I am starting from what I drive now, a 2016 C450. Great car, like it a lot. It's a bit tight when I take the kiddos out and about. It's got some turbo lag at the low end of the rev counter but handles well and was a great entry point for me to the higher-end cars.

This past weekend I took out an F-Type R. It was a blast to drive, beautiful exhaust notes, comfy inside though not cramped, tight handling. I didn't get a ton of miles in the car but I really liked how it felt. The supercharger felt great too, no throttle lag at all.

Straight after I drove to a nearby MB dealer and got an extended drive in the 2018 E63S. What a beast. This car is mean, just mean. The dash is superb, crisp and detailed, highly customizable. The interior of the E63S is a couple of notches above the Jag.

But I will say this: they are both equally fun to drive and, in fact, I felt the Jag had a touch more fun, but just a touch. The E63S felt like being behind the wheel of a testosterone-loaded bodybuilder wearing a suit; the Jag felt more like being a natural bodybuilder behind a suit.

Obviously the Jag is a coupe and the MB is a sedan. I'd supplement the Jag with a regular 4WD (Rav4 etc) for taking kids, use the Jag for fun or date nights. The E63S could perform both roles and actually felt a little larger inside than my C450.

My preference would be a used 2018 E63S but obviously not going to happen until well into 2018, with limited supply. I found a Jag dealer in OKC that has 2017 F-Type SVRs for $95k, about $35k under MSRP, they're giving them away.

So I've now worked myself into a bit of a pickle here. My heart was absolutely set on the E63S and I really liked it, esp. the interior. But the Jag was at least as much fun to drive,

I am genuinely torn.

Ultimately it's a 2-car vs 1-car decision. I'm going with an E63S Wagon. The only thing it ain't is a convertible

That said, a fantastic sports car like the F-Type R, plus a relatively bullet proof and affordable family car like the RAV4 you mentioned, or an Outback, would be a good combo too. Though, I'd definitely get the Jag with a soft top in that case...

Buy a used 2016 F-Type R, drive it for a 1-1.5 years; sell it and then buy used 2018 E63!

I had the 2016 C450 as my daily driver before the E63. The Jaguar is nice but it is tiny inside and rides pretty rough. The E63 is just an amazing overall machine. It might not make the sound or get the looks the Jag gets but for everything else the E63 is leaps and bounds better.
The E63 is actually a lot bigger than the C450, feels wider and much longer than the C450.

Yeah, I definitely felt the E63S as larger than the C450. The back seats were roomier. The way it responds to kicking the throttle is just ungodly.

I am just so reluctant to take the hit buying a new E63S. It'll drop $20k in value the second I drive it off the lot...

Yeah, this had occurred to me too. It's not a bad idea, it's really not!

Not true... and you're not gonna sell the car right away I should hope.

I sold my '14 AMG wagon after 3.5yr of ownership and took only 30% hit on depreciation. Used market is pretty forgiving right now. And if you want to protect yourself on residual, get the wagon... you won't regret it for a second.

Good luck

Thanks for the data point. Would you say 30% is pretty representative? I've been basing my mental math off the lease residuals, for which the new E63S is IIRC 56% after 3 years/36k. That's quite a bit lower than the 30% hit you took. FWIW I'm not a fan of wagons.

If money is no object, the decision is easy; you get the greatest and latest sedan out there with excellent luxury and dynamic performance from car that weighs 4500lbs. With pricing rolled in, the decision gets tougher but you have to wonder what happened that Jag has not been able to move these SVR's as well as the regular F Type R's (I had a '14 for 5 months). The regular F type R's had huge factory and leasing incentives thru Chase (their captive) one could lease the 115k car for under 1k a month for 36 months with very limited drive off's. I fear that while you would be getting a smoking deal on the Jag, you would always have that "what if" in your head since you drove both and have dictated here what your preference is.

