quick poll....Z4 M or SLK55 AMG
04-21-2006, 05:41 AM
#17
As a recent buyer of a (GM) Mercedes Benz C32 AMG, I can give you some honest input.
1. Z4 is just fugly no matter how you slice it.
2. Z4 will be a better driver's car. BUT, if you are going to get an automatic transmission, and it's for street use, a lot of the BMW mythology falls away. (Is Z4 M available in auto?).
3. I love the Benz drivetrain. AMG stuff is VERY stout and well sorted. The new Benz platforms and drivetrains are NOT to be confused with the taxicab stock of yore. The AMG automatic is not as nice as DSG, but it is the best automatic (other than DSG) that I've driven. Good firm shifts, and programmed ingeniously when driving hard.
4. Benz dealer experience and ownership experience is nice.
5. Benz owners don't know d!ck about the cars. You cannot expect to get any useful forum input on performance modifications, maintenance, repairs or other such wisdom. There's nothing out there like AudiWorld for Benz. You'd have to hook up with a tuner and pay for advice. There's no equivalent to VAG-COM for private use, and nobody seems to have insider wisdom on how these cars are programmed.
6. Tuning is EXPENSIVE. The days of $400 chips that add 60 HP are long gone for me. An aftermarket setup to add 60 HP will cost me $3,500 or more.
But in the end, I do not want to modify the car at all (paid the price with my prior car).
2. Z4 will be a better driver's car. BUT, if you are going to get an automatic transmission, and it's for street use, a lot of the BMW mythology falls away. (Is Z4 M available in auto?).
3. I love the Benz drivetrain. AMG stuff is VERY stout and well sorted. The new Benz platforms and drivetrains are NOT to be confused with the taxicab stock of yore. The AMG automatic is not as nice as DSG, but it is the best automatic (other than DSG) that I've driven. Good firm shifts, and programmed ingeniously when driving hard.
4. Benz dealer experience and ownership experience is nice.
5. Benz owners don't know d!ck about the cars. You cannot expect to get any useful forum input on performance modifications, maintenance, repairs or other such wisdom. There's nothing out there like AudiWorld for Benz. You'd have to hook up with a tuner and pay for advice. There's no equivalent to VAG-COM for private use, and nobody seems to have insider wisdom on how these cars are programmed.
6. Tuning is EXPENSIVE. The days of $400 chips that add 60 HP are long gone for me. An aftermarket setup to add 60 HP will cost me $3,500 or more.
But in the end, I do not want to modify the car at all (paid the price with my prior car).
04-21-2006, 06:00 AM
#18
Such snobbery from a VW driver? ;-)
Calling Benz a Chrysler is like calling a Bentley a VW. Other than the corporate relationship, the Chrysler hardware has not infected any Benz products, yet. On the other hand, most of Chrysler's recent success comes from using prior-generation Benz hardware.
