Just read the review of the G63 AMG.

"sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg)
08/13/2014 at 17:41 • Filed to: None

I feel like the author was missing the point. It's not supposed to be a luxury cruiser. It's not supposed to be a work truck. And it's not supposed to be subtle. It's supposed to have presence, to have a sense of theater, and to be fun. And it's supposed to be cool. Rolling up in one makes you look like a celebrity or a Russian mafia boss. The noise is epic. The styling is imposing. And the performance is hysterical.

The review did get one thing right: The entire point of the G63 is to say, "Fuck you, I'm rich." I'd buy one, if I had the money. And if that means I am enduring a miserable, perilous, and generally unpleasant driving experience just so the whole world can know I'm an asshole, so be it. It may be a bad car, and an expensive bad car at that. But for me, just seeing one, and hearing it, tells me that there is something about it that makes it worth having. And clearly, due to its popularity with journalists and consumers alike, I'm not alone here.

To give the author his fair credit, this is both a love-it-or-hate-it car, and an incredibly stupid one.

DISCUSSION (41)

HammerheadFistpunch > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
08/13/2014 at 17:44

I got no time for a car that's only job is to send a message, especially if that message is "screw you, because: money." Also, I will disagree with you on one point: this isn't a "fun" car, and the people who buy them aren't "fun" people. They are people who want to be taken seriously and feared.

T5Killer > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
08/13/2014 at 17:46

If I wanted a horrid to drive but capable off road SUV I would get a H1.

macanamera > HammerheadFistpunch
08/13/2014 at 17:46

The vast majority of hypercars you have no time for then.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > HammerheadFistpunch
08/13/2014 at 17:48

Like I said, it's not for everyone. This vehicle is the opposite of utilitarian. It's taking a utilitarian vehicle and making it as un-utilitarian as possible. But personally, I wouldn't buy it to send that message you mentioned. I would buy it for the same reason all sorts of people buy all sorts of cars (and probably the same reason some G63 owners got theirs). I would buy it because I like it for what it is (and for how it looks).

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > T5Killer
08/13/2014 at 17:49

That's one way to do it.

HammerheadFistpunch > macanamera
08/13/2014 at 17:49

Pretty much. Boring things, super/hypercars. Though I would love to visit the factory and chat up an engineer or two. Don't get me wrong, I would love to thrash one around the track in anger, but that's the problem! Shows like Top Gear and Drive are feeding us the wrong message by showing us people who love cars driving fast cars. People who drive like that don't buy cars like that (that vast majority...I know about Chris Harris' Ferrari). Supercar's haven't interested me in a long time.

PatBateman > HammerheadFistpunch
08/13/2014 at 17:50

The vast majority of my friends who are the most fun to hang out with are rich. They do some crazy shit.

macanamera > HammerheadFistpunch
08/13/2014 at 17:53

Do you not like any AMGs?

Leadbull > T5Killer
08/13/2014 at 17:53

Wanna rush my frat, brah?

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > HammerheadFistpunch
08/13/2014 at 17:55

I can promise you, with every ounce of confidence I have, that people who love driving fast and have the money don't all take the James May approach and drive Corollas. They drive Ferraris and the like.

HammerheadFistpunch > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
08/13/2014 at 17:57

But what is "it"? I see the people who buy one as the type who shop for something and buy the more expensive one only because its "more expensive".

HammerheadFistpunch > PatBateman
08/13/2014 at 17:57

bet they dont drive an AMG63 g

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > HammerheadFistpunch
08/13/2014 at 17:58

If your asking what makes the G63 better than a normal G, it's fast and loud.

HammerheadFistpunch > macanamera
08/13/2014 at 18:01

not really, outside the very rare nutter, I see them all the time driven by short, old men who bought the AMG because it was "top of the range". I remember reading someplace a long time ago that is exactly how most people responded in a survey as to why they chose the AMG model. Besides, I think the German HP pissing contest got boring around the E60 M

HammerheadFistpunch > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
08/13/2014 at 18:03

Well, you say that. but .

HammerheadFistpunch > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
08/13/2014 at 18:04

no, you said you would buy it for "what it is", but you didn't say what it is. There are a lot of fast and loud cars, especially from AMG.

PatBateman > HammerheadFistpunch
08/13/2014 at 18:10

They do not. Aston Martin, Scuderia, Mercedes...

HammerheadFistpunch > PatBateman
08/13/2014 at 18:12

exactly. This car is for "badass" rich types. The ones who couldn't find Ukraine on a map but want people to think he just got off the phone with his BFF Putin. This isn't a car for fun people.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > HammerheadFistpunch
08/13/2014 at 18:14

Right, but the G63 looks cool, and is totally ridiculous. That's why I'd buy it.

PatBateman > HammerheadFistpunch
08/13/2014 at 18:15

Funny you say that. The two people that I have known in the past that HAVE owned G63s were both professional athletes.

HammerheadFistpunch > PatBateman
08/13/2014 at 18:17

makes sense, they definitely want that air of badassery.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > HammerheadFistpunch
08/13/2014 at 18:18

It's an interesting survey, but it doesn't change the fact that gear head celebrities like Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, Patrick Dempsy, the late Paul Walker, etc. all enjoy themselves a good modern super car. Hell, even some wealthy gear heads I know have modern super cars in their garages.

And yes, Astons (which ranked second in that enjoyment survey) count as super cars, regardless of where the engine is.