Whats your driving style? Where do you drive? If its GT cruiser driving on freeways and stop and go romps, the E63S is easily the choice (outside of money) while the Jag would be a nice track monster but is the E63S really that weak on the track? Its put up incredible times and exit speeds at VIR and was the fastest sedan ever. And thats if someone is even going to track the car, which I wouldnt if/when I get one.

You already pretty much summed up that the interior is that much better in the E- its just a more advanced beast than can be driven in 2wd upon a flick of a few buttons. It launches at 3.2 seconds zero to 60 yet also traps circa 127 in the quarter so it doesnt have that much parasitic loss at speed.

I too am curious why the Jaguars are selling so poorly. Curiously all the super cheap ones are from southern states, everywhere else pricing seems rational.

Out here on the West Coast you could find 17's sitting for a year or more. The pricing was fully incentivized to move the cars.

In other words, Jaguar is the JC Penney of cars? Price 'em high then let the coupons do the magic? Fool the consumer into thinking they're getting a deal?

As far as reliability too I think your looking at a much more solid car with the E63 AMG. I had zero problems with my 2012 AMG E63. I know what your saying about the numbers, it does seem a little scary, but then when you come to the realization what a car it is and it is gonna hold it's value very well as more and more 212 owners want the 213 platform. I can't tell you how many people have already said to me "when your ready to sell your car you be the first to call me" lol. Ya, there is gonna be a lot of demand for these used as time wears on and that's gonna hold up the price, somebody goes and sells one too cheap and it gets snapped up quickly thats gonna keep the price up because people are gonna know they can get good money for these cars because there's gonna be lines of buyers waiting for used ones as you said in wanting to wait for used one. A lot of people are thinking the same. My car had a sticker of nearly 125K, I got it for 116K and I would not be surprised if in a couple years it's worth 100K still, that would be 8 grand a year of fun driving and totally worth it, but I have the feeling I'm gonna want to keep the car for at least 4 or 5 years. My car is a wagon so I think it's gonna hold it's value well because it's special order and more rare than the sedans. Thats something to think about too, although it sounds like you're not into wagons.

A few comments as a former Jaguar F-Type R owner:
1) The reason it's cheap is because they have too much supply and too little demand. The value drops like a brick. 2 years from now that car will be in the 60s. I regret buying a new R, and would probably not buy a 2017 used one either.
2) The handling was worse than my 2015 BMW M5 which I owned at the same time. The BMW felt far more planted and had less body roll. I think you will find the E63S probably also handles better.
3) Other than those things it's quite an enjoyable car - especially for those who care more about straight line speed and sound than about handling.

It's because the cars are not very good. I hated the handling on my one. Too much body roll. The problem is the car is a parts-bin special. The sway bars on the R were from the 2001 Jaguar S-Type and Lincoln LS - I had my chassis guy look it up.

I almost spit up my beer here LOL.

The consumer is actually getting a reasonable deal for his/her monthly pocket book but they will have a tougher time dumping the car pre lease term because of the subvented rates from the factory that drives the value down. As Stealth said, its just basic econ, supply and demand and the demand for a Jag sports car is just not as prevalent as its competitors in that segment to offset the over production.

The F Type R isn't a bad car. But with the options out there, people don't opt for it. If I was trading in a car I was buried in ACV wise, this car would make more sense as you are getting a huge discount and can offset the negative equity in your trade while still getting a strong performing AWD loud machine. I just never felt like Jag went past 8/10ths in any part of the car from my ownership experience. It had a good overall average but I personally wanted something more from the car which it didn't provide. And with my ADD of car ownership already instilled, it lasted a short life.

I think part of the reason the value drops so fast, is because if you exclude aesthetics and noise, the C63S and BMW M4 are better cars for a lot less cash. And the other part is the subvented leases - they lease these cars for less than an AMG C63S - so why would a used car buyer pay more.

