ilumunus

I currently have an '08 C300 Sport Sedan with all the goodies that my dad gave me on my 16th birthday last year. It has around 25k miles on it, and after working over summer and from money I have accumulated over the years I have around 12k. My dad said if I want to trade in my C300 and buy an '08 or '09 C63, then he will match my 12k. I have found an '08 C63 (40k Miles) in Charlotte (3 hours away) with all the features I need, in the color that I want. It is around $40k, and between my C300 and the $24k I will be able to afford it.

I want the honest opinion from you guys - should I upgrade??

Thanks!

adv4nced53

Looks like you're from a warmer state and you don't have to worry about snow. If you want a faster car, obviously the AMG is a good route. Just be careful planning for the hidden expenses - gas, tires, insurance.

bzliteyear

if you're only 16 yrs old and already enjoying such a nice MB, my 2 cents is that you invest your $12k and your dad's matching $12k and learn a long-lost art of "deferred gratification." depending on how well you invest, you can get the $24k to $50 to $100k over the next 10 yrs and believe me, there will be LOTS of more cars that you'll want by then.
i hope i'm not pouring cold water on your excitement, but just sharing my opinion on something that i found valuable when i was younger.
PL

ZephyrAMG

+1000 Great advice and it's genuine.

ilumunus

We have already gotten insurance quoted, and the insurance company said they will only raise our payments by around $30 a month, which is not a problem with us. I will only drive 3-4k miles a year, and this will go down when I go to college in a year, so tires and gas won't be a huge deal.

I was considering this, but I already have $200k that I inherited from my grandfather in January, that is being tucked away (50%, and the other half in mutual funds) and I do not have access to (and will not until I am at least out of medical school and my residency (hopefully, I plan on becoming a neurosurgeon like my parents). So this $12-24K might not make a huge difference in the short term compared to the $200k I already have.

By the way, thanks bzliteyear for the great advice!


Bottom line - If I'm going to be stupid and spend this money on a car, should I get a C63? Or should I save up some more and go bigger.

ZephyrAMG

I'm actually finishing neurosurgery residency in a few weeks and all I drive is a 2010 C63 AMG.

I'm thinking about changing careers though. I am looking towards Bollywood and I'm not even Indian....

ilumunus

Nice to know that there is another neurosurgeon/possible future neurosurgeon on this forum. I have always wanted to be a neurosurgeon, because I love the idea of saving other people's lives!

And when you mentioned Bollywood, on a side note, I'm Indian xD. It would be an interesting career choice, not something I would want to be in, but if you're up for it, it would be cool...

AkaSigFreak

Upgrading is always a good thing if you can afford it and it appears you won't have a problem with that. Is the '08 CPO? You will definitely want the extended warranty unless you plan on heavily modding it. You seem to have a clear head, but the only thing that concerns me is a 17 year old driving a 450+hp car. There are always exceptions, but I know I would have gotten myself in so much trouble. It's too easy to go fast in a beast like that.
Good luck with your decision.

vsix

I dont want to be to much on your side, you are very young and the hidden costs can be very high sometimes but the C 63 is a real cool car wich I also think of getting it, so far Ive managed to check another interesting car out!
The 2012 M3 E92 coupe, heres a vid if your interested :-)

Fung63

lets be honest... you want to do it because you will get to make out with the hot indian girls

to OP if saving the $$ isnt the issue then yes a c63 is lightyears more fun and ahead than a c300. as nice as the c300 is... and it really is a nice car, the c63 will give you a lot more power and significantly improve your driving experience.

I'm going to guess for most if not all c63 owners here... when they check their car in for service and MB gives them a c300 loaner... they all cant wait to get back into their own car i had a c250 loaner last weak and it was a tough 3 days

ilumunus

It isn't CPO - But they have all service records, it was fully serviced, 1 owner, no accidents, and we plan on having it inspected before we purchase anyways. It also has new Michelin's which have been used for 2000 miles.

450hp car - I go to a boarding school which is 1 hour away from my house, and I go home on weekends (my dad picks me up). Only driving I do is some driving during summer and on the weekends, so I think I will be able to manage it. Also, up until 2 months ago, my dad had an '07 Automatic Murcielago Spider, which I drove to Wilmington (Beach, 2 hours away) 4-5 times, mostly to get experience driving a higher powered car. I did not have many problems with it, and it was definitely more powerful than the C63, so I think I will be able to handle it.

I turn 17 in August btw for whatever small difference it makes haha!

ilumunus

Let's just say my dad has a thing against all German cars except Mercedes, and would probably kill me if I tried picking up a bimmer! But yeah, I know a bunch of people are going to be scared with a 16-17 year old on the road with them in a near 500hp car!

Thanks!! And I love my car that I have right now, but I just really want a semi-new/newest model Mercedes with a non-poser AMG badge on the back. For some reason I just love AMGs more than any car, and would probably trade a Ferrari if I had one for an SLS or something in the same range.

vsix

Well I drove the M3 and for me this car is a great beginner, starter car, eventhough claiming 420 HP its stil very easy to drive.
This said if you were my son you would get the starter car, no need to see you in a nearly 500 HP car wich can be very dangerous as you cant ( as a beginner ) handle cars with low rpm high power output.
The M3 would be IMHO the best toycar for you. As a Dad I wouldnt have had to worry about you as the M3 is very forgiving for driving mistakes...wich the C63 is not.
Just something to think about it.

ilumunus

I know that, but M3's are manuals (a huge % of them I think), which would pose more of a threat to me than having a car with 50 more horses. I can't drive a manual, and would have a higher risk of a wreck in a manual than an auto (c63) I think.

