Ask a child for a big number, and there’s a non-zero chance they’ll say “500.” They aren’t wrong. More than 500 horsepower is a properly zesty amount in a road car, capable of enabling some serious shenanigans that your local Sheriff won’t like. It takes self-restraint to enjoy and sensibly deploy 500 horsepower, but as of now, it doesn’t take a whole lot of money. Depreciation is a beautiful thing, and it’s made several 500-horsepower cars surprisingly inexpensive. The original Mercedes-Benz ML63 might be the cheapest of the lot, with some examples only costing as much as a 2013 Toyota Corolla.
Could depreciation be the thing that turns traditionalist enthusiasts onto performance SUVs? It’s not a guarantee, but it’s definitely a possibility. In the beginning, fast on-road SUVs were dismissed as chariots for rich idiots who cared about status more than driving. However, after nearly two decades of potholes and Taco Bell farts, this class of vehicles has lost enough value that they aren’t just for rich idiots, they’re for all idiots.
Sure, they might not handle anything like sports sedans, and they chew through gasoline like an overenthusiastic Jack Russell Terrier destroys its favorite toys, but you can certainly tow more with most of them than with sports sedans. If you acquire enough shitboxes, a boss tow rig absolutely comes in handy, and the ML63 AMG is among the bossiest of them all.
Ballistic Rhinoceros
The second-generation ML, made from 2006 until 2011, was a do-over car for Mercedes-Benz. See, the original ML sold well, but it came at the apex of the three-pointed star’s Y2K quality slump. Learning from mistakes, Mercedes-Benz gave the second-generation car more luxury, more toys, and more power. A whole lot more power. At the top of the heap sat the 503-horsepower ML63 AMG, powered by the biblical M156 6.2-liter naturally-aspirated V8. Sure, this engine was used in a whole bunch of models, but don’t let that dull the fact that a 6.2-liter overhead-cam V8 is a special, special thing.
Of course, power is nothing without control, so AMG went to work on the rest of the car, making some dramatic changes. The seven-speed automatic transmission shifts 50 percent faster in manual mode than the one in the ML500, the rear air suspension is 60 percent stiffer than on the ML500, and the front air suspension is 100 percent stiffer than on the ML500. The front discs measure a gargantuan 15.4 inches in diameter, and the tires were massive 295/40R20 steamrollers. The result? This 5,093-pound predator could put up some serious numbers.
In 2007, Car And Driver clocked an ML63 from zero-to-60 mph in 4.6 seconds, with the rolling start five-to-60-mph time flashing by in 4.9 seconds. Stamping on the wide pedal brought things to a halt in 160 feet, while keeping the loud pedal pinned for just over 35 seconds would send the ML63 right into its speed limiter of 155 mph. We’re talking zero-to-60 mph acceleration to match an Aston Martin DB9, a brand new Land Rover Defender 110 V8, and a Lexus LC 500. Braking distance? That’s on-par with a Lotus Elise. Oh, and did I mention the ML63 can tow 5,000 pounds?
How Cheap Are We Talking?
Even on online auction sites, you can pick up an early ML63 for less than $10,000 if you’re okay with a vehicle with some mileage. And sometimes, you can spend a whole lot less – this 2008 ML63 AMG with 182,000 miles on the clock just sold on Cars & Bids for an astonishing $6,300. How many cars that rolled out of the factory with 500 horsepower can be had cheaper?
Sure, this might not be a cosmetically perfect car, some major maintenance items are unknowns, and the mileage is up in “holy crap” territory, but we’re talking $12.52 per horsepower here. Hell, since it’s an ML63 AMG, that’s $100 per singular unit of AMG in the nameplate. I might not know how math works, but that’s an obscene deal for people who want to go fast, and it leaves plenty of room in the budget for maintenance remedies and, say, forced induction. If these things are a riot at 503 horsepower, imagine how much fun they are with more than 700 horsepower.
Alright, so maybe that’s a particularly cheap example, but you know what? Other examples are also heinously cheap. Here’s a 2007 model that’s seen head stud replacement for peace of mind that hammered for $8,900 on Cars & Bids back in October of 2023. Sure, that’s $2,600 more than the black example, but keep things in perspective. Where are you getting this much this much power and this much capability for such little money?
