Mercedes C63 AMG as a daily runner

raptor2004

Someone I know will be inheriting a 2012 C63 AMG. She currently drives a 2020 Ford Fiesta and always wanted to upgrade to a bigger car and she has a 2 year old and needs a bigger boot. 

What shocked her was how a 14 year old car is worth more than her newer Fiesta. She wants to keep the Mercedes and drive it daily. She says she is happy to pay the extra fuel costs but I have warned her about maintenance costs. She had looked into this and said she can take out AA warranty which will cover all repairs. 

Is she okay doing this?

Hoenir

Obtained an insurance quote yet? 

cymruchris

The AA warranty won't cover everything. Have they had experience of driving not just bigger but faster cars? It's very different to a Fiesta. They might want to try it out first.

I imagine a set of pads and discs for a Fiesta would likely come out about £100-150 plus labour.

Here's an Ebay listing for the C63 pads and discs (and this is before labour!) (And yes you can get 'cheaper' - but on an AMG you don't want cheap brakes!)

Tell her that she has to expect significantly higher costs in terms of WHEN (not if) things go wrong or wear out.

raptor2004

cymruchris said:

The AA warranty won't cover everything. Have they had experience of driving not just bigger but faster cars? It's very different to a Fiesta. They might want to try it out first.

I imagine a set of pads and discs for a Fiesta would likely come out about £100-150 plus labour.

Here's an Ebay listing for the C63 pads and discs (and this is before labour!) (And yes you can get 'cheaper' - but on an AMG you don't want cheap brakes!)

Tell her that she has to expect significantly higher costs in terms of WHEN (not if) things go wrong or wear out.

The car is being inherited from her uncle. According to her he was a bit of a car nut and really looked after it so shouldn’t be any big bills anytime soon.

one things she needs to check is her insurance. 

She has driven the car and besides being loud, she said the car wasn’t as fast as she thought. I suspect it’s because the gearbox in the Merc is a bit slow and she hasn’t put her foot down. I am a bit worried if she does try and drive in a hurry she might end up crashing it 

cymruchris

I'd tell her to sell it - and buy something sensible with lower spares costs and the extra room she wants. It's not really a daily driver unless you have deeper pockets.

raptor2004

cymruchris said:

I'd tell her to sell it - and buy something sensible with lower spares costs and the extra room she wants. It's not really a daily driver unless you have deeper pockets.

She is adamant on keeping it as she has never had a “nice” car in her life. But she said she isn’t willing to spend more than a couple of hundred extra on the insurance which I doubt will be the case. 

secla

its a 6.2l v8, gets to 60 in about 3.5 seconds, if she doesnt think its fast shes certainly not putting her foot down
think they were about 100k new so your paying repair costs for a 100k car regardless of the current price.
AA certainly wont cover any wear and tear items like brakes/tyres i wouldnt imagine. 

She would be better selling and buying a nice car thats more suited to daily driving

Herzlos

Not that this is happening, but let her get the car first and she'll sell it within a week.

raptor2004

secla said:

its a 6.2l v8, gets to 60 in about 3.5 seconds, if she doesnt think its fast shes certainly not putting her foot down
think they were about 100k new so your paying repair costs for a 100k car regardless of the current price.
AA certainly wont cover any wear and tear items like brakes/tyres i wouldnt imagine. 

She would be better selling and buying a nice car thats more suited to daily driving

It doesn’t go 0-60 in 3.5 seconds. Its a 2012 model.

Goudy

I think you should just let her make her own mind up.

If she keeps it, uses it and obviously pays the price for that, it's her business. I expect you have warned her of the possible outcomes, so you have done your bit.

I've had my fair share of these types of toys and to be honest the shine does wear off fast, something really fast.
Cars like this share the same tank with the bread and butter model and you do notice you don't pass many petrol stations any more.

They attract attention which isn't always the type you want, it might feel great to drive out on the road but there are those that will certainly dispies her and typically show that.

But it's not just the bills that get to you, others covert these types of cars too and the don't often want to pay for them. Mercs in general get stolen a lot, fast Mercs get stolen a lot more.

LightFlare

raptor2004 said:

cymruchris said:

The AA warranty won't cover everything. Have they had experience of driving not just bigger but faster cars? It's very different to a Fiesta. They might want to try it out first.

I imagine a set of pads and discs for a Fiesta would likely come out about £100-150 plus labour.

Here's an Ebay listing for the C63 pads and discs (and this is before labour!) (And yes you can get 'cheaper' - but on an AMG you don't want cheap brakes!)

Tell her that she has to expect significantly higher costs in terms of WHEN (not if) things go wrong or wear out.

The car is being inherited from her uncle. According to her he was a bit of a car nut and really looked after it so shouldn’t be any big bills anytime soon.

one things she needs to check is her insurance. 

She has driven the car and besides being loud, she said the car wasn’t as fast as she thought. I suspect it’s because the gearbox in the Merc is a bit slow and she hasn’t put her foot down. I am a bit worried if she does try and drive in a hurry she might end up crashing it 

Hope she checked her insurance beforehand as well