The internet tells me Mercedes built 180 R63 AMG's in 2007. 30 were supposed to stay in the USA, but records seem to show that 44 did. I've never seen one.

I'm a stay at home dad with four kids. Over the years I've had a Volvo wagon, a first generation Honda Odyssey, and for the last few years, a crew cab truck as my dad-mobiles. The need to seat six negates the overwhelming majority of cool cars, with the glaring exception of the bizarre and poorly considered R63. Why make make a 505hp AWD minivan? I don't think anyone beyond the engineering department had a good answer to that, and as quickly as they were introduced, they were gone.

But I found one, in Florida, and on Friday I'm going to grab a friend and we're going to grab a rental car and we're going to go get it.

This is going to be more of an ownership log than a build thread. Common wisdom says buying a ten year old AMG Mercedes out of warranty is certain to cause immense pain and maritial strife. I don't doubt that for a second, though I harbor a hope that I'm the one guy who gets away with it.

I just can't not buy it, even knowing how stupid the whole thing is.