Mercedes E63 AMG wagon

[QMuse]

Here's another famous European wagon - Volvo 850R.

It is reliable and cheap to maintain. When visiting Sweden I have seen few of those that have been tuned to 850-1000HP so they would easilly eat that AMG for breakfast.

 

[QMuse]

E55 has a supercharger. I doubt that will be more reliable. When my parents' neighbor sold his AMG, which I believe was supercharged, he said he refused to sell it to anyone he knew. Also his son in law fixes AMGs for a living.

Superchargers are generally more reliable than turbos as they are not exposed to excessive heat and they also spin slowlier and more evenly.

 

[beefkabob]

Superchargers are generally more reliable than turbos as they are not exposed to excessive heat and they also spin slowlier and more evenly.

Originally posted car is NA, I believe.
Also superchargers break belts and put strain on the motor to turn them.

 

[QMuse]

Also superchargers break belts and put strain on the motor to turn them.

Belt problem is solved long ago and turbos put much more strain on engine as they choke flow of exhaust gasses so cylinder temperature raises.

Btw, supercharger is easier to drive than AC compressor.

 

[HemiRick]

[QUOTE="Btw, supercharger is easier to drive than AC compressor. [/QUOTE]

Wrong if this is true why are most SC's driven by belts much larger than AC belts?

 

[Dialectic]

Sadly, it appears I didn't win the vehicle. A bidder with the ominous name "VanishingPoint" bid up the price significantly at the last minute. Based on other recent sale prices of this model, I didn't feel comfortable with where the price ended up.

If VanishingPoint won the auction, I guess the car will soon be crashed into a pair of bulldozers.

Thank you all for a very enlightening discussion. I will continue to be on the lookout for a fast wagon of interest. The '07-'09 E63s will continue to intrigue.

 

[BDWoody]

I will continue to be on the lookout for a fast wagon of interest

CTS-V wagon with the MT...

To me, the Manual adds so much to the fun factor, but so few cars in this category even offer them.

 

[beefkabob]

Belt problem is solved long ago and turbos put much more strain on engine as they choke flow of exhaust gasses so cylinder temperature raises.

Btw, supercharger is easier to drive than AC compressor.

Belts still have issues, especially in the aftermarket.
Superchargers take way more power than an AC compressor. An AC draws may be 5hp from what I see on the internets. A big supercharger can draw hundreds of HP.
Cars need some backpressure to increase the speed of exhaust flow.
As for temp and strain, that's much more about controlling the air and fuel as well as having adequate cooling and shielding. Too much backpressure from a turbo just means you need a bigger exhaust housing for it.

 

[beefkabob]

Manuals are more fun. Automatics are often faster, but that doesn't matter on the road. Mercedes rarely did manuals in the US. Very rarely.

 

[UCrazyKid]

My favorite stationweapon. My buddy had one, it was a total blast and a sleeper. Just be prepared for expensive maintenance. A front break job is like $5k for the 2-piece rotors, etc. If you got the cheddar, I say do it.

 

[Trouble Maker]

That's the thing with cars in this arena, even if you can get them for $20k-$30k the parts cost is still like the $100k car it was new. As long as you are mentally and financially prepared for that you'll be fine.

Not in the same echelon but I owned a 2000 Audi S4 for about 5 years from 2003-2008. That car was a blast to drive but somewhat expensive to maintain even doing the work myself. It finally blew a turbo around 170kmi and I decided to off load it, get a beater and focus on other financial goals.

 

[BDWoody]

That's the thing with cars in this arena, even if you can get them for $20k-$30k the parts cost is still like the $100k car it was new. As long as you are mentally and financially prepared for that you'll be fine.

Not in the same echelon but I owned a 2000 Audi S4 for about 5 years from 2003-2008. That car was a blast to drive but somewhat expensive to maintain even doing the work myself. It finally blew a turbo around 170kmi and I decided to off load it, get a beater and focus on other financial goals.

Was that the 2.7 twin turbo?
I had an S4 around those years...it was indeed a blast...and it was indeed needy.

 

[Trouble Maker]

Was that the 2.7 twin turbo?
I had an S4 around those years...it was indeed a blast...and it was indeed needy.

Yup, 2.7 liter 'biturbo' per Audi market speak. It was an all around great car, only held back by understeer tendencies, which is a gross understatement of how bad it plowed through corners at the limit.

 

[Blumlein 88]

I've heard numerous professional mechanics say if you bought a German high end car more than 5 years old, you didn't get a good deal even if they gave it to you. I know a cousin had one purchased new, and was fine for about 4 years (normal maintenance isn't cheap either) then started having various issues. So she sold it. Do know a lady with a 3 series BMW which has never given a minutes problem.

 

[Trouble Maker]

A BMW 320 is much closer to an Accord in every regard than the car the OP was taking about, so we have to be careful when we are taking about cars like this.

 

[QMuse]

Belts still have issues, especially in the aftermarket.

You don't buy supercharger betl as a replacement part, you buy OEM.

Superchargers take way more power than an AC compressor. An AC draws may be 5hp from what I see on the internets. A big supercharger can draw hundreds of HP.

AC draws 7-12HP, same as supercharger. Just think of what you said - when you put supercharger on a 200Hp car it will add app another 70HP but if you would be right engine would loose more power driving supercharger than it would gain with increased efficieny due to higher boost.

Btw, are you aware that AC compressor and supercharger are both doing the same thing? They are both compressors driven by belt, the only difference is that supercharger compresses air and AC compresssor compresses AC gass.

 

[QMuse]

Manuals are more fun. Automatics are often faster, but that doesn't matter on the road. Mercedes rarely did manuals in the US. Very rarely.

With the same engine automatic is always slowlier due to higher transmission losses.

 

[Frank Dernie]

Explorer Sport

Splendid oxymoron right there!
Big, heavy. high and unaerodynamic so sport is not a word that should ever be applied!

 

[Blumlein 88]

A BMW 320 is much closer to an Accord in every regard than the car the OP was taking about, so we have to be careful when we are taking about cars like this.

I agree. Didn't want to paint an entire brand or in this case country as making no reliable cars.

 

[Blumlein 88]

With the same engine automatic is always slowlier due to higher transmission losses.

Not always. Usually, but not always. Especially not so if the automatic is implemented as a DCT.

In some models the auto has more gears which allows it to be faster. And of course once an auto locks up in highest gear it isn't suffering those other losses so much.

The other situation is once you get into enough power, most people will have trouble putting the power to the pavement with a manual as effectively as a well designed automatic can do.

PS-even so, for any car I drive I'd prefer the manual transmission. The performance loss is small and the subjective feeling is just the reverse.