Out of the C-Class - I am wondering if I should just get an '09 S-class for the same price, because that's an amazing car (my friend has one and he let me drive it once), and the power wouldn't be an issue. But I bet the insurance on an S-class would be way worse than a c63.

vsix

Well it is easy to hear out of what your saying that you are still a kid. Do not want to offend you, its the way you jump from one to another car.

As for the M3, this car also has a unbelievably precise automatic option as a dual clutch transmission, this type of automatic is the absolute benchmark, so I would say you wont be in this car at anykind of risk. ( of course considering you know what the physical limits of any car are)

Now to the heavy, bulky, slooow S class comparison to the light, slim, fast C63 that you made.

You have to exactly know where you wanna go. Do you want to have a sleak, cool, looking car where you can park everywhere you want and still got room for chicks...or do you want to have a car with a lentgh of a freaking boat that is hard to park, nomatter where you are? Must admit for them girlies youll have enough space but only to be their chauffeur ( driver )
Wich for me would look pretty stupid.
Get yourself a coupe or sedan...but not an ...for your age...wrong car.

ilumunus

Yeah no offense taken, but I mainly hopped because I figured if you guys were saying a C63 is too overpowered, might as well get advice on the next best (which I guess is a kid move). And haha I'm not that little of a kid that I don't know that a chauffeur is. But I'll go see this weekend if I can get a test drive on an M3, since the BMW dealer is literally 3 miles from my house and has a 2010 M3 (automatic, $43K, I can't afford that particular one, but I can get a feel for it) in inventory. My dad probably won't approve of it, or at least match the 12k, but I think without the extra 12k I should still be able to get an 08 M3 since the base is around 50-60k, right (assuming my C300 trades in around 15-18k)?.

Fung63

never understood why ppl say a c63 with its power is hard to drive or not suitable for a younger kid? drives as tame as you want it and as aggressive as you like. ultimately it is the driver that makes a difference right? you can have a kid who drives within speed limit and follows all traffic laws and a 50yr old with massive about of tickets to his name (yea i know a few of these ppl). can't generalize imo...

vsix

:-)
Good, you know not only because this is a Mercedes site, noone of us want you to get hurt!
Be it financially or be it really physically.

Im more then happy youll testing one out, it will be very fun to drive for you and most important save.
Also you get nice cool look of an coupe and believe me, you will LOVE the dualclutch transmission. Be sure to adjust it in M mode( ask the dealer for it ) for very fast shifts, you never expierienced such a fast shift and the sound of a downshift that this car makes is really unique and addicting :-)

Have fun and keep us posted !!!

vsix

Nah man, just be fair.
This young man here is a beginner and you and me know exactly what that means.
Trying this stupid thing in a curve, trying that silly stunt there with the C 63 you can really get yourself in trouble.

As for me, Im telling my honest oppinion and thats about it.

ilumunus

Honestly, I know I'm defending myself here since I'm a young driver, but in my opinion: Young drivers are just as good as any other driver unless they're drunk, st*ned, or driving aggressively/tailgating. I try to be a defensive driver, and my parents don't drink, and I plan on being like them. Also, I couldn't even imagine myself smoking w**d/texting while driving (my parents make me keep a crappy phone in the car while I'm driving and make me keep my iPhone at home to make sure it doesn't happen), or doing anything of the sort. But that said, the others do have some reasoning behind the fact that younger drivers do get in wrecks. I honestly try to not be like them, but being inexperienced, bad things could happen.

So guys, I'll see how the M3 goes (just scheduled test drive for Thursday at 6PM, and the C63 test drive on Saturday), and then I'll get back to you! Any other advice would surely be appreciated.

Also vsix, I appreciate all of your advice, it has been very helpful.

adv4nced53

Don't listen to these old people and their money investment advice. Live your life while you're still young

ilumunus

Hey, I know I want to live life while I'm still young, but their methods are the reasons why these guys have all their AMGs and Rovers etc, whereas I'm just getting it through my dad. So I honestly wouldn't go that far as to ignore it, but I'll probably still end up doing what you just suggested.

Sidv22

if you have the means to buy it, i would say go ahead and get it! just be a little careful till u get used to the extra power. You dont want to visit a neurosurgeon, do you? :-p

OlegKouz

Pull the trigger and get the C63 - let's not get carried away with the "power" - if he is a responsible and mature kid (which he seems to be) and doesn't drive like an idiot he will be fine. I may be a bit biased though since I am only 23.

Get the C63 and enjoy in good health! My 2 cents at lest.

USCGTO

Keep your C300.

Invest 12k and you dad will be happy to throw 24k in there. whether you have an additional 100k or not, the 36k invested in a non depreciating asset, more so a gas guzzler - tire shredder AMG will go a long way.

I suggest, spend some $$ on maybe upgrading the looks of your C300 (wrap / wheels/ diffuser / exhaust) and try putting the $$$$ into an investment.