I'm not sure how much folklore it is as much as i think it is a genuine increased risk of requiring significant expenditures on repairs etc compared to ... a $21,000 used Toyota Camry or Honda Accord ...

think of the risk tolerance of MOST people in the market for a $21,000 used or new car ... they don't want $100,000 car problems in the next four to five years

a niche buyer is looking for this 2010 e63 and he's more likely to research it a bit more than a naive buyer who just stumbles on this used car and perhaps it's more enticing to jump to the ttv8 for a little more; think of all the m156 vs m157 threads on this forum ...

$0.02

although not as reliable as a Camry, a way better car than the Camry. It was once worth around $100k the Camry even in its prime will never be close in build quality or enjoyment

but the folklore is that all German or performance German cars are unreliable and expensive to maintain. Which is false. You really need to know what you’re shopping for every brand has good and bad cars

such folklor is what Leads people to buying a Subaru wrx thinking they’re getting a reliable asian car and avoiding Germans due to reliability only to find out that their new Subaru wrx or STI not only costed more than a used amg, but blows a whole engine in less than 60k miles (trust me I know a few ppl this happened to very recently)
but they will call used amg unreliable with no prior knowledge of the car or its engines

Respectfully, so much may be missing from your dissection of the concept surrounding German unreliability ... particularly performance German autos

they tend to be... drive more aggressively. This leads to wear and tear that is beyond the typical wear and tear of a ... more podantic vehicle like the Accord.

they tend to be leased... which leads to higher turnover and less care for aggressive driving

it seems to be a fact to me that routine maintenance is more costly on amg's than other cars less costly. And when something goes wrong, it's a lot of money to fix it , compared to a less costly vehicle

I think the loss of value on an amg is no different than any superb high priced non performance car ... when it's value cannot keep up with the potential costs of repair -- why do warranty companies tend to walk away from amg's? They have actuaries that prove the "folklore" to be essentially a high risk vehicle and not worth their investment

there is NO doubt to me that the e63 is a way better performer and looker and bringer of happiness while I'm driving it ... car. But the balanced of my life is also includes lower risk tolerance therefore I too shall dump my 2014 when my ELW is up and get a new one.

thoughts?

i see what you’re saying I don’t think that folklore is the correct term,there is German cars that created this stigma but it’s foolish that so many people think like this when in fact it’s only some cars that are problematic. like I said, if you know what to look for engine wise then you get a reliable car. People who buy new or newer European cars because they’re afraid of it being unreliable are the ones getting duped.

the guy who bought my car new paid $138k I bought it with almost 40k miles for a fraction of that, way less than half and it was only a few years old at the time

in the time he owned it he had no major repairs. I’ve owned it to 100k miles and even had An extended warranty added to it. Up until now I have had no major issues with the car. Only major repair was the starter. My warranty went it’s entire length without needing repairs so essentially was a waste which may be rare but happened nonethelessless. My fingers are crossed for my current CEL but you have to consider. Who took the bigger L? The guy who bought it new for 138k? and got rid of it when warranty was up or nearing over or the guy who got it used for a steal and had no issues for thousands of miles and had to shell out maybe a few thousand tops for upkeep? I’m speaking just about this experience right now but I’ve owned other cars with the same essential story. I don’t buy new cars. I do my research and choose wisely the money I spent on maintenance/repairs is chump change compared to the $80k+ he lost in depreciation alone over just a few years. With that being said I’m not saying every German car is okay to own out of warranty but I would definitely take that over a brand new Camry. Besides only a fool buys a brand new Camry, those things are built to last so long why do you need to pay more for 0 miles? But that’s another story for another time

my beat friend bought a 2012 civic si brand new and he had way more warranty work done on his car in the first 2 years than this car has had in its whole existence. His whole engine “head” blew in the first year ( this is how he described it idk the exact part that caused it” these are just examples that the stigma is not true at all and can often be the opposite

A guy once told me “ you can either make depreciation your ***** and buy a used luxury or you can let depreciation **** you in the *** and buy a new one”

Well said.

i can afford it. I like new like I like a nice steak. It is what it is. You guys are smarter than me and can save your $40-50,000. I can afford the loss as I don't lose sleep over it. I paid $92k for my car brand new and I have no regrets and have enjoyed every moment!!

Cheers

I have no disagreement there I respect it I’m just speaking on the reliability aspect. I just don’t believe these cars turn to junk after 40k miles or so and I usually buy to own forever so I can understand the different approaches. To each his own nonetheless no way is better than the other

we totally agree on the fact that most of these cars if well maintained and driven reasonably do not turn to junk. Think of all the other products in the world that the industry has subtlety convinced consumers that "you need a new laptop.... you need a new tv.... you need a new [insert product here]", often for so many products we convince ourselves we need a new one

For $21,000, you're getting a $100,000 car that performs like a $100,000 car was designed to do, it's a Benz and it's luxurious and it carries prestige. This is a car that the car magazines gushed over when it came out. It's a ton of car for the money and the right buyer will recognize that and scoop this car up and love it.

good conversation! These discussions definitely open my eyes a bit