2017 Mercedes-Benz AMG S 63

First registered in December 2017, this post-facelift Mercedes-Benz AMG S 63 L (long wheel base) - with the 9-speed 9G-Tronic gearbox - was reportedly once the conveyance of top-flight football manager “Big” Sam Allardyce. We don’t have any documentary evidence of this but we know he is a fan of large Mercedes and something like the S63 would have been perfect for making a quick getaway from yet another short tenure in charge of a club.

The current owner bought the car from the Ipswich Mercedes franchise who sold Allardyce the car originally - he believes that it was briefly registered in the name of the dealership before Sam, which explains it being a 2-owner car when he took possession.

He has since transferred ownership between his company and himself, so the V5C shows 3 former keepers. In reality though, there have only been two including our vendor.

A serial S-Class owner since his twenties - previously always the six-pot S320/S350 “old man’s car” - this was the first AMG variant he’d bought but he says he hasn’t really explored much of the available power or speed.

He’s taken it on long runs in the UK from time to time and an occasional foray into France, but with other cars in his garage, the S 63 has mostly been a weekender.

The S 63 is finished in Obsidian Black metallic, the perfect statement colour for a Sonderklasse that means business. The AMG exterior styling gives the car a slightly more aggressive chrome-trimmed front spoiler and adds side skirts and rear diffuser elements also picked out with chrome.

Where the performance divisions of other German brands may have offered the full murdered-out look with black wheels and trim, we think the presence of silver and chrome gives this S 63 a much classier look.

The car has clearly been well looked after as, aside from a few stone chips and age related marks like a small scratch on the near side rear door, the exterior paintwork is very strong.

The S 63 sits on 20-inch AMG double-spoke alloy wheels, which present in good condition with no apparent scuffing or damage. All are fitted with matching Michelin Pilot Sport tyres with sufficient tread depth, although the fronts attracted an advisory.

Continuing the black and silver theme, the interior is clad in premium Nappa leather, accented with dark Poplar wood inserts and brushed aluminium effect controls and trims.

The leather is perforated on the AMG sports steering wheel hand grips and across the seat facings, which also carry a metal AMG badge on the back rests. Further AMG styling sees an embossed “Affalterbach AMG” crest in the leather on the armrest between the front seats.

There is minimal wear across the upholstery - only really noticeable on the driver’s seat where you’d expect - and, being a long-wheel-base variant, the rear seats offer as much comfort and space as up front.

The dashboard has a good balance of analogue buttons for the most used equipment and digital settings for everything else. The instrument panel is effectively a panoramic twin LCD display, which can be configured according to needs and preferences.

Like all S-Class models and especially AMG variants, this car is loaded with high-end equipment options like the Burmester surround sound system. We have neither the time nor the crayons to list them all but luckily there’s a printout of all of them in the document gallery for anyone who wants to check whether the S 63 has illuminated door sills… (it does).

Under the bonnet of the S 63 lies a monster, not that you can actually see any of it. In keeping with the modern “don’t even think about tinkering” maxim that most manufacturers live by, the engine bay is full to the brim and covered with impenetrable plastic covers to dissuade the spanner-wielding amateur. There are just a few colour coded openings for us simpleton customers to keep the fluids topped up - water is blue, oil is yellow…

The undersides of the car are mostly covered by undertrays, so there’s nothing exciting to see down there - unless exhaust systems and heat shields get your heart racing. All the coverings seem to be in good order though with just the expected road grime but no obvious damage.

The boot space is a little more exciting, at least once you get underneath the clean and tidy floor covering and the moulded foam tray that contains the tyre inflation kit. The floor of the boot - something you’d rarely see - is carbon fibre! Yes, we’re sure you’re positively palpitating now.

The S 63 has a current MoT valid until March 2024, which it passed with advisories that the front tyres need to be monitored for changing before long. This was the car’s fourth annual MoT and on all the others it was given a clean pass.

The vehicle has an impeccable service history throughout its six years, having been taken every year to Lancaster/Jardine Mercedes Ipswich, where it was originally purchased, as part of the Mercedes Service Plan. There is a main dealer invoice from March 2021 showing a B (major) service where the rear brake discs and pads were replaced along with wheel arch lines and an undertray.

There is also a Digital Service report printout showing full main dealer servicing as follows:

• Nov 2018 - 7,079 miles - Lancaster Mercedes, Ipswich
• Jun 2019 - 21,616 - JCT600, Sheffield
• Feb 2020 - 29,183 - Jardine (formerly Lancaster) Mercedes, Ipswich
• Mar 2021 - 41,444 - Jardine (formerly Lancaster) Mercedes, Ipswich
• Feb 2022 - 46,229 - Jardine (formerly Lancaster) Mercedes, Ipswich
• Feb 2023 - 48,359 - Jardine (formerly Lancaster) Mercedes, Ipswich

The car comes with a full owner’s book pack.

The eagle-eyed among you will have noted from the HPI report in the gallery that there is outstanding finance on this car. This will of course be cleared prior to the winning bidder collecting the car.

If you’re looking for a reliable, luxury motorway cruise ship to be driven around in or want to carry a growing family in supreme comfort, a Mercedes-Benz S-Class is never the wrong choice and will always impress. Turning up in a powerful AMG S 63 will also show that you’ve got something more about you and that you really mean business. And if things don’t work out, you can be away from there quicker than you can say West Bromwich Albion.

This example is superbly presented with comparatively low mileage, and we think it will sell for between £50,000 and £60,000 - much less than half of what it cost when new and less than a third of what the new W223 electrified S 63 will set you back.

Anyone thinking that it is still a lot of money for a five year old car should spend a few minutes trawling the classifieds to look at what little you can get at the moment for a nearly new car, even from more everyday marques.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.