Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG (W213)

48 sales analyzed · 17 topics from real Bring a Trailer & Cars & Bids comments.

“It is the most perfect inanimate object I have ever encountered. This car is *the* answer.”fringecarcollector · Dec 20, 2021 at 1:55 PM

• The wagon as the ultimate 'one car' — supercar pace with total practicalitydriving
  Owners overwhelmingly frame the E63 S wagon as the best all-around vehicle they have owned, citing the blend of speed, comfort, all-weather ability and cargo space. It is repeatedly nominated as the answer to the 'only one car' question, and long-term owners describe an addictive Jekyll-and-Hyde character. …
• Rear main seal weep — engine-out fix for a cheap part, improved on 2020+ carsmechanical
  The rear main seal is the most consistently named mechanical weak point, described as a labor-intensive engine-out repair despite the part itself being inexpensive. Commenters report that facelift/2020+ cars suffer less, and diligent sellers pre-empt buyer concern by replacing the seal and oil separators with updated AMG parts; buyers routinely ask whether it has leaked or been done. …
• The M177 4.0L twin-turbo V8 and its underrated outputmechanical
  Owners regard the factory 603 hp rating as conservative, citing dyno figures around 676 hp at the wheels that back-calculate to 750-800 hp at the crank, and quoting stock-tune claims near 687 hp. The exhaust note is described in reverent terms, and even owners consider the factory output more than enough without tuning. …
• 'Last of the V8s' — end of the ICE AMG era drives collectibilityhistory
  A pervasive belief that AMG is replacing the V8 with a four-cylinder hybrid frames these cars as a swan-song and pushes buyers to acquire one now. Commenters describe the V8 wagon as the fitting end of ICE development and warn that the successors, while more powerful, will lose the car's essence. …
• 2023 Final Edition — 999 units, costly emblem package, deleted featuresbuying
  The 999-unit Final Edition draws mixed reactions: it is the last V8 E63 and rare (one owner claims only ~50 wagons reached the US), but its mandatory ~$55k emblem/option package and the deletion of desirable content (carbon-ceramic brakes, heads-up display, massage/race seats) led several owners of ordinary loaded cars to consider the FE overpriced and hard to sell even at MSRP. …
• Pandemic-era price mania and the subsequent correctionmarket
  Chip-shortage scarcity drove wagons to and beyond MSRP in 2021-2022 (a peak near $190k), followed by an obvious cooling that commenters tie to a softening stock market. One owner's tally of 22 W213 wagon auctions in a 12-month window put the average near $90k and the median near $85k, well below the frenzy highs. …
• Wagon commands a large premium over the sedan; both are raremarket
  The long-roof consistently sells for far more than the mechanically identical sedan, with sedans dipping under $50k while wagons trade in the high five figures to well over $100k. Commenters call the sedan the value play, and note US volume is low (roughly 300 cars a year from Affalterbach, split about evenly between sedan and wagon). …
• Ride firmness, suspension settings, and the seatsdriving
  Pre-facelift cars are described as somewhat harsh riding, with the 2021 facelift widely credited for a suspension/electronics update that made the car smoother and more supple, and the 2023 called more compliant still. Opinions on the sport/performance seats split sharply — some find them a comfortable, feature-rich highlight, others uncomfortable enough to sell the car. …
• Desirable options — Driver Assistance Package, multicontour seats, HUD radar, acoustic packagebuying
  The order books were deep and buyers debate which options matter. The Driver Assistance Package is treated as a near must-have (rarely absent), the multicontour seats with dynamic bolstering and massage are prized, and the heads-up display with an integrated laser/radar detector is a cult favorite. …
• Carbon-ceramic brakes — prestige option with a real fitment tradeoffmechanical
  The optional carbon-ceramic brakes (identifiable by bronze/gold calipers) are debated: they are more costly to replace and their larger wheels won't accept 19-inch snow rims, a genuine problem in snow states, and several owners judge them unnecessary for street-only cars. Others still consider them worth having, and lifespan under road-only use is an open question. …
• Color and spec desirability — rare hues over 'old-man' silvercosmetic
  Color meaningfully moves value: rare shades like Cardinal Red, Lunar Blue and Piedmont Green are hard to find and command attention, while white-with-brown/wood is derided as 'old-man spec' and silver as 'vanilla.' Some owners defend silver-metallic/black with carbon trim as the intended AMG look, and the Magno matte finishes are noted as premium but harder to care for. …
• Grey-market Canadian cars — voided warranty and import frictionbuying
  A number of listings are Canadian-market cars, and commenters warn that a Canadian car registered in the US loses its factory warranty and cannot obtain MB extended coverage — US dealers will still service and do recalls but not warranty work. This depresses value relative to US-spec cars and adds import paperwork; buyers are advised to price in rolling the dice without coverage. …
• Warranty and CPO status as a primary value driverbuying
  BaT buyers weigh remaining factory or CPO warranty heavily on six-figure cars, and some deliberately buy from dealers to secure factory coverage rather than take an as-is auction car. Sellers are advised that adding an MB warranty before listing would strengthen the result, and once out of warranty buyers accept they are gambling on the car's reliability. …
• Running costs and known weak points — tires, annual service, radiator, transmissionownership
  Owners flag the E63 as expensive to run: it eats tires, needs a separate winter wheel set, and MB's insistence on full annual service is costly even at low mileage. A specific vulnerability is the exposed radiator behind the lower grille, which can be punctured by road debris — one owner cites a class-action suit and recommends adding mesh — and buyers are told to confirm the transmission service has been done. …
• Reliability reputation — 'bulletproof,' with exceptionsownership
  The prevailing view is that these cars are extremely reliable — 'bulletproof' — and cheaper to keep than an equivalent Audi if parts aren't bought at dealer prices. That is not universal: at least one selling dealer conceded a low-mileage car had needed a lot of work beyond oil changes, tempering the bulletproof narrative. …
• Sleeper / Q-ship characterdriving
  Much of the car's charm is its anonymity: most onlookers see 'just a station wagon,' which owners exploit to surprise sports cars and even dodge attention from police. The community half-jokingly treats ownership as a secret club, and rates it the best of the rocket-powered AWD Q-ships. …
• Rivals — RS6 Avant, CTS-V wagon, and the M5 Touringmarket
  The E63 S wagon's only serious cross-shop is the Audi RS6 Avant, which several owners drove back-to-back and judged floatier and less engaging than the AMG. Commenters name the RS6 and the manual CTS-V wagon as the alternatives, and dismiss the incoming M5 Touring, arguing the E63 holds value as well as the RS6 while driving better. …