[holyshash]

Have been a frequent visitor to this post. I have been following the thread for a while now.

May I ask you about your views on the listing of the W221 S63 up on the classifieds? Is it worthy to be bought at the price point of 42L at 31k kilometres and being a 14 y/o car?
Though the description says its pushing 600 horses with a Decat UK remap.

Or should one opt for a S500 from the same generation and get it done up with a sweet exhaust and a few mods?

You seem to be a veteran in terms of the W221, as you've kept one running till now and have pampered it so much through all these years.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by holyshash

May I ask you about your views on the listing of the W221 S63 up on the classifieds? Is it worthy to be bought at the price point of 42L at 31k kilometres and being a 14 y/o car?
Though the description says its pushing 600 horses with a Decat UK remap.

You will hear from two types of owners. One who found the maintenance levels to be acceptable, the other who burned their fingers. Usually, the former are those who have owned the car for many years, maintained it well and built a great network of independent mechanics / spare part suppliers. See how Androdev keeps his car.

An S-Class is a money-no-object car. An AMG even more so. The price you pay for a 14-year old S63 AMG is just the "downpayment", and the monthly EMIs start soon.

It looks beautiful, stunning. But remember that a 14-year old car will have a lot of parts worn out. Buy it only if you can keep it as the 2nd or 3rd or 4th car of the house. Even a 14-year old Honda Civic requires work & part replacements due to age, this is but an S-Class.

What I would suggest is getting a newer W222 S-Class for 50-lakhs (or more) since you clearly have the budget. No such thing as a cheap S-Class. Buy the newest one you can find, with the lowest odometer reading in your intended spend. A regular S-Class will average out at 2-3 lakhs per year in maintenance. An AMG, a lot more, especially if you drive it.

Most likely, it will be the best car you ever bought. Although, a lot of people who buy very old German cars say that the two best days with their old luxury car was the day they bought it....and the day they sold it.

Dropping a link to the ad so that others can also check it out - classifieds listing:

[nmn.070]

Originally Posted by holyshash

Have been a frequent visitor to this post. I have been following the thread for a while now.

May I ask you about your views on the listing of the W221 S63 up on the classifieds? Is it worthy to be bought at the price point of 42L at 31k kilometres and being a 14 y/o car?
Though the description says its pushing 600 horses with a Decat UK remap.

Or should one opt for a S500 from the same generation and get it done up with a sweet exhaust and a few mods?

You seem to be a veteran in terms of the W221, as you've kept one running till now and have pampered it so much through all these years.

We have a W221 S500 2012 in the family. I feel the power is already way over what one may use given the size and weight class of the vehicle in our busy conditions. The muted growl and low frequency vibes under the seats coming from the glorious smooth v8 are charming enough. As GTO mentioned, maintenance is expensive so getting the newest and least run car within that budget will be the best case. The V8 in the S500 is worth every penny paid above the S350. I presume the S63 is overkill for this application. And I say this with experience in a friend's CL63 2010 (same generation). You cannot put that power to use and bear the brunt of higher maintenance and purchase cost.

[Omkar]

Is it worth buying a 14-year-old Mercedes S-Class (W221)? The S63 AMG or the S500? - Posts moved to a new thread

[androdev]

Originally Posted by holyshash

May I ask you about your views on the listing of the W221 S63 up on the classifieds? Is it worthy to be bought at the price point of 42L at 31k kilometres and being a 14 y/o car?
Though the description says its pushing 600 horses with a Decat UK remap.

Or should one opt for a S500 from the same generation and get it done up with a sweet exhaust and a few mods?

Our roads, including most highways, are narrow with high traffic density. IMHO, one needs a nimble car to have some fun. Driving an S Class on our roads is akin to driving a Volvo bus - I only enjoy it because of the amazing comfort it offers to my family on long distance touring. I think of S Class as a Vellfire that can carry much higher speeds safely while looking very classy. A bigger engine is always welcome, but I don't know what benefit I could derive if my S class had a more powerful engine.

You would probably be better served by Mustang, RS5, C63 type of cars? I don't find S63 to be an insanely desirable car to acquire given the cost and effort involved to maintain it.

Also, this is a 2008 MH reg car in Chandigarh with a "single" ownership on record - not very confidence inspiring.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by holyshash

May I ask you about your views on the listing of the W221 S63 up on the classifieds?

If you are willing to cough up the cost to run an S63, go ahead and buy the car. Maintenance aside, it is going to be expensive to fill up the tank and you will be filling it frequently. However, I wouldn't buy one if the goal is to impress your friends by caning that old 6.3l V8. You can have a little fun with it.

Any car at this age starts breaking down. Parts will need replacement. With an S class, you want to set aside a budget of atleast half the asking price for the upkeep of the car. Cause you can get a few lacs of a bill, for replacing something as basic and simple as a rubber door seal.

[V0rtex]

A few things you need to note are that it is almost certain you'd have to spend a lot of money on maintenance since it is an old German car. The second thing to keep in mind is that the car is due for a fitness renewal. The third thing, particularly for the S63, is that you will need to fill the tank quite often, and you would spend a lot of money on that. The tires on these cars are also quite expensive and wear out much faster than normal cars. If you are willing to take these risks and plan to use this as your weekend/fun car, go for it. Do not consider this as your primary car, as one of the basic requirements for a daily car is reliability and practicality. This should be purely an emotional purchase.

[praveen789]

Just a point I noticed that it is a 2010 registered but 2007 manufactured car so mechanically a 17 year old car and not a 14 year old one.

[Flyingdutchman]

I have seen this car on Rare Gear India back in December 2023. Funny or rather odd thing.

