Another Real Used Exotic Comparison

"LongbowMkII" (longbowmkii)
05/30/2015 at 12:14 • Filed to: None

What is a red-blooded American family man supposed to drive? If you said anything but a black sedan with a v8, you are wrong. I know, I know, masculinity isn’t defined by your car and blah blah blah. Seriously though, there is an undeniable male appeal to this basic format. So much in fact, that my wife uses one as her DD. Huh.

But thanks to Obama, or a multitude of external market forces outside of the control of any individual, the V8 sedan is becoming a threatened species (again). What is this man supposed to buy in this crossover and hybrid infested car market? Well, assuming you have $35,000* you’re probably hopping stoically walking down to your Dodge dealer and picking up a new Dodge Charger R/T. Good choice hypothetical man, but what if I told you there is another option? One that is a bit more... Teutonic? Like this !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ?

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*Assuming that you don’t have a line of credit for $10,000 to spend on the Chevrolet SS as you should

Now don’t get this model confused with your standard E-class, this is really a 4 door muscle car. Much like that new Dodge Charger you just bought. Weird coincidence. I’m sure that’s the only similarity between these two cars. It must be noted that the Mercedes has the bigger more powerful motor, so really the rest is probably semantics.

Now the important part! Why I’m comparing a $24,000 V8 sedan to a new $35,000 V8 sedan.

The depreciation on AMG’s are legendary, and you’re not buying at the bottom (if you want that, check out the W210 E55 AMG) so expect to lose quite a bit more over the next few years. It’s not the last of the big V8’s and not rare like the early AMG’s so I can’t see it being great investment material. On the other hand, Dodge Chargers also depreciate quickly so the E63 isn’t so bad relatively.

Fuel costs? GTFO with that commie bullshit. Did you miss the V8 memo? I oughta knock over a 55 gallon drum just since you asked. What do you mean it’s no longer 1997 and fuel actually costs money? oh. In that case, the E63 is seriously awful (12/19) and the Charger is less awful (16/25). Insurance wasn’t as simple as last week as apparently companies either want your info for quoting the AMG or don’t cover it. Lame.

Well, I think we can all take a guess at what the real reason I’m able to compare these, maintenance costs! Generally, many prices AREN’T so bad, like $20 for a M-B oil filter and it takes over 2 gallons of oil (Mobil 1 seems to be fine) makes a standard oil change around 70-80 bucks, not horrible. Twin sparkplugs make those a bit pricer than you’d think, ~$120 for all 16 plugs. Considering that you have bought even plugs to outfit half the Spec Miata field, it’s not so bad. Replacing coils/wires isn’t much worse either, ~$400 dollars for coils/wires/plugs. (correction: this applies to the E55 AMG, the E63 which has 8 plugs !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ~$80. h/t AMGtech)That’s downright affordable on a 500hp motor. SIGN ME UP!

Hold up now! Well, don’t hold up too much, take it easy on those brakes. Why? Replacement rotors are !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . You could apparently save a few hundred and get non OEM replacements, but I will never suggest fucking with the brakes without a lot more research than I’m willing to put forth on a hypothetical. Oh, those are just the fronts. Budget $400 for all 4 brake pads. The airmatic suspension replacement parts are also relatively expensive, think ~$2,000 for !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! but there are slightly cheaper coil spring replacements available from them as well. They seem to be popular on assorted boards, but again, do your own research. I found a decent list of common replacement parts !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . If you’re seriously considering an AMG become good friends with that list, do your homework and budget accordingly. Special thanks to MBworld’s Toadster for putting that list together, makes my ‘work’ much easier than last week’s DB7.

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This is all assuming that you’re doing your own labor. You have airtools, youtube and the American spirit, you can probably do it. Just don’t forget to measure twice. I can’t imagine the dealer (independent or not) costs for dropping the rear axle/sub frame. Although, there is enough wiggle room in that budget that if you aren’t comfortable doing the big jobs yourself you can pay for some work if you need it. The Charger counters with the convenient warranty (5 year/100k mile drivetrain, 3 year/ 36k mile bumper). Whatever. Although, Mercedes does have a notable reputation for supporting (in small ways) out of warranty cars.

If you know your way around a wrench(probably both ways) and have the discipline to save for those expensive jobs it’s tough to overlook the madness of an AMG. However if someone calls you soft for taking the “easy” way and buying the Charger instead, you’re welcome to asphyxiate them in a could of tire smoke. Oh yeah...tires. You price those out, I need to go research the rubber futures market.

DISCUSSION (5)

dogisbadob > LongbowMkII
05/30/2015 at 12:36

There’s also the previous-gen Impala SS with a front bench seat

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > LongbowMkII
05/30/2015 at 12:40

Pretty good way to look at it and fairly accurate representation of costs. But that’s why you try to find one that had already had most of that stuff done. And really, the air struts on these aren’t as problematic as those on the SUV’s, so it shouldn’t be a huge fear as much as something to be aware of. Or just get a service contact!

FYI the M156 engine in the W211 E63 only has 8 spark plugs and is coil-on-plug, so no wires.

LongbowMkII > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
05/30/2015 at 12:53

ahh, good to know! Knew they were different motors I guess it was unclear/ I got confused about the distinction between the E55 and E63 parts. researching more to update! Thanks.

Schaefft > LongbowMkII
05/30/2015 at 20:12

To be honest, nothing on that parts lists seems too extreme for me apart from the mentioned front rotors for the E63, which have a (probably proven) alternative for half the price mentioned right below it. Anyone who expects to buy an AMG (or any similar vehicle for that matter) without having to spend any money on it is a fool, because thats not how owning a car works in real life. On the other hand a majority of people that don’t drive a Civic will have very similar running costs for vehicles that don’t have even half the performance or curb appeal of an AMG e-class.

LongbowMkII > Schaefft
05/30/2015 at 20:53

If its proven, then go for them. I just didn’t want to endorse something that was possibly a bad product.