Should I buy my son a C class?
We have a 22 year old property development magnate that was instructed by a dealer to beat on an S63 on a "private road". He also believes house parties without parents around don't involve booze/weed whatever because of societal norms in canada.
We then have an OP who apparently is self made and very successful despite meager financial upbringings. He somehow doesn't realize that this struggle is what made him who he is today and decides instead of a 204 for $50k, a $90k S7 is a better choice. I'm sure your son is thrilled.
Then we have the people suggesting the kid gets a early 90s beater.
Call me a moderate, but even for a wealthy person, what is wrong with getting a kid a 3-8 year old 3 series coupe? Fun...sporty...safe, but not ridiculous. 75% of the population would consider that an amazing car.
Just because you could, doesn't mean you should...
We have a 22 year old property development magnate that was instructed by a dealer to beat on an S63 on a "private road". He also believes house parties without parents around don't involve booze/weed whatever because of societal norms in canada.
We then have an OP who apparently is self made and very successful despite meager financial upbringings. He somehow doesn't realize that this struggle is what made him who he is today and decides instead of a 204 for $50k, a $90k S7 is a better choice. I'm sure your son is thrilled.
Then we have the people suggesting the kid gets a early 90s beater.
Call me a moderate, but even for a wealthy person, what is wrong with getting a kid a 3-8 year old 3 series coupe? Fun...sporty...safe, but not ridiculous. 75% of the population would consider that an amazing car.
Just because you could, doesn't mean you should...
A used 3 series is 20k, a new one is 50k. It being cheap is kind of the point.
a 3 series is not a complex vehicle...especially not an E46 3 series. Maintenance nightmare? doubtful. And if it is, great chance for the kid to learn that high end cars are pricey to fix. perhaps he can pay for it himself.
I will throw in my 2cents.
You clearly can afford to get him any of those cars so lets brake it down.
2014 MB C350 4Matic
2014 Chrysler 300 SRT8
2014 Audi S4
Right off the bat I would cross off a 300 srt8 since it to me just doesn't feel as nice or prestigious as the benz and the audi.
So
2014 MB C350 4Matic
2014 Audi S4
Here is my thought. If you think he is going to want to do work on the car and just make it unique and custom (not just basic little things), I would personally go with the S4.
If you are going with the C350 4matic, then i would say go with the c63 amg (pass on your car to him? and you get an e63 amg s?) hahaha. But yea the c63 is not 4matic so snow and rain, he might get a little sketched out if he isn't as skilled of a driver as some people might be (experience based).
I feel like the Benz is more of a high power cruiser and, yea you can make it look good and sporty, but it is still shown as a "hey i got money and I own a benz" Its a prestigious status to say the least, and it just seems like it is a power, quiet and comfortable cruiser.
The S4 on the other hand will be a louder and more of a tuner car really. It looks like a legit aggressive sports sedan, that you can throw around a bend and come out laughing because that's just the way it is.
If I had that kind of money this would be my deciding factors.
C-class seats
S4 Seats
See what I mean? I personally like the S4 seats because of that sport look, but I am not the biggest fan of their interior. Either way, think about what kind of person your son is.
Is he more into tuner high power cars, or more of luxury power and status type of car.


We have a 22 year old property development magnate that was instructed by a dealer to beat on an S63 on a "private road". He also believes house parties without parents around don't involve booze/weed whatever because of societal norms in canada.
We then have an OP who apparently is self made and very successful despite meager financial upbringings. He somehow doesn't realize that this struggle is what made him who he is today and decides instead of a 204 for $50k, a $90k S7 is a better choice. I'm sure your son is thrilled.
Then we have the people suggesting the kid gets a early 90s beater.
Call me a moderate, but even for a wealthy person, what is wrong with getting a kid a 3-8 year old 3 series coupe? Fun...sporty...safe, but not ridiculous. 75% of the population would consider that an amazing car.
Just because you could, doesn't mean you should...
Last edited by 5634MG; Jul 16, 2014 at 03:37 PM.


Also, will dealer cars for the new c class arrive by august? Cause that's when the OP's son needs the car.
Last edited by 5634MG; Jul 16, 2014 at 03:27 PM.
Anyways, to answer your questioning assumption stated here:
I simply received this car in CPO status, thus making my car in a price range suitable for the "typical teenage first car."
The Best of Mercedes & AMG
However, several of us responded to your request for parenting advice and gave sincere and heartfelt effort to share our experience, likely most of us further down the parenting road than having a 16 year old. You did not choose to reply to my input, which is your prerogative, but I don't think we should all be subject to the broad brush of being "hostile". We are just trying to point out from our collective experiences that you are on a potentially, albeit not necessarily, perilous course, and other approaches than yours over time have had higher likelihood of good outcomes for children. Once again, best wishes for you and your son, no matter what is your decision on how to shape his values.


Also, this discussion wasn't about price but rather the car itself so whether or not your car was a CPO is irrelevant.
Last edited by 5634MG; Jul 16, 2014 at 06:06 PM.
Also, I would also like to know what kind of private road this was. In other words, how long the road was, to the extent of you to be able to floor the car.


Last edited by 5634MG; Jul 16, 2014 at 06:23 PM.


Alright, let me correct myself. I wasn't talking about myself but rather what the OP and other people were talking about on the first page. I apologize for any confusion. Also, just because I said floor it doesn't mean that I held the pedal down until it reached its top speed. I simple stepped on it past kickdown for approximately 2-3 seconds before slowing down. How long was the road? How am I supposed to know? Do you go out and measure every the length of every single road you drive on? I don't think so, but I can say that the road was more than sufficient to allow both my dealer and I to perform the tasks safely. Might I also add that the road is used for the AMG performance driving academy other than to test performance vehicles.
good joke!The road must've been small.




Are you going to an Ivy League university? Clearly not.
If you're going to be so rude towards me and make so many assumptions, I can equally do the same.


He's a good kid. He can handle nice things, and I'm sure he'll use his new car as motivation to work hard and lead a productive life. I don't think this purchase will make him become an entitled spoiled brat like the rest of you somehow believe it will.






