duckymomo190

I am a 17-year-old and I have worked very hard for my money and one of my dream (achievable dream cars)(affordable) cars is the 2009 c63 amg sedan, I was wondering if it makes any sense or there is any way in the world that buying that car as my first car (still going to drive my mom's old car before I decide to buy the c63) makes sense and I am not a troll, I do feel that 15k for this car is worth it and it will not exactly be my first car, but owning wise yes it will be my first. Are there any classes or anything you guys would recommend for me to take or would you guys recommend waiting until I'm older and then buying it. I do want to say that I am not crazy( hopefully) and I can control myself when needed but I am also a huge fan of going fast. Since I am not a citizen of my country, I can't afford to risk getting arrested or even pulled over, so I do know that I cannot do stupid **** either. I would like to repeat as well, I am not looking for validation from one person who agrees with me and will carefully make this decision, and also I would like to think I am mature and can control myself, but feel free to drop your opinions below since I am curious and trying to get all the sides of the argument to help with my decision.

roadkillrob

I have raised 2 teenage boys, both grew up driving stuff since they were 4 dirt bikes quads anything with wheels lots of time and skill, passes their driving tests with flying colors and both have driven my 507 but no way would it ever be their first car as it is basically a weapon and until they have been behind the wheel for many years will not fully understand that. Also even as good as they were they both had mishaps in the first 3-4 years of driving and damaged their cars, so you really want a cheap sacrificial car for a while as a c63 is hugely expensive to fix so a 15k car can cost you so much more for a minor accident and repairs of 5k a pop are somewhat common from head bolts lifters etc and all that is if you can even get insurance.

hyperion667

Good morning. I respect your query for advice. Please consider waiting a while and getting some time behind the wheel with the public before jumping into such a highly powered car. Give it some time and continue to save money. Many things present themselves as time goes on! GL to you young man

duckymomo190

thanks for explaining, i also do understand where you are coming from and the more i get closer to actually getting the car, the more hesitant I am getting because I do not want to do anything stupid.
and also the cost to get something fixed on that car is also one of the main internal arguments I am having. And if I do end up getting one, which I am still unsure about do you think getting the sedan would be safer or how would I build up to being able to drive that car, like at what age and how much experience.

duckymomo190

thank you so much, I am considering waiting but I am also unsure of how long and how to build up to being able to drive that car. Have a nice day 😃

chassis

A 12 year old high performance German car will be very expensive to maintain. Can you afford this? Do you have a job or source of income?

What is the highest performance car you have driven so far?

BalanBro

My personal opinion is that a high powered rear wheel drive car should not be your first car, as you will need time to get a good feel for the controls, especially when driving fast. My personal opinion is to have at least 30-40k miles (not kilometers) of experience before you consider diving in. Now with all that said, as a young car enthusiast, you probably don't want something boring either.

If I were you, I would consider a well powered AWD car as your first vehicle, assuming it's in your budget. Something like an AWD Infinity would be a great first car that is fun to drive, especially if has the twin turbo V6 engine. They are pretty darn quick, and with the AWD system, will be much safer for a new driver. Oh, and the maintenance costs would be far more reasonable than pretty much any 12 year old German car, let alone an AMG.

TJH416

I'm 26, and the C63 is my 3rd car so far. My first car was a Honda Civic Si. Fantastic little car. I will say that I learned a ton, did alot of work on that car, and modded it as well. It was alot of fun and it taught me a ton about road-going vehicles. Looking back, having a car like the C63 as my first vechicle would have been extremely expensive to maintain, and I most likely would've wrapped it around a pole.

My advice would be save some of your money, get a cheaper sportier car that is easy to work on and has plenty of parts available on the market. Learn as you go and once you are a bit older and in a better spot, then go for something like the C63. I made alot of dumb decisionswith that civic that would have been even worse in something like the C63. While not the fastest cars on the road, the lower priced sports cars are still a ton of fun (I absolutely loved my civic and I wish I still had it).

You have plenty of years left to get something like a C63 as a garage queen.

CyanideRide

Never turn off traction control.

The car has way more power and torque than you can handle and you will quickly run out of either talent or road fast.

Even with the LSD, sport mode lets go in a very predictable way, but never ever switch it off completely unless you are on a track.

BLKROKT

Ahhhh it’s that time of year I guess. There have been many many similar postings over the years, all with the same question, all with basically the same advice. I don’t think any of the prospective buyers ever responded post-purchase probably because they drove off of cliffs or wrapped their cars around trees. I’m reminded of the Canadian kid that crashed into the woods a few years back and the car was unrecognizable.

A C63 is just about the worst first car you could imagine. Get something cheap, FWD or AWD, with under 300hp. Take some drivers education and instruction on a track as well to learn how cars work in a controlled environment. Get a few years under your belt. Once you’ve mastered driving and wrenching on that without killing yourself, in rain and snow and traffic at night etc, then look at something like a C63. It being an “axe murderer with headlights” is not an exaggeration, especially to a novice driver. It’ll kill you quick, others too. Nobody wants a 17yo C63 driver out there.

It’s just a supremely bad idea.

Slow_c63

iTrader: (1)

If I may,

I personally would not recommend getting a c63 just yet. Getting a c63 for 15k means you’re getting one with high mileage, half dozen owners, with accident or damage reported. And if you’re lucky you might get one with service records, that stopped 6 years ago. More or less.

Last thing you want to do is buy a c63 for 15k just to spend another 15k getting it back on the road. Would you be ready for that?