Hold Up, The Wear Items Are What Now?
Unfortunately, with big power comes big bills. In addition to the obvious specter of air suspension, there are a few foibles you should know about the ML63 that apply to most cars with the M156 6.2-liter V8 engine. The most egregious? Prematurely worn camshafts. As fast Mercedes specialist JM Speedshop writes:
Camshaft replacement should be considered a regular maintenance task as most camshafts show wear failures around 100,000 miles. Wear occurs most commonly on the left and right intake camshafts and if left unattended, the cam lobe will eat through the hydraulic lifter. Frequent oil changes, using the correct oil viscosity for your climate, and including an anti-wear additive with oil changes are all measures we recommend to protect your engine. Additionally, higher mileage engines should have their oil sent out for analysis periodically or the valve covers should be removed and camshaft lobes inspected for signs of wear.
What in the Mickey Mouse Chevrolet 305 flat-tappet bullshit is this? Camshafts as wear items? Camshafts are pretty much never wear items! Still, that didn’t stop Mercedes-Benz from making them so in M156 engines. One solution is to get regrinds from legendary AMG tuner Victory Road Performance. Pricing runs at $2,999 just for the camshafts, but their harder regrind alloy should solve wear issues permanently, and these cams come with the bonus of a claimed 20 extra horsepower. Keep in mind, you’ll probably need to replace your hydraulic lifters at the same time, so expect to splash out another thousand or so on the kit for those from FCP Euro.
The next common issue is head bolt failure. Each cylinder head is affixed to the block with a series of bolts, and over time, some of those bolts can break. Once that happens, the heads can lift, and coolant can enter the combustion chamber. This affects M156-powered vehicles up to 2012, but can be remedied with updated bolts from Mercedes-Benz. The bolts themselves are cheap, at just $65.99 a set on FCP Euro, but replacing head bolts is a labor-intensive job.
Oh, and then there’s the potential issue of conductor plate failure inside the seven-speed automatic transmission. I’ve done a full article on this if you want to read more, but to cut to the chase, conductor plate replacement requires coding the new part to the car and can cost thousands of dollars to have done at a shop. Not fun.
Should You Buy An ML63 AMG?
If you’re asking yourself this question after learning that the camshafts are considered wear items, you probably fall into one of two camps. The first camp is thinking, “What are the chances all these failures could happen to me?” If that’s the case, you shouldn’t buy an ML63 AMG. They are as rapid as they are ruinously expensive to run, especially if you’re unable to do your own wrenching. However, if you’re thinking is along the lines of, “That sounds much easier than the time I did BMW N62 valve stem seal replacement on my driveway,” you should absolutely buy an ML63 AMG. They are seriously rapid, seriously comfortable, and seriously well-appointed, all while being deeply unserious. These lovable German louts bellow with the fury of a billion dinosaurs as they consume premium gasoline at near-single-digit MPG numbers, and aside from pain at the pumps, it’s hard not to smile at such a disposition.
The ML63 AMG is a lunatic, so it’s only right that anyone buying one is a bit excessive while displaying a blasé attitude to four-figure repair bills. I’d love one, but then again, I’m a bit of a lunatic. You just have to be to own one.
(Photo credits: Cars & Bids, Mercedes-Benz)
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I was “this” close to buying one last year. I think it was about $12k and, of course, had a shot hydraulic suspension and rode like it was on wooden wheels.
Couldn’t get over the sound, too.
I ended up backing out mainly because I own a small startup and didn’t want my investors to see me pull up in a 500hp snarling monster. Might invite the wrong assumptions as to what I’m doing with their money.
Ended up buying a Lexus GX. Boring, maybe, but bulletproof.
Man, GXs have become HOT! (And I get it!).
Do you take yours off-road?
I do….very carefully… 😉
I’m shocked by how much I’m loving it. I come to it from a fully loaded Mazda 3 I was leasing. I thought I would miss the technology, but I really, really enjoy the simplicity and toughness of the lexus…. I love working on it myself, too.
I’ll take the ten year old Corolla thanks.
I’d prefer some semblance of autonomy over the misguided thinking of my elders any day of the week.
Shut up old timer. You don’t know what you’re talking about.
You’re probably right.
$7k car
$3k cam shaft
$2k lifters
$1k head bolts
$3k trans
That’s $16k for a monster of a car. The price of a 10-y-o MDX.
I know which one I want.
But how much is your time & wrench equity worth?
That looms large for me as someone who just yesterday scheduled my daughter’s CRV for VVT phaser replacement. $1600! 10 years ago, having a garage, I’d have kept it for a week & done the damn thing myself. I’m not doing it on gravel in the 30s at my age & energy level
Yeah that’s totally legit.
ML63 AMG (FL) and SLK55 AMG (FL) owner here.
They’re great cars to drive. The SLK55 (M113 engine) is just a simple 5.4 liter V8, it’s fairly rock solid.
On the ML I replaced the camshafts, the variable valve timing plates, the valve buckets and fuel injectors.
Now it’s good for another 100k miles or more. The Facelift looks a bit better (outside and inside) than the first W164 model. The older W163 (Jurassic park) is a body-on-frame truck and is more off road capable, the W164 is a normal unibody car.
The sound of both engines is very hard to not like. Even on a daily basis. And the resulting acceleration.
Ask me anything you like.
Big MB V8s are special. I have two old ones and wouldn’t want to drive anything else. Small turbo 4-cyl buzz boxes may be able to make the same power, but they’re not the same.
Indeed. A Friend has a A45 AMG, so that’s 380 horsepower with 4WD and he is ‘faster’ but I just don’t care about that engine or its sound.
Also Turbo-4s will stay for a while and it’s a fact that MB V8s are almost dead. And the M156 basically IS the last natural aspirated large displacement MB V8.
Yeah and it makes me sad ;_;
I drove the big Benz today and it was fun.
I’d love to have an R107 with the M117, the 450 SL or 500 SL.
I hope you have something like that. Would feel like the king of the road !
I am the lucky caretaker of a 560SL and a 450SEL 6.9. It’s a privilege I don’t take for granted and yes, you do feel like a king in either one.
They are so different to drive, it doesn’t feel like I have any duplication.
Very cool. Wish you all the best with these beautiful beasts!
What is your average mpg per tank
*Whips out calculator*
In the city I do around 20L/100 km (so 1 liter per 5 kms) and outside, rural, around 15L/100 and I have once done like 10L/100 km on the highway driving 100 kmh-ish.
So that’s in Imperialist Values about 12 mpg in the city, 16 mpg outside the city and near 22 mpg on the highway.
The ML63 weighs around 2.5 US tonnes without all the stuff I have in the back, myself and a full tank of 25 gallons of premium super deluxe gas.
The SLK55 does better, roughly 16 mpg.
I never really record numbers, instead just enjoy the ride and fill em up when needed 🙂
The depreciation, some maintenance, those are all so much more expensive than gas (I don’t drive a lot, maybe 10k miles a year with each car).
How have all the auxiliary bits held up? Automatic suspension and the like?
When my 300TD blew out a $1500 hydraulic shock, I couldn’t afford to replace it (was making $10/ hour back then)
Wait: was $1500 for the pair.
Still, $750 is a lot when you’re buying whole cars for 350-500
The airbags of the air suspensions are around $100 new, installation is less than 1 hour. Then can leak of old age, so far mine are still good. The more expensive part is the compressor which can rust or can have a bad piston (leaking, so compressing takes ages, wearing out the piston/rings even more). If you replace that one with a new one it could set you back for $1500, but nobody does that, instead you either let someone refurbish the compressor (new piston rings) or you buy a second hand one from a totaled vehicle with few miles on it.
It’s not that I’m a cheapskate, but if you source a lot of the parts yourself and then just hand them over to the mechanic then actually they’re happy to work with them since they don’t have to figure out which part numbers to buy, they don’t have to worry that those parts make the repair job so expensive so you feel like the mechanic/indy is scamming you and if the part fails it is your own responsibility and not theirs. This has worked for me so far. I come to the shop with brake pads, rotors, tires, camshafts, hardened vvti discs, injectors etc etc which I buy for a very sharp price, sometimes surplus, sometimes from someone who wanted to do a job himself and life got in the way or because they bought more parts than they needed (for several jobs) so they wanted to get rid of them.
