604 C63

Seems like we have a lot of new members on here all of a sudden talking about how their cars are shifting etc, generally stuff very much along the same lines.
Not guys that have been here for a while having issues, but very recent join ups posting almost immediately about problems.

I understand that if you are having issues you may join a forum, but these are guys saying they are relatively new owners etc.

Or is my imagination?

BLKROKT

It's not your imagination. People who really shouldn't be owning these cars are suddenly finding that they're able to. Blame the market. Not trying to be elitist or anything, but AMG's require a certain level of care and $ for proper maintenance. I think a lot of these new owners are in for a rude awakening.

roadtalontsi

c63's are getting alot cheaper. Owners are too cheap to take to reputable shop or dealer for proper repairs. Or too cheap to make those repairs or they misunderstand the product and are comparing to non-comparable vehicles. Lots of cheap modifications and go-fast goodies before maintenance.

604 C63

Kinda like in this article?

http://jalopnik.com/the-scariest-thi...ner-1745483727

Fernando77043

I bought my car 3 days ago. I made sure to buy the maintenance package witch gives you 3 years of maintenance at no charge... Oil,tire rotation,transmission fluid and anything else they do to it. I also have a five year warranty good with unlimited mileage expires 2021 don't plan on keeping the car the whole time I usually keep them for three years and trade them back in for a newer model. I don't play around with stuff like that car was 60k+

MBNRG

Article above is straight LMAO

Hope you all had a great 4th

INS1GNIA

"And he’ll drive the thing like a cocaine fiend playing Mario Kart." Haha. Pretty good article though.

ZephyrAMG

604 C63, HOLY CRAP, ever since you bought your 3rd C63 now facelift, you have been a posting machine! A few months back almost thought you fell off the face of this forum...

Excitement back?! Feeling all giddy again?!

604 C63

Yeah Zeph, I GOT THE FEVER! lol. But seriously, I do.

TBH, I got body slammed by life for a bit there, and there wasn't a ton of joy in Mudville. Long story, but my car kind of factored in to it. And I knew I was coming due for a new one, but was too swamped to deal with it, and since it was going soon I didn't want to spend any time on it. Vehicle wise, it was a year of fairly joyless limbo as I kept one eye kinda sorta open for the right replacement. But I will say this.....on many, many, many days the drive in my car was the highlight of my day. Tells you all you need to know about my life then, but also how I feel about this car. I love these damn things. I just can't quit em.

So now I have a newer fresher car, in a colour I never expected or planned for, keen to have some fun, and make a joyful noise and I am stoked to be here. Ive learned that some of the core guys I really enjoyed are still here, and they didn't all scoot over to look at the shiny turbos.

Change is as good as a rest, they say. Well, I've had both, so I'll bring a little energy. Put me in Coach. I'm feeling fresh!

604 C63

I loved that line. Some pretty good humour in that article, and he is right. That third driver, he's a nightmare in a high horsepower car.

604 C63

Solid play. We need some sensible rookies like you around here. Welcome to the squad. Beers are on you.

GerryV

People forget that it doesn't matter how cheaply you're able to purchase the car, maintenance and parts are always going to be relative to the original sticker price. Sure at some point you can get that $100k car for $50k, but it's always a $100k car when something breaks.

Also....warning old guy rambling here.....it seems logical troubleshooting is a lost art on many of the younger generation. Why are you blindly asking about/replacing parts before even checking for codes, when was it last running right and what have you changed/monkeyed with since.

Kriston

Most new owners of second / third hand C63's are getting into a car that has 2 things going against it.

1. Consumables (Tires / Gas) are a factor
2. Parts / Maintenance are limited compared to more prominent makes / models.

I agree with all posters above, a PFL C63 are Mid 20K now. Lots of "kids" are getting into them.. Lots of "cheap" additions and less focus on maintaining an older vehicle. Recipe for disaster IMHO.

Anyways, the few guys on here that have been on here for some time know better. We understand the C63 in and out. Many new posters are getting there feet wet.

c63Jimbo

You guys might have seen this one, but this is another hilarious article and also reminded me of our beasts.

