goodmaj

I've been on the hunt for a 2014-2016 e63 wagon for about seven months now. Right this moment, regardless of what MMR says, IMO 2014 prices have strengthened over the past few months to the low 80s. I also believe that prices have to fall once the 2018s start hitting the street, but you never know what exactly will happen once the 2018s hit.

Then I started thinking.....which probably isn't the brightest idea when considering an $80K car purchase. An (almost) four year old car that stickered for ~$110K is now going for $80K. Any way you slice it, $80K for a four year old car which will be my daily driver is a lot of dough. For a unicorn like the e63 wagon, that might very well be worth it. But then I thought...what else could I get with $80K that would certainly be acceptable.

Three cars come to mind, all would be new vs. used:

M3: I've owned many, many BMWs in my life and currently drive an X5. My wife drives an X5 diesel. There have been three BMWs I sold that I still wish I had - my 2001 740 sport, 2006 M3 convertible, and my 2003 M5. Today's M3 is just about as large as my M5 was and is very cool. Who could complain about driving an M3?

X5 v8: I could get the v8 in the best car color around (carbon black), the adaptive M suspension, some other stuff, for around 80K.

S6: Though it's no longer the V10, the S6 is still pretty good, and I would still argue that Audi makes the best interiors of anyone.

I've also looked at used X5 Ms but they seem to come with odd color combos.

I sold my 2009 E550 for the X5 primarily for two reasons - the E550 was set up to drive really, really fast in a straight line but not so good in the corners, and I needed the cargo space for my hockey equipment as well as my son's.

If BMW made an M5 wagon, it would be done and done. Of course, BMW doesn't bring the 5 wagon to the states and doesn't make an M5 wagon in Europe either. I could of course wait until the e61 M5 wagon hit 25 and import it, but that won't be until 2035 at the earliest. The M550d wagon is very cool but again, not for us in NA. I've always loved wagons, one of my BMWs was a 2008 535 Touring. But I want the oomph factor, which is why I started the hunt for the e63.

Which brings me back to the conundrum. Is it better to spend the $80K on something new or spend the $80K on the used wagon? Driving something as rare and powerful as the 63 would be pretty special, any of the above cars would also put a smile on my face (provided the adaptive M suspension on the X5 lives up to the hype). There is also the hockey equipment problem, which comes close to disqualifying the M3.

Thoughts?

turkish

Get a 12-13 wagon for 55k and call it a day man.

In 2-3 years get the 13-14 for 55k.

​​​​Problem solved.

Also, the rest of those cars have no soul.

Inbyten

I was shopping for a few months before I purchased my 14 e63 wagon with 14k miles on the odometer last week. Prices definitely seem high vs a normal amg depreciation curve. But in my experience these can be bought in the mid 70s. I passed on two others that were offered in the mid 70s (after some negotiations) before scooping mine.

Good luck!

goodmaj

I would tend to agree with your price assessment. I have to believe that prices will fall after the 2018 is released, but with a such low volume car, who knows. I was surprised to see the market actually improve over the year vs continue to fall.

Did you get the one in Louisville?

desbemee

given the low production of the 14-16 wagons..the market will continue to be SKYS THE LIMIT!

est. of 120 wagons sent to NorthAmerica ..who know how many are really out there.

im in San Diego n have only seen 1 around n its Black n Black.

GOOD LUCK on your HUNT.

very well worth the wait finding such a UNICORN of a gem.

Inbyten

I bought the silver one in Austin. I passed on two others that were slightly less expensive because I thought the one I bought was a better value (less miles and longer warranty).

goodmaj

Ah yes the one at the Porsche dealer. I was surprised that car lasted as long as it did.

cprx7

I bought the one in Louisville KY and couldn't be happier. Looked into the gray in Austin but salesman asked for a non refundable deposit so ended up not wanting it.

Inbyten

Does anyone know what the production numbers were for the 2014-16 run and how many were sent to the US?

signes

Anecdotal but have heard ~200 US per year, maybe fewer 16s.

baldmike73

i took one of the other 14's from SD back in Feb/Mar - 2nd AMG wagon i have bought in SD

But agree - i live in the Bay Area and have only seen a 14+ AMG wagons - love the unicorn.

good luck to OP - it took me a while to find mine - both times

ajs76

I feel like when you're talking 80k, you can go in a LOT of different directions. You could probably buy a 20k older non-M wagon for hauling and then 60k could get you a used <fill in the blank something awesome>. Then you'd have something more fun for speed and equally practical for hauling stuff?

I actually bought my car because I don't put a ton of miles on it and I felt like it had a decent chance of holding it's value moreso than many other types of cars in its class. (the added storage was just a side benefit)

Instead of looking at total cost of car, I looked at it as a cost per year metric. (Just ignoring the opportunity cost of money I can't invest because I bought this thing)

The yearly cost of depreciation was less than the depreciation in my mind of some brand new similarly priced cars so build a few models and see what you think. All this doesn't hold up though if you pay 80k for it before the new ones debuts

goodmaj

Good point on the multiple car option, I didn't think about that as a possibility. Of course, I only have a two car garage....but you hit the nail on the head. Lots of options out there for $80K.

I am coming to the conclusion that, as of now, it would probably be best to wait until the 2018s come out to see what happens with 2014-2016 pricing. Or, it may very well make sense to look at a 2018. At a minimum, as time marches on more 2015s and 2016s should start showing up as leases expire.

kponti

E43 AMG

nycphotography

Buy a new one for $110 and sell it for $80 in 4 years. Duh.

goodmaj

Now that's the best idea I've seen in a long time!

cetialpha5

Yeah and did you see the other thread about the guy who posted about a 2016 used model for 90k? That was at a dealer so who knows how much they can come down. Plus maybe those 80k guys also have a lot of room to come down. Or the dealer is just dumping it. Maybe buy for 90k and sell for 80k in 2 years!

https://mbworld.org/forums/w212-amg/...-showroom.html

signes

They're a one price autonation dealer so no movement for now. 16s at upper 80s seem to be a good choice is you find the spec you want. Comparable 2018s will be around $120k. Pick your poison, each will drop $10-15k per year.