That's too bad because the E63S wagon is truly the car that does it all, at least while on pavement. 24Hours is right, the depreciation hit on the wagon is far, far less than the depreciation hit on the sedan. In fairness, I think the depreciation curve or mechanics behind the curve may be different with the W213 than the 2014-16 W212 because the option list is more robust in the former which affects the depreciation amount. The W212s that have hit the market are all very similar in terms of options so the depreciation math is likely to be much more consistent vs. the W213 market, but again it's an unknown.

Manheim doesn't have enough data for MMR values of the 2015 or 2016 wagon, but for the 2014s, the base MMR is as follows:

Wagon: $66,400
S Sedan: $54,900
Regular Sedan: $51,100

If you assume a base for the wagon at $110K, that's about 40%, and we're talking about a car now that's four model years old. Also, these are wholesale values, if you look in the marketplace good luck finding a quality example of a 2014 wagon for $66,400 that you'd want to buy. For example, the last one thru auction went last Thursday for $72,500, and that was a white 4.3 car (good condition) with ~20K miles. That car is for sale now at RVT Automotive Group for $80K. At the wholesale cost, assuming 110K sticker that's 35% depreciation, who knows what they'll get retail (IMO, they're being a bit cheeky at 80K, it's worth around 75K).

It's the rarity and desirability of the wagon that keeps the used market propped up. Very few people will buy a.....wagon.....for that much money new but more people get interested when the price is lower in the used market. But, availability is terrible, 43 wagons from years 2007-2016 available on AT across the entire country and across all mileages, conditions, and vehicle histories, so prices tend to stay high. The sedan on the other hand, same search parameters on AT, shows 286 available. IMO, the smart money buys the wagon, says "yes, I just threw my hockey equipment into an AMG wagon," and pulls away with a huge smile on their face.

All good stuff here, and Im shocked that the MMR on a 2016 M5 is the same as the 14 wagon (its actually 64900 LOL). Wow how the mighty has fallen.

I had a 2012 Wagon which I got in Feb of 2012- I sold it a bit early and didnt get the bites I wanted but the C63BS was in my eye and I didnt have the need for the estate anymore.

This is really interesting, thanks for posting. I would never have guessed that a super-wagon like the E63S would generate the used sales that it does.

Not surprised on the M5. It's just too big to really feel like a proper M5. The M3, rightfully so, is doing a better job holding it's value. Now, if you were to look at the e39 M5 market, you'd find a different story. I sold mine for more than I paid for it. If you're really looking for a "whaaaaaaaa?" moment go to www dot enthusiastauto dot com and check out their e39 M5 prices. And yes, they actually sell them for those prices.

IMO, Mercedes really screwed the pre-facelift W212 owners when they came out with the 2014. The 2014+ just does everything better. It used to be that 4Matic significantly hurt the driving experience (drive a 4Matic W211 vs. RWD, it's a world of difference) but the 2014+ 4Matic still feels like a RWD car to me, and the weight balance is good to the point where I don't even feel like I'm driving a wagon. Throw in the S engine upgrade and freshened interior/exterior...there's just no real comparison. Which is a shame because there's a number of good pre-facelift cars out there.

I had an 02 E39 in LeMans Blue and sold it for 64k after about 18 months of ownership- my biggest BMW regret but a great resale item as you mentioned. The F10 and F13 (M5 and M6) are now great 2nd hand market items (I owned 2 M5's and an M6 but bought them at triple net) if only they sounded as good as they run from a roll.

Love the LMB! Mine was a 2003 Carbon Black over tan. I put an F10 shift knob on it and installed bluetooth + iPod adapter but no other mods. My biggest regret was my e46 M3 convertible.

Back to my original point re: depreciation.....I could've bought a brand new M3 with the options I wanted for the same money I paid for my 2014 e63 wagon. Cargo space, engine, and AWD won me over to the e63 and I'm loving it every day. Now, if BMW ever decided to once again make the M5 touring, or even bring the existing M550d touring over to the US, then we'd have a fight on our hands.

I've already had two people ask to buy mine. I think they were joking but not sure...?