Net result ; a lot of the engine parts are replaced with good new parts for a low price, which allows me to drive the cars hard and not worry too much about them.
Having a mechanic you trust is gold. I no longer have a garage, and the last place I used caught fire last year. I’m very glad I have a work van which allows me to put off major stuff till my willing (and the weather!) are in place.
Meanwhile, the only particular issue with that Corolla model year (…I think…) is that important bottom quarter of the touchscreen stops working, requiring you to either DIY replace the digitizer (<$100), or replace the whole thing either with a new one or else replace it with an Android Auto/Carplay compatible system (~>$1000).
I’ll take the Corolla. I don’t have many opportunities in normal driving to enjoy a lot of horsepower.
“or else replace it with an Android Auto/Carplay compatible system (~>$1000).”
Why would that cost over a grand? A good modern double DIN satnav can be had for $100-$200 and it’ll do a lot more than a 10 yo Corolla OEM unit.
…what unit on Crutchfield (for example) did you find that does wireless Android Auto/Carplay costs under $500 or so, never mind that the iDataLink Maestro (~$150+) interface is needed to retain access to vehicle settings menus in many newer cars (as is true for my 2012 Prius v or similar model year Corolla)?
I paid $600 for a 9″ floating screen Pioneer head unit plus ~$280 lump sum for iDataLink Maestro and all install accessories (harnesses, dash kit, etc.). I don’t regret my selection.
The only cheap “middle ground” I’ve found is certain 7″ in-dash touchscreen models that are only compatible with wired Android Auto/Carplay, but they’re still north of $300 and would still require the iDataLink Maestro, roughly doubling total costs, and at that point it’d still stink to have to plug the phone in every time.
Crutchfield? Well THERE’S your problem!
Wireless Android Auto/Carplay can be had on units for as little as $75+ with free shipping on Amazon. Take your pick.
I know nothing about the iDataLink Maestro since in my case I was replacing a traditional “dumb” radio. My ’10 Mazda doesn’t have the vehicle settings menus yours does although I can connect to the car via an OBD2 dongle and get all the sensor readings via torque just fine. I used a AWC-1 interface to enable the steering wheel controls. Those run $60. The Metra bezel kit was $15 spray painted black to match. My labor was free.
Is it perfect? Nope. The steering wheel controls are a bit glitchy and the integrated audio player sucks at playing files stored on the unit itself. My unit has no android auto or car play of any sort as that it wasn’t something I was interested in at the time. I still haven’t figured out how to use the purchased separately $20 dashcam properly. I paid $150 for the unit so I expected some issues like this. It’s fine playing the files on my phone via bluetooth so I just do that. Its also fine tethering to my phones wifi for navigation. The tradeoff for the other features I use such as a backup camera was worth it. It does a lot more than what it replaced, maybe too much. I could have paid more and gotten a smoother overall system but this works well enough for me. Besides that’s no guarantee either. My sister spent a lot more on a professional install of a Pioneer touchscreen unit in her Honda and she ended up with quirks too.
That makes sense. I wanted the integration to be as high-quality and seamless as possible. The Maestro allowed me to keep my steering wheel controls, and the head unit still has a separate OBD2 plug, so now I can view the actual tire pressures (rather than just the “idiot light” on the dash). I should also theoretically be able to see any CEL codes on the screen if/when that happens.
The only 3 things that make the installation not “seamless” in my case (and still pretty minor, all things considered) are
Overall I’d pay the price again in a heartbeat. There was just no good place to mount my phone when I still had the factory unit, and it’s nice not having to take my phone out every time I get into the car. I find the brand-name stuff to be worth the premium for an otherwise very smooth experience.
“I can view the actual tire pressures (rather than just the “idiot light” on the dash).”
For another $28 so can anyone else:
https://www.amazon.com/YOUNGFLY-Pressure-Monitoring-Temperature-Backlight/dp/B0B9W5MCDG/ref=sr_1_6?crid=3K308TZR0TLI5&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.g_Yw8SlBBhXOhnj4qMcL2IUgbKaEHb_AyIjsqKxgkpQldj0Vs9k5EULKlVvZGGrXRSP7fusB9U8czEA26AqGRA.EI4qzG0V07g6LAwechsOsMkjLgD8yeUEegVEPEPeuiI&dib_tag=se&keywords=solar+tpms+tire+pressure+monitor+system&qid=1704985691&sprefix=Solar+tpms%2Caps%2C304&sr=8-6
Yes, but that creates a separate display, which could clutter the car’s appearance or obstruct the view if put on top of the dash.
Its small enough to not obstruct or clutter anything. Just stick it to the dash by the windshield. Tire pressure and temperature isn’t something you need to constantly monitor but want to have available on demand rather than changing apps and waiting for the connection.
Besides these monitor actual pressure and temperature. Some OEMs go by speed difference. Pick your poison.
I could do that… But I’d rather have the Corolla for many reasons.
“ What in the Mickey Mouse Chevrolet 305 flat-tappet bullshit is this? Camshafts as wear items?”. Thanks Thomas, made me LOL
You can buy a 500hp Mercedes for the price of a 10 year old Corolla… annually 😛
Too bad there’s no Lexus RX-F or GX-F or LX-F!
First Gen Cayenne Turbo’s are dirt cheap too!
I know less about their gremlins… are they a bit less, um, egregious? That said, I know even basic maintenance on a Porsche can be an extravagant affair. But, some of these are manuals so… maybe worth it?
Why is the 5-60 time more than 0-60 ?
Could be the weird one foot rollout subtraction for 0-60
5-60 is usually slower than 0-60 because for a 0-60 you can rev it up and neutral drop, while a car has to be in gear at low revs at the start of a 5-60.
Wrxes are especially bad at this, since they’re turbo, not very powerful, and 4wd. Without their neutral drop, they make less power at launch and benefit less from 4wd. The old one did a 5-60 in the 7s, slower than an Odyssey.
Okay that makes sense now
As a Mercedes-Benz owner – I would not touch an AMG with your ten foot pole.
I need to budget $2000-3000/annually for my fully-depreciated ’09 CLK350 Cabriolet (bought CPO after 4 years and 31K miles)
If it had been a V8 – those costs would be significantly more.
If it had been an AMG V8 – It would be gone by now.
My neighbor had a CLK500. It was routinely just sitting int he driveway for weeks at a time, then it’d disappear for days, to return at some point and get driven a bit. Repeat that again a a couple months later.
Hmmm, by my logic, that just means I can defer maintenance for a decade and save $30,000! It makes perfect sense!
Camshafts as wear items, Jesus. It’s like the cursed inverse of that Audi engine configuration that had the totally-not-a-service-item-you-guys timing chain at the rear of the engine.
Spoiler: it was a service item. Everything is a service item.
They are cheap because of the class action lawsuit related to this engine. it is essentially a 5.4 triton in a much more expensive to fix package, and the 5.4 is a replace the engine only thing these days and well over 7K for a very basic reman engine not counting install costs.
The engine starts ticking, as first the cam lobes wear, then the lifter buckets stop rotating, and those parts plus the camshaft adjusters, valve tappets, bushings and assorted gaskets have to be replaced at a cost of about five thousand dollars per bank. If not fixed the motor self-destructs.
6.3k on one of these is an absolute steal. M156 is about as reliable as 500 horsepower gets, without a Corvette badge. yeah, the camshaft wear issue exist, but it’s honestly overstated by overly neurotic AMG owners who love to chalk any sensation of lost power as the AMG’s demise. If the thing sounds like it has a nail in it, don’t by it. Otherwise, enjoy replacing the rears biweekly. And if something breaks? These aren’t super rare, and share most parts with either an AMG or the other MLs. It will cost more then a Camry parts, but a Camry ain’t about to light up your friends ‘stang. So, in summary should this be your only car, absolutely not. But there are far worse ways to spend 6.3k.
Good point. I pay 28k in child support every year to two individuals combined who have significantly different values then me. But I still don’t like this Mercedes at all.
