My situation:
Bought a 2017 C43 shortly after the car was released for $115k on a notated lease with a balloon of $57k this August. The car has been great but has depreciated substantially over the past 3 years as i happened to buy the car 4 months prior to the MY18 face lift :(. Current selling price is ~$65k. Warranty also expires in August. And I'm expecting do do around 55,000 to 60,000km by the end of the lease (at 46k now).
I'm stuck on whether i should refinance the car with a novate lease (and pay the balance down to 0) and keep it for another 4 years - but run the risk of out of warranty repairs + trouble in selling a high mileage AMG (would end up with around 120 - 130k on the clock) or if i should downgrade the car to a 2019 VW Golf R which is selling ~$35 - 40k - will have warranty till 2024 and I can run it to the ground and still be able to sell it for a decent price in 4 years time.
The reason for not getting an even cheaper car is, "spirited' driving is my way of dealing with stress after work. So I
Some thoughts would be appreciated.
What's your main motivation? Save money or enjoy driving experience? With that mileage, enjoy the C43. Get an extended warranty before it runs out for peace of mind.
Also, obligatory: coughcough43isntarealamgcoughcough :)