sensor was causing the problem and was replaced but as I drove away the left sensor chose that exact moment to die! A quick u-turn, my keys handed back to reception and I was back in the GLB courtesy car for a few more days!
Bringing this up to date, the car has recently had it's gearbox and diff oil replaced, ceramic coating applied and a few minor cosmetic changes, such as a new "centre lock" cap due to the old one fading and one or two badges for the same reasoning. It's done a few tip runs and today carried 300l of compost without much of an arguement. Starting to really gel with it now and enjoying the AMG journey so far.
MiniMan64 said:
Lovely car OP although Inagree with you that the interior wouldn t have been my first choice,
I ve been mulling over an E43 as something of a stepping stone to a 63 in the future. Obviously engine aside, how have you found effectively downsizing from an E to a C?
Thank you.I ve been mulling over an E43 as something of a stepping stone to a 63 in the future. Obviously engine aside, how have you found effectively downsizing from an E to a C?
It’s a notable downsize. Rear passenger space is much reduced and the boot space the same. When you drop the back seats there is still plenty room for most jobs though.
Due to the C being a “nicer” car I do put more thought in to what I’m carrying and the size, whereas the E was simply no thought applied - whatever I was doing would always fit or be made to fit
More gardening work today meant another trip to the shops. Took me back to the days of putting paving slabs in my Corsa B to lower it a bit!
For those that may be interested, current mpg is averaging 23/24 based on mixed driving. I’ve seen 31 on an hour or so run with dog and wife in the car, which I thought was pretty impressive.
For those that may be interested, current mpg is averaging 23/24 based on mixed driving. I’ve seen 31 on an hour or so run with dog and wife in the car, which I thought was pretty impressive.
stevemcs said:
Fuel economy isn t bad for what it is, my superb. 280 struggles to hit either of those.
I keep looking at the c43 but like you going from something the size of a lorry down to something smaller is something I struggle with, I m just not brave enough to do it.
I was looking at the E43 for the same reason.I keep looking at the c43 but like you going from something the size of a lorry down to something smaller is something I struggle with, I m just not brave enough to do it.
I also far prefer the single larger dash screen on the E rather than that single one which feels a little bolt on.
I recognise that motor; unless it's via a thread on here, have you had it to Grinspeed at all?Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff