If you've ever struggled to understand the gulf in wealth between the regular folk and the one-percenters, let this sink in. The Mercedes-AMG One costs over a million dollars to buy. The paint job cost around $32,000. It's an incredible car, arguably the closest thing to a Formula 1 car you can drive on the street. But it's expensive to maintain. Whoa, boy is it expensive.RM Sotheby'sCase-in-point is this particular car, which is headed to auction with RM Sotheby's. Before the big day, the car went in for its first service and the bill was $44,100. That's very close to the cost of an average new car in the United States, never mind costing more than a whole bunch of nice sedans, hatchbacks, SUVs, and midsize trucks. This car must've been driven like crazy, right?Nope. The service was the routine "Service A" schedule, done with just 115 miles on the odometer. That's basically still a new car. What exactly is required that costs $44,100? A Closer Look At The Bill Than The Owner Probably Took RM Sotheby'sThe folks at Carscoops caught this, and with some basic math, determined that this AMG One cost the owner $383 per mile to drive. Checking out the invoice included with the auction documents, there's a breakdown of the cost and, as you might guess, nearly all the expense is labor. The service took an eye-watering 80 hours, and the labor rate was $463 per hour. That adds up to just over $37,000 alone. Then there's the cost of parts, but what could possibly need replaced after just 115 miles? The air filter costs close to $2,190 and the transmission oil filter is $2,195. The oil drain plug, which apparently needs replaced after just 115 miles, is almost reasonable at $176. The oil costs $650, but apparently, this is the price you pay for having an insane amount of engineering derived from Formula 1 tech. But $2,190 for an air filter? And 80 hours of labor for the work and inspections? We can't help wondering if Mercedes is leaning into this just a little too deeply, given the affluent nature of the clientele. Four Wheeled Insanity RM Sotheby's The Mercedes-AMG One's 1.6-liter turbocharged V6 is pretty much lifted straight out of the Mercedes Formula 1 program. It has four electric motors to aid the engine, and the powertrain generates a combined 1,049 horsepower. Its zero to 60 mph time of 2.9 seconds doesn't seem that impressive, but in 7.0 seconds it'll cross 124 mph and won't let up until it's approaching a top speed of 219 mph. That's some absolutely insane performance from such a small engine. Is it worth the maintenance costs though? We'll leave to you to decide. If you would like to buy this particular example of the 275 Mercedes-AMG One models built, you'll probably need somewhere north of $3,000,000 for a realistic bid, then even deeper pockets when Service B rears its head. But, according to the auction listing, Mercedes-AMG has extended this car’s warranty until February 2028 since Service A was done so promptly. That, folks, sounds like a positively insane deal. This 2024 Mercedes-AMG One is located in the Netherlands and is a sealed auction, meaning information is kept private. Bidding will end on May 21.
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