This car was been listed on OLX in August 2023 for 50 Lakh. Odo then was 31,800km. Then it was relisted again (by a different dealer -again something to notice) for 40 lakh in December 2023. Odo then was 31,800km. And now the car has been listed again in June 2024 ,almost an year after initial listing and odo is still 31,000km?? So what to make out of this?? Is there something "wrong" with Odo or Car's been stationary for an entire year? Both sounds not so ideal.

And car was registered in MH and now listed in Chandigarh but still registered to first owner??

Also ,I am not so fond of old V8's,V12's. Yes, they are great for nostalgia but they are impractical, inefficient, expensive to maintain, unreliable in this age. New age turbo 6 cylinders B57, B58, Audi 3.0 TFSI ,Merc 3.0 Inline 6 are every bit competent.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by praveen789

Just a point I noticed that it is a 2010 registered but 2007 manufactured car so mechanically a 17 year old car and not a 14 year old one.

That begs the question on what happened during the intervening 3 years.

Originally Posted by Flyingdutchman

I have seen this car on Rare Gear India back in December 2023. Funny or rather odd thing.

This car was been listed on OLX in August 2023 for 50 Lakh. Odo then was 31,800km.
And car was registered in MH and now listed in Chandigarh but still registered to first owner??

.

Great observation! It has not moved - there is always a market for these specialist cars at the right price.

[ads295]

Coming from someone who's restoring a CBU car (2005 Hyundai Sonata EF-B), I couldn't help but feel that our situations are similar, albeit with tremendously different sums of money involved, haha!

-> Buying an imported car means you'll have to import most of the spares yourself. This is not a problem given that this car would be amply supplied with parts in Europe. But brace yourself for the spare parts charges.
-> This car, while old, is still pretty modern, so you'll need specialist tools and knowledge to keep it running at its peak (my Sonata can be serviced by any roadside mechanic - not that I do that, just saying). More so because yours is an AMG. Sensors will have to be checked, error codes will have to be diagnosed, and electronic gremlins will have to be resolved.
-> Find a knowledgeable garage that can handle it first, and then think of buying the car (yes it's that important)

All said and done, even if I had the money, I would look at this car as a project just like I did with the Sonata. I would budget 15-20L for a thorough refresh of the suspension, engine, and other parts to bring the car back up to spec (that the car is in Chandigarh while on MH plates, means it is surely not a first owner car).

Had I the budget I would go for it. People are suggesting you get the Mustang - it's a totally different car with a totally different feel. One cannot compare the two.

Just out of curiosity I would check whether it has the M156 6.2L V8 or the M157 5.5L turbocharged V8. I believe 2010 was the year that they switched from the M156 to the M157. The M156 would be my choice.

[.HEM]

"Is it worth buying?" is a tricky question for Mind vs Heart. Heart will say buy it and the mind will say don't buy it. If you really know about the S63AMG and want the car go for it. If you are window shopping stay away.

I drive a 2011 E350 cdi as a daily driver. It puts a smile on my face every time I get into it. I have a mechanic friend to take care of it. But, I'm unable to enjoy the extra HP my car gives in my daily city drives. So take a wise decision before investing 40 Big Grands.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by Flyingdutchman

Also ,I am not so fond of old V8's,V12's. Yes, they are great for nostalgia but they are impractical, inefficient, expensive to maintain, unreliable in this age. New age turbo 6 cylinders B57, B58, Audi 3.0 TFSI ,Merc 3.0 Inline 6 are every bit competent.

I'll agree to the inefficient bit. Goes without saying. Not for the expensive to maintain and unreliability bit. A V8 or any engine for that matter will last the lifetime of the vehicle, if you look after it.

It is true that modern turbo charged (Inline or V6) engines, some of the ones you've listed, surpass the performance of the old Mercedes Bi-Turbo V8. What they can't do is give you that aural pleasure or feel of the old AMG V8. Thats one of few reasons Mercedes are bringing back the V8 on their AMG's. Cause shoe horning a 2l Turbo or even a V6 for that matter ain't cutting it for the die hard AMG Enthusiast. Its a small market and there's still a market for these.

[Thegreyghost006]

This generation's S65 used to be my dream car, but after having a very brief conversation with an owner from Chennai who has a white one and services it only at the authorized service center, I learned that its running costs are humongous and unrealistic.

It kind of shattered my dreams of owning one someday. However, I guess the S63 must be a much easier car to maintain, depending on its condition. I have a 15-year-old Beetle and a C200 Kompressor, which are also challenging, but nothing compared to an S65.

I still remember the S65 used to cost 4 crores when AMG was launched in India. What a car it is, especially with the V12 and the exhaust it comes with!

On the contrary, my Mustang is not that bad; its costs come to around 10k every year. I had to replace an airbag sensor, which cost 3.5k. The only costly bits are the tires and brakes, even though they are cheaper than those on, say, a 530d. German cars are expensive to maintain and complicated, but they are German cars.

One very recent incident: my C200 is 15 years old and has done 60k kilometers. Finally, it needs a lower arm change on both the front sides. I thought of going aftermarket but couldn’t find any. The only parts available outside are actually original and cost 1.2 lakhs. It’s not that I would have gone for a cheap knock-off, but I was looking for a slightly less expensive alternative. Unfortunately, I’m still struggling because 1.2 lakhs for a set of lower arms is a bit too much.

[androdev]

Originally Posted by Thegreyghost006

Unfortunately, I’m still struggling because 1.2 lakhs for a set of lower arms is a bit too much.

If you know the part numbers, you can find them online at good prices. Sometimes you get full "repair" kit bundle offers for popular items like control arms. You will be paying 50% extra in terms of shipping and duties. Check FCPEuro, pelican parts, rockauto, etc. In my experience, this is the most cost effective legitimate way to buy genuine parts.