What I'm trying to say is, just because a car is expensive and flashy, and a lot of people buy it because it is expensive and flashy, doesn't mean it isn't a great car, or that people never buy it simply for that reason. Not everyone with an expensive car buys it with the sole goal of showing off. When I said the G63 sent off the "Fuck you because money" vibe, for a lot of people, that means what you said it means. But it can also mean, "I like this car, I can afford this car, and I honestly don't care what you think about me driving this car."

If you prefer a humble type of car that does exactly what you need it to and doesn't make any statements, you're not supposed to "get" this car, and that's okay. It ain't for everyone, as I said. But just know that not everyone with money who chooses a flashy luxury car over a common, sensible, utilitarian car is doing so because they are a showy, arrogant prick.

HammerheadFistpunch > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
08/13/2014 at 18:19

so...the 3 boob chick in Total recall? Fake and silly.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > HammerheadFistpunch
08/13/2014 at 18:20

Okay, we get the idea. You don't like the G63. At this point, you're more just sitting bashing anyone who does like it.

HammerheadFistpunch > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
08/13/2014 at 18:25

There are, of course, outliers in the data, but its a well documented fact that supercars are for strutin' first and foremost. I'm not calling them an arrogant prick, but the message they ARE sending (maybe not the one they want to send) is that they want you to notice them and their wealth. Are there people that buy a Rolex because of its perpetual movement, oyster case and sapphire glass make them more durable in harsh environments? Of course there are, though its pretty slim compared to the ones who buy them because "its a Rolex".

HammerheadFistpunch > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
08/13/2014 at 18:26

you may have a point. On the other hand, I just can't get inside the head of mentality it takes to like this car...and im trying.

macanamera > HammerheadFistpunch
08/13/2014 at 18:35

That nutter is me.

HammerheadFistpunch > macanamera
08/13/2014 at 18:37

and bless you for it. Frankly I think its more outrageous that people like you buy a car that like to use it than it is that AMG builds it.

BZiel > HammerheadFistpunch
08/13/2014 at 18:38

I rode in one with a friend who owns one and who is a banker with the ECB in Frankfurt. I asked him why he bought it since there are almost no offroads in this part of Germany. He replied, "Because I can."

Textured Soy Protein > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
08/13/2014 at 18:45

What compels you to want something that tells other people, "fuck you, I'm rich"?

I've got money, and drive a BMW, and would be perfectly happy if it were the same car just not badged as a BMW.

Because I'd rather not drive a vehicle that makes people look at me with disdain.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
08/13/2014 at 19:12

Yes, hello, me and you feel the same way. *Internet high five*

This might be why I like the Range Rove Sport Supercharged. I don't NEED a 500+ horsepower SUV that costs $100,000, but damn, I want one just so I can say "I drive a supercharged Range Rover and it's fucking awesome."

A G63 wouldn't hurt either.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/13/2014 at 19:45

It's an entirely pointless vehicle, and that's a big part of why it appeals to me.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
08/13/2014 at 19:47

Pointless cars are the best cars IMO.

No, I don't NEED a lifted Silverado, but why the hell not?

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > HammerheadFistpunch
08/13/2014 at 19:48

Don't bother. That would be like be trying to understand Mr. Rolland's obsession with those 80's Cadillacs with strange wheels. It's not the sort of think I like, and I can't even get why someone else would possibly, conceivably find them in any way positive or likable.

So I just don't think about it.

macanamera > HammerheadFistpunch
08/13/2014 at 19:50

To be fair, I would never have a G63.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Textured Soy Protein
08/13/2014 at 19:51

It varies. Some people are insecure. Some people crave attention. Some people (this is the category I might fall under) buy it as a way of saying, "I like my car, and I don't care if you don't". And a small number of people (the one I would mostly fall under) buy it because there's something about a Tonka-truck style SUV with a massive engine that is fast and noisy and looks like it is here to kill you that appeals to your inner child.

To be honest, many of the people that buy it are just vain and shallow. But not all of them. And that doesn't mean there isn't more to the G63 than that.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/13/2014 at 19:51

Same with mine.

Textured Soy Protein > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
08/13/2014 at 22:13

I was mostly asking why you would buy it, since you said "if that means I am enduring a miserable, perilous, and generally unpleasant driving experience just so the whole world can know I'm an asshole, so be it."

There are plenty of other cars that will both make you look like and asshole and are good to drive. So why pick a car that—by your own words—only covers the looking like an asshole part?

Brewman15 > HammerheadFistpunch
08/13/2014 at 22:15

Oh man, I thought I was the only one. I madly respect the tech, the complexity, and the marvel of super/hypercars, but if I were ever given when I'd probably sell it a buy several cars I could actually work on and wouldn't be afraid of beating on.

Brewman15 > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/13/2014 at 22:24

Yes, but the difference between the Range Rover Sport and G63 is that after you're done off-roading or flogging it on a track, it settles down to a quiet and comfortable vehicle like most modern SUVs. The G63 doesn't. It always has a jarring ride, a seating position meant for a soldier rather than a rich suburbanite, tacky chrome bits, interior trim from the 70s and styling created with a straight edge and a pencil.

It just seems like you have to give up everything of a modern car...especially on a $100k+ one... on the G63 just for the image of having it.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Textured Soy Protein
08/13/2014 at 22:25

Because I find it cool.