Griffith 500 to C63 AMG ..Shall I ?

[Andav469]

Goodbye appreciation, hello depreciation!

[Englishman]

In a similar vein I recently tried an Audi R8. Again an incredibly capable and easy to drive car which I'd find difficult to keep legal. It could be used even in these wet conditions with safety too. But ultimately I kept the faith and happy I did.

[pjac67]

Apparently alot of C63's are coming on the market after finishing cheap Contract Hire periods - beware residuals....as regards your low mileage 2 owner Griff (97?) anywhere between £16k and £22k if you overlook the Rosso Pearl/original paint issue..... but this shouldn't be an issue if you are happy with £1-£2k pm depreciation on a C Class...

[Steelnads]

Grr.. cant upload the pics of my phone without it crashing but will take some more on my camera and put them up. Thanks for your comments. I reckon about £20000 is a fair price....what do you think ? Regardless of whether I buy a new car or not I am selling the Griff. I am well aware that depreciation is going to be a killer on the c63 and have looked hard at used and the cheapest 507 model I have found at a dealer (and they wont negotiate) is only a few k less than new. A 5 year old car, often with several owners and not in my spec can be had for 22k ish upwards. I know depreciation is bad but the prospect of buying a used one that has a major failure is worse for me and I anticipate keeping this for 10+ years so I am taking a longer view. On this occasion I am putting the calculator away (which is unusual for me).

So 20k ?

[Steelnads]

Thanks smartypants

[AlanW]

3 chimeras
2 wedges
1 tamora
1 RS4 Avant
Now............... Just own one car....... C63 AMG estate, one year old in march , 600 miles when picked up from main dealer, all fantastic cars in different ways, but........ The C63 is the mutts nuts......does the lot, dogs, golf clubs, family..... Start up in the old morning, valves open fully..... Just can't beat a V8.

If I worried about speeding, miles per gallon, servicing , I'd never have enjoyed half of the cars I've owned.

Just my two pennies worth...........

[AlanW]

Oops....... Forgot the Maserati 4200 GT Spyder just sold.....

[Steelnads]

Hi Alanw. That is a formidable car history and you are probably well qualified to give to opinion. I am pleased its the "nuts" .... I paid the 10% deposit and checked the spec yesterday.... so excited, the 2 month wait will be painfull.

Cheers

[QBee]

Friend of mine has an Audi S5 convertible for sale. 3 litre Twin Turbos, main dealer serviced, he's gutted with how much he has lost on it....... Shoud just be a straight swap for the Griff.
Oh, and will get you nearly 30 mpg and open top motoring.

[Steelnads]

Hi Qbee. Thanks for the heads up on your friends audi but I am after NA "old school" grunt. I am going into this with my eyes wide open with regards to depreciation and perhaps your friend should have done his homework also. I would imagine it is painfull if your not expecting it. Cheers

[QBee]

Steelnads said:

Hi Qbee. Thanks for the heads up on your friends audi but I am after NA "old school" grunt. I am going into this with my eyes wide open with regards to depreciation and perhaps your friend should have done his homework also. I would imagine it is painfull if your not expecting it. Cheers

I would be too - love my 5litre Chim, do 12000 miles a year in it including track days, but have a nice big old comfy Audi A8 TDI for business.
My friend keeps buying powerful new cars for business.......it's an ego thing with him, has to have a car to brag about, yet not interested in cars otherwise.
His business partner is a car nut, has a Tuscan and several other interesting fun cars, yet bought a Merc 350 Cdi CLS shooting brake for business because it made better sense.

Good luck with your quest. Heard good things about the Corvette ZO6 (is that correct?) if you fancy something left field, and have you considered a Viper? Have to say big Mercs depreciate like mad. Brother in law bought a CL 5 litre for £77,000 in 2005. 3 years and 30,000 miles later he couldn't get £18 grand for it. So perhaps buy a 3 year old C63?

[Mellow Yellow]

Following the sale of my last Griff I bought an RS4, awesome car, superbly capable and far more practical than a Tiv. A few years on and I'm back in the fold. If you want practical performance, Stuttgart, Munich, Ingolstadt can provide it in shedloads but, after the initial new car novelty has worn off, I doubt you’ll ever find yourself taking one of the Germans out just for the fun of driving it.

You’ve done the right thing buying the Merc though, give it a couple of years and then you’ll realise what you’re missing.

[Englishman]

Mellow Yellow said:

Give it a couple of years and then you’ll realise what you’re missing.

So true. I finally decided I'd had enough of TVR's in '01 and changed the Griff 500 I had for a Ferrari 355GTS. Two years on I started looking at TVR's again. Another two years later I sold the Ferrari and bought a Sagaris. At that point I decided I'd want TVR's until I can no longer drive, so stopped fighting it. I now I have two more as well!

[ChilliWhizz]

If twere me, and if one could afford it, I'd put the Griff into secure storage. There's places around that really do look after cars well, keep them charged, start them regularly if required and take them out for short drives if asked... It would be out of sight and out of mind (other than a few quid a month going out of the bank). Then in twelve months I'd have a rethink It does rather sound like it's part of the family.... an heirloom maybe?

Chilli

[FFMan]

for me the additional lure of a TVR is near supercar performance without complexity or cost.

My colleague has a Maserati and lives in fear of gearbox failure, as the cost would finish the car. If you try and run a supercar on a budget one day you'll get burned.

I love my Griff for being cheap, fast and simple.

[Shezbo]

FFMan said:

for me the additional lure of a TVR is near supercar performance without complexity or cost.

My colleague has a Maserati and lives in fear of gearbox failure, as the cost would finish the car. If you try and run a supercar on a budget one day you'll get burned.

I love my Griff for being cheap, fast and simple.

I am looking at joining the Griff fray....are they really cheap to run/maintain???

[carsy]

Shezbo said:

I am looking at joining the Griff fray....are they really cheap to run/maintain???

Yes, if you can do the work yourself. No if you cant.

[QBee]

Reading the last four posts, three comments to make:
1. Depends on what you are comparing with - cheaper than a Masturbati, more expensive than a Euro box, both on mpg and frequency of servicing
2. Depends a little on luck. Get one in really good nick and not needing outriggers etc, then needn't cost a lot. I have had outriggers, alternator, alarm/immobiliser, over and above normal servicing in the last 18 months
3. Depends on whether you keep it as is and just drive it and polish it, or get suckered into modifying. I did the latter, and it has cost me thousands. But it's SOOOOOO MUCH FUNNNNNNN!!!!! And I have made so many new friends.

[ChilliWhizz]

Shezbo said:

I am looking at joining the Griff fray....are they really cheap to run/maintain???

Your major expense will be good polish, I'd budget at least thirty quid a week. Every week. Wear and tear on Griffs (as Smartypants states) is negligible, mainly due to things not wearing out for the six months of the year they sit in the garage. Time will be your biggest loss though, polishing it, polishing it again, staring at it in the garage, and checking values in the classifieds will take up much of your day.

Hope this helps,

Chilli

[Pete Mac]

FFMan said:

for me the additional lure of a TVR is near supercar performance without complexity or cost.

I love my Griff for being cheap, fast and simple.

Agreed 100%