If you want my advice on your first car, and Mercedes is your thing, go with a 2012+ C350 Sport. Very nice cars imo. 300hp-290 trq still puts it in the fun category, trust me.

Cammer88

$400/month in fuel is always fun too.. to get 720miles.

chassis

@duckymomo190 What’s your take so far on the comments? They seem to fall into the categories of the car will eat you alive financially, or may cause you or others serious physical harm. Do you have thoughts on any of this?

hyperion667

Very good advice
Again, more great advice! Good points made too
Gas here in NC is about 3.50 a gallon right now(for 93)! I buy regular for my lawnmower and backpack blower though, luckily I don't spend much on that.

hachiroku

car is for sale for 15k...expect to pay 8k in repairs within the first 2 years of ownership. if the head bolts haven't been done and fail...expect to spent 15k in repairs within the first 2 years if your engine fails.

Helamanofa

As others are saying, I believe this is a great first “PROJECT” car to buy. To account, I have a 09 C63 as my first car at the age of 18, and it’s been a love hate relationship.

To start, you’d likely have to change out everything for the car if it wasn’t taken care of (injectors, coils, plugs, lifters) these won’t be cheap and you’ll mostly likely send around 5-8k on just changing these parts. Oil changes are a MUST as well, although FCPeuro does a lifetime warranty so get familiar with that. Tires is another thing on these cars which u have to change.

after keeping up on those oil changes, gas is very pricey nowadays and you won’t be getting more than 600-800 miles per fill-up. This would most likely be a 2 year plan until you know what you want to really do with the car.

My advice would be to get this car if you’re feeling the M156 vibe and you love the car, and then buy a cheap *** Honda for 1-2k and use the C63 on the weekend.

deadlyvt

I’d second that advice. If you really want it get it but use it as a “b” car for gun or the off drive. Get something cheap for a car to drive to work or school or whatever you are doing and then if you ever have to fix something on the amg you can wait until you have funds or until it’s fixed and it’s no big deal

Jasonoff

SDR

Find one for $14K and spend the other $1K on the car you'll drive, and ultimately wreck.

duckymomo190

yes well it makes it clearer for me to see all sides of the argument for my safe and others, I am still unsure with the financial side since it was a very expensive car, but I am also starting to see a pattern where it is recommended to atleast drive 50k miles and learning proper for icing before hopping in a car like this, I also do want to say that I have not made a decision and most likely will not go with the c63 because of everything that can go wrong, with the car, my driving and even what can happen if I mess up and how it affects others

duckymomo190

i am still unsure cause overall even at the beginning I knew it wasn’t the greatest idea to even think about getting a car like that but also looking at other people’s arguments just shows that, it is not a first car by any means and I should definitely rethink this decision or atleast get enough experience to be able to understand and handle the car

GRP

My son learned to drive at the wheel of a tuned V8 6 speed manual (think Pontiac GTO in 4 doors).

His first car was a VW Polo GTi 18 turbo that cornered like it was on rails and had plenty of go. After 12 months I gave him access to the stage one of the tune in it and at 18 months he had the full tune - think 1,000 kg, 150kw at the wheels, front drive manual. Ten years later he still has that car along with a Toyota Century V12.

There is no way I would have let have something like the C63 as a starter car and thankfully where I live there are restrictions on what you can drive in your first 3 years.

Certainly get something that is fun, handles well and has get up and go but not a C63 weapon. get a year or 2 experience and then live the dream.

Book yourself into a driver education track day - I did for my son and daughter and they had a ball and learnt a lot.

Music City Benz

Apart from maintenance and breaking/bending stuff, how much would insurance be for a 17 yo driver?

jasoncdoll

I am 57 years old and recently purchased a 2010 C63 with 120K miles on it. I bought it from a 24 year-old who loved it, but he did not make a lot of money, and he was neglecting the maintenance needs of the car. In 6-7 months of ownership, here is what has had to be done to bring the car up to speed:

New Head Bolts: $3000
New Intake Manifold: $2700
Motor & Transmission Mounts: $750
New Crank Case Vent Valve $300 (done with the intake)

There is the slightest ticking in the front of the engine right when the car first starts up. That's the Cam Rollers going bad. There are 4 of them. Soon they will have to be replaced. That's another $4000 with labor.

I am a working scientist with a six-figure income, and this is not my first AMG (stands for All Money Gone), so I knew that I was getting into. I have boys 16 and 19. I would never recommend this car for either of them. My eldest saved his money and hawked a large search area on craigslist for months. He ended up scoring a 1995 BMW M3 from a serious enthusiast in Richmond. It had 168K miles, but it was (is) a manual, and the body and paint (Boston Green) are in impeccable condition, and he got it for a mere $6300. It has a Stage 2 build on it with a Turner chip, cold air intake, and a full after-market exhaust. We have never had it dynoed, but it probably makes 270-275 HP. The suspension is improved too. The car is an absolute blast to drive, and it turns heads everywhere. In two years, he has had to do almost nothing to it, other than tires and routine maintenance. My point is that you can get a car that will be fun, and that you can be proud of without breaking the bank.

Beyond that, as many have said above, the C 63 is a seriously dangerous car. With the traction control off, it fully aspires to killing you. From a 25-30 mph punch the elapsed time to 100 mph is around 3 seconds if you are standing on it. Nobody should be in a car like that until they have spent time on a track and probably a skid pad learning the limits of brakes, the fine points of the sometimes tenuous relationship between tires and asphalt, and the force of radial momentum.

Just my 2 cents.

hyperion667

Oh man, what a story! What kind of scientist are you? I like science but am no 'tist!