If something is gonna be expensive to run its gotta be exciting and attractive. Something I’d be proud to own…. Something I’d want to baby in my garage. I have no desire to baby a rich soccer mom mobile.
I wanna like this suv. But I just don’t.
I’d rather have a range rover clean out my bank account. And I’m never gonna own one of them EVER. But they look so cool.
Im glad I don’t like it… cause it’s a sick value… and I can’t say no to sick values.
I love wagons too much much to like this. I just can’t do it…
Maybe I should go test drive one
(This was a great article)
No way in hell I’d buy something that requires regular camshaft replacements. But one of these things really would be a hoot to drive. Could I maybe rent one for a week for a couple of hundred bucks?
Every 75k miles isn’t “regular.”
“You Can Buy A 500 Horsepower Mercedes For The Price Of A 10 Year-Old Corolla”…and promptly allow it to ruin you financially.
I’d be all in on the Corolla
I see your unreliable German SUV and raise you another
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2006-volkswagen-touareg-23/
…
straight flush
“There’s no car so expensive as a cheap German car”
I think the mantra of “if you can’t afford it new, you can’t afford it used” applies. I’ve owned a ~20yo BMW for about a decade now and I’ve paid several times the purchase price in upkeep – it’s fun as hell, but it sure ain’t cheap.
Have I got a cheap Citroen SM for you !!
Oh I know, and that’ll be the one that bankrupts me some day
Worth it
I was thinking about my 20 year old BMW reading this. It’s had a bunch of dumb shit fail, but honestly things that are much more reasonable for its age and mileage than my 70,000 mile truck that decided to piss out all its coolant because it got cold one night.
With all of the known issues that you mentioned, it’s no wonder why these vehicles depreciate so much!
I wouldn’t say the 2nd gen ML was much better than the 1st, I would never touch either with a 10′ pole. The MLs and Rs are some of the biggest garbage Merc has produced. There’s good reason they discontinued the ML name and changed it to GLE to help shed the bad reputation.
Buy a $6300 500hp ML and you will need 1-2x used Corolla’s everytime it breaks. There are so many possible things that could go wrong and cost you more than $6300.
This
$6,300 is just a down payment for many years of torture and inevitable depletion of your life savings.
This type of Mercedes always gets to me because it reminds me of the ML320s in Jurassic Park 2. Then I remember how crummy those vehicles really were and the exorbitant repair costs. This ML63 might have 500+hp, but there are better choices for the job.
Nope. Give me the Corolla.
If balance shafts (on the regular version) and camshafts (on the AMG) can essentially be wear items, I’m out. Some of us have to get to work.
As a fun car for weekends or whatever, give me the Corolla too. I’d rather spend my money on experiences and food and be able to actually make it to them than sit on the side of the road waiting for a tow and thinking about how much my next online part order is because no way can I find AMG parts in a local yard. Meanwhile, Corollas don’t break, love getting ice cream and going to sporting events/concerts, and you can pick parts up off the ground (almost) if you ever need them.
YMMV, but idgaf about modern Mercedes.
This. I have kids to take to school and a 92-year-old grandma that raised me that I check up on and visit regularly, so I’ve got places to go. I’ll need the Corolla to actually…well, get there.
I had the same thought when looking to see what was the cheapest 500hp car for sale just before Christmas. Actually found one (not delisted) for less than $6,000.
What’s the cheapest used car with a factory 500hp rating | Come for the cars, stay for the anarchy (opposite-lock.com)
There’s no such thing as a cheap Mercedes. At least it’s commonly said.
I’ve owned a 300 SDL before that was reasonably inexpensive to operate. It wasn’t a Geo Metro in terms of operating cost, but overall per mile, it was as cheap as the Ford Contour I owned before it, and much more comfortable and roomy, and got better fuel economy. It broke down less often than the Ford, but when something did break, it was much more expensive to fix than the Ford. I kept my receipts for both and per mile ownership cost was within 1 penny of each other. The Ford loved to eat CV axles.
I suspect this SUV won’t be so cheap to keep operational…
Tavarish, is that you? Man I miss the old days