Evan Smeenge

Here is the story:

I've been toying with the idea of buying a 2013/2014 C63. A friend of mine posted a Bentley Con GT on Insta and I jokingly texted him and said "Should I get the Con GT or the C63"

He calls me, stating that I should lease or pay cash for everything I drive. His reasoning is because you will be underwater so fast with the C63 if you finance and the maintenance will kill you.

So, I guess my dilemma is: Can I finance a 2013/2014 C63, or is that a stupid idea? and, What is really the largest maintenance item that could possibly be required? In turn, what is the average yearly maintenance?

I do not agree with the notion that if you have to worry about the cost of said items, you shouldn't buy the car.... I'm just conservative with my money and won't go into a purchase like that until I have at least a year's worth of car expenses in the bank.

I was just alarmed by his "advice"

sventastic82

It all depends on how much maintenance you are going to do yourself.
For example, I do all the maintenance and most repairs myself.
Between oil changes, filters, brakes and spark plugs I get away with about $350 a year in average. (8k miles/year)

Your friend is probably that kind of vehicle owner who has the tire pressure corrected at the dealer.

Evan Smeenge

Let's just assume I'll get all maintenance done at a mechanic, likely not the dealer.

I could do some classes to learn basic maintenance, but I don't have a place to do anything since I'm in Chicago.

Bonesxxx

Overall your friend if full of what the birds do on a Sunday morning.

The FL 204s are probably the most reliable Euro sports sedans/coupes out there today. They are friggin tanks. Sure there are random issues here and there as there are with all cars but there are plenty of people on this board with up to and over 100,000 headache free miles.

As long as the previous owner kept up with the maintenance, you should be good to go with nothing but oil changes, brakes and tires.

BalanBro

If you stick with a 2012 and up with relatively low mileage, there really shouldn't be much you have to worry about. One of the reasons I went with the W204 C63 over modern models is the simplicity of naturally aspirated engines. I keep my cars for a very long time, so self-serviceability is important to me.

Now, there are a few issues with these engines that I'm sure you'll come across from your own research, but 2012 and up will avoid the catastrophic ones. Other than that, the basic maintenance is really not bad. Oil changes are a piece of cake with an extractor and brakes are not all that expensive with quality aftermarket parts. I was actually surprised at how little you need to spend to get a new set of pads and rotors for a performance sedan.

catmandoob

I don't get it, every car needs maintenance just as it needs fuel. I've put 30k miles on my C63 in the past year, LOVE EVERY MINUTE OF IT, I have had to do oil and tires just as I would any other car.

Now with saying that, if you can't afford a Corrolla then you can't afford a C63 but these cars are cheap in my book, like pennies compared to what else you find out there. What your friend said makes 0, absolutely 0 sense.

Also, isn't not driving your car to keep low miles for resell etc like not banging your girlfriend so you can keep her tight for the next guy? I say enjoy away!!

Dogtag114

Unless a write off to a business, leasing is always the worst financial option.

G_Money

What is wrong with financing a car? I mean it's not a sub-$10k beater and I'm sure you have decent credit. Sure interest sucks but unfortunately finance capitalism is the yoke under which we toil. As long as you put a good bit down and have a monthly payment that is comfortable and something you could support for a little bit of lean time.

if you can find a well looked after, stock, sub-100k mile 2012+ car you can generally buy it with extreme confidence.

roadkillrob

It isn't maintenance you need to worry about, it will go through more in tires than maintenance typically, if it is a P30/31 model brakes are a big item, dealer will get you for like 3k for the fronts and like 1500 for the rears pads and rotors, but you can do them for a lot less yourself or at an independent and one of the first and easiest things to do yourself. Otherwise oil changes, transmission once in a while for $350 etc.

The cars are pretty reliable, they do have some common problems that can add up if they occur but you can do an extended warranty to reduce the risk of paying yourself. Cam Adjusters get noisy and are 7k to replace at the dealer, but they just rattle and rarely fail, so it is just a noise to live with. Cams can wear, lifters can wear and do also rattle some times do to leak down, but typically good maintenance will keep the wear in check and will take a long time to wear enough to be an issue, but again another 7k or so if you need to replace cams and lifters, if just the lifters about 3500 to replace. If pre 2010, headbolt issues are also a concern and can fail with age, but are relatively affordable to replace pre failure, after they fail the heads have to come off and you need headgaskets.

The rest of the car is pretty solid, minor things here and there but holdup well.

go team

Everything thats been said above! Pick whichever will put a smile on your face both will have repair and maintenance bills. Hopefully your Nigerian inheritance is larger than mine.

Homer Oz

G'Day Folks,

Evan Smeenge, a lot of the future costs I'm sure, will relate to how hard the car you dicide to buy was driven, and how well/regularly it was previously serviced and maintained.
So I would want to confirm the cars service history, and what the previous owner/s was like.
Hope that helps.

D'oh!
Homer

Evan Smeenge

Wow! Thanks to all you folks! This is all great advice and obviously great permission to go get the car I've been eyeing for a while.

I have read into the cars and do want to focus on the 2012 or newer options.

Were there any changes from 2012 to 2013 that i should know about? And is there really a good reason to go with a P30/P31? Other than "omg it's bad *** with more HP"...

Im in Chicago, and will drive this daily. With correct tires, can I Logically drive this through the slightly snowy Chicago winter?

E

G_Money

The biggest change from 2012 to 2013 was changing the ugly yellow gauge cluster background to gray lol

The p31 also comes with forged internals. So, lighter rotating mass and stronger.

You'll be fine with proper snow tires.

Adi-Benz

I'm from Milwaukee - you'll want snow tires on your stock wheels and throw some sick aftermarket wheels on for summer. If that's not an option, I'd choose a winter beater.

AMGSPY

+1 on good winter tires. Mandatory Imho.

Dogtag114

very mandatory... undriveable on summers safely

DARRYL D

Brakes are more expensive then other "normal" cars, Gas will destroy you, tires depending on how you drive. Definitely will need a really good set of winters. I drove on light snow on my ps4s and couldn't make it up a very slight hill.. But all in all just buy it! you will love it!

zcct04

Brakes on the base C63 aren't all that bad - parts are maybe $600 for rotors and pads on all four corners. With a good YouTube video for guidance, they're easy for even a novice to swap. If you have a P30/31 package (and want to maintain the high-end front rotors), the price for parts goes up another $900. Still, that's only every 20-30k miles, so it's not a frequent problem. Your biggest recurring costs will be gasoline (figure mid-teens for mpg, closer to ten if all in town and driven hard) and tires - a grand every 8-12k miles.

Panzerbiscuit

For any consumables or replacement parts, I would hit up FCPEuro and order them in myself, and have a mechanic do the work, or do it yourself if you're that way inclined.
I changed the rotors and pads on my car recently. I got a quote from the dealership as a laugh. $6k. I jumped on FCPEuros website, $1.8k landed to my door in Aus, and $400 for my mechanic to fit them. Job Done.

Homer Oz

G'Day Folks,

Thanks for the tip on this Panzerbiscuit.
With 100K Kms on "Brutal", new brake rotors, will be required soon.

Avagreatweekendeh!
Homer

Savage-wp

I have had my 2014 C63 for about 5 years now. It is tuned with IPE headers. I do 1/4 mile, top end and track days with the car. And I drive it hard on the street.
Apart from the routine maintenance, the car has been rock solid.
Buy one, you will not regret it.