For awhile now we have been looking to add a new car to the garage that would primarily serve the purpose of being a fun daily driver.
Initially we had our sights set on an 07-08 Mercedes E63 AMG. It’s a sharp looking car, plenty of horsepower for everyday grunt, and fairly depreciated enough for us to consider them good buys.
However, that was until we drove a C63 AMG…
At first, we had never given the C63 much consideration because it just didn’t quite look as good as the E63, nor was the interior up to par, but driving it was another story.
While the E63 was more refined in all areas, and felt ‘floaty’ because of airmatic suspension, the C63 felt sportier (as expected) and made the driving experience much more fun, and equally as comfortable.
This was pretty important considering this car would be driven over 60+ miles a day and sit in traffic a lot.
For the record, we do realize the fuel efficiency is horrible, but that comes with the territory 🙂
We also want to mention we did cross shop an E92 BMW M3, but the interior quality left a lot to be desired, and it was just way too common where we lived.
Doing Our Research
With all that in mind, our search for a C63 began and we ironically came across a 2009 C63 AMG for sale on Cars.com while in San Francisco for work. It’s important to not not limit your search to your local market as there will always be wonderful cars across the entire US.
Having done our research beforehand through resources like MBWorld, we knew exactly what to look for.
The car in question was very nicely spec’d in a desirable Calcite White exterior / black full leather configuration fully loaded with every option except for the P30 Performance package, which wasn’t a deal breaker in our opinion.
The car was a 1-owner car and formerly leased, however, the owner bought out the lease and now was available to resell.
With an asking price of roughly $37,000, mileage sitting around 48,000, and an existing warranty that was about to expire, we scheduled a test drive and felt impressed enough to move forward.
Pre-Purchase Inspection
The car was in fantastic shape for the mileage and also had a clean CarFax.
The next step for us was to figure out the extended warranty situation and to schedule a pre-purchase inspection.
Through a referral of ours, we found an independent European shop around San Francisco that said they could accommodate our needs for a pre-purchase inspection.
Pre-purchase inspections are very important because it allows an expert to comb through the car and find any/all issues that you may not discover yourself.
They will present a written report and it’s a great tool to use to your advantage during negotiations.
With a cost from around $150 to $500, it’s worth the peace of mind. Luckily the car came out clean without any issues.
Extended Warranty
Mercedes generally are pretty reliable believe it or not. However, that is not to say that things don’t go bad.
It is pretty well documented that the headbolts on 2008-2011 C63 AMG are prone to failure and can cause serious engage damage. It wasn’t enough to stop us and we knew we had the peace of mind by adding an extended warranty.
If a Mercedes is under warranty, you can actually extend the warranty another several years or up to 100,000 miles on top of your factory warranty.
Not many people know this, but you can shop around for extended warranty prices. They trick is to shop around and talk to the main contact of the finance department at Mercedes dealer.
We anticipated only owning the car for about a year or so, so we got an awesome deal from a Mercedes dealer in Wisconsin of all places for 1 extra year up to 75,000 miles for $1,700.
Making The Purchase
With everything looking good on our end, we quickly moved forward with the seller and got the car down to $35,700 after a little negotiation.
Not too bad considering MSRP on this particular car was probably north of $65,000 new, meaning a savings of roughly 50% by purchasing used.
Interest rates are good so we were able to secure a 60mo / 1.99% loan through our preferred credit union Pentagon Federal Credit Union.
All said and done, we were roughly in the car for $39,200 ($35,700 purchase price, $1,700 extended warranty, $1,800 sales tax).
We now have a wonderful C63 AMG in our possession.
Upcoming Plans
Our plan is enjoy the car for what it is and do some slight modifications here and there. Nothing too crazy but you never know.
Ultimately, we want to exit this vehicle in about a years time before the warranty expires and recuperate as much as we can.
How will it all work out? Wait and see 🙂