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/most-h...ver-1782809075

jmueller

I also think that many of the newer members are buying cars that have around 40K miles and three or four years old. This puts these machines right out of the warranty (which is typically when a "new" AMG owner would sell it). 40k miles is right when these cars tend to need new pads, oil, diff fluid change and all the big ticket items that come along with the 40K service. Getting slapped with that service cost right after buying is going to make people flock to the forums to figure out how to maintain these cars on a budget. Also the fact that these cars are now out of warranty means that less people are just dropping them off at the dealer for a quick and free fix.

604 C63

Jimbo, when I saw that I thought the same thing. Change Vioer to C63 and re-run that ad. Brilliant. I was trying to figure out if they sells the car first or gets offered an advertising job.

INS1GNIA

I actually saw this over the weekend. I would love to meet this guy, seems awesome. People like that are always great lol.

ENV²

Or just *******s like me who really love the car, want to work on it as much as possible on their own, and only take it to reputable Indy or one lone dealer I trust for warranty work. Prefer working my own car my whole life though and what better place to learn than the forums. I have always utilized the forums for my cars to learn, buy, and follow/create DIY.


I can see whats happening to the PFL C63s in my area though. A lot of kids buying them and plastidipping them, putting cheap tires on them, etc. I saw a kis at a local CnC *****ing about his rotor cost and I told him about the single piece and he almost cried in happiness. I would not have known you can use the non P31 rotors on the P31 without the forum and I was able to help someone out. But you can see where once the FLs depreciate to the bottom, buying these things from those kids will be nightmare.


I got the bank roll to handle the maintanence on the AMG just like to try and handle on my own and learn what is normal and isnt.

AMG3.2

Exactly. A perfect example that comes to mind is an Aston Martin V8 Vantage. They can easily be picked up for about $40k. The bills don't end there though...

Honestly, I'd say maintenance on this car is pretty light compared to comparable M3's and the like. I've searched and searched, and outside of routine oil changes etc, it seems to be a fairly care free car up until, what 70k miles?

What will really brake the bank is when things go wrong like head bolts, etc. Heck, even brakes are so costly compared to an E9X M3.

Like mentioned throughout this thread though, these are all things that must be taken into account when purchasing a car like this. Those that don't will most likely sell the car upon receiving the first or second service bill.

604 C63

This is why I sold and re-purchased. My miles were getting high, and I had no warranty. Wanted to find a decent example at a decent price and that was getting harder and harder to do. Im not making any life plans with this one or anything, but it will make the journey to my next big thing more comfortable and less stressful.

rentzington

the PFL models in good shape and low miles are certainly becoming harder to find, i've been monkeying with the idea of selling mine for a while and comparison browsing and most models are 50k+ miles but the markets dropping like a rock and i'm feeling the need to get out while i can still get a decent price.

and as mentioned above that 40k service is no joke people who dont do the research in advance are in for a rude awakening when that bill gets dropped on them, and i'm certain when many third hand buyers get quoted that price they'll opt not to perform the maintenance and )*#_*@ will break

604 C63

Around here, the 2012+ pricing is holding up pretty well, but you are right - the PFL value is plummeting and I think the cost of maintenance is a big reason why. And the cars that you do see on the market all need some work which as touted as "not a big deal"

computertom

I just actually traded in my '09 that had some miles. Even at $26K with the heads done, coilovers, and a Wavetrac, all I really got were kids and tore kickers. The market for PFL cars is plummeting around here. Actually kinda miss that car as it had just a bit more edge than my '12 (that I completely love).

604 C63

Having had an 08 and an 09, I did not completely understand the difference in the FL cars until I bought one. Very different vehicle that goes beyond the cosmetic changes. I love my 12 as well, but not nearly as raw and visceral as the two cars prior.

AMG3.2

Interesting. How exactly do you describe the PFL cars as being more raw?

I've never driven a FL to compare, but now these statements have me curious.