May have to sell C63!
May have to sell C63!
Author
Discussion

Zanderman

Original Poster:

1,109 posts

236 months

Monday 23rd September 2013
quotequote all
I am really struggling here chaps.

I bought a top spec 2010,(LSD, PP+ etc) low mileage, white C63 a couple of months ago and am loving every minute of it! I love the sound, the speed, the way it handles and looks etc etc. To be honest I am fairly hard pushed to fault it at all!

My issue is that I am killing it with the amount of miles that I do for work (around 700 - 1000 miles per week) and have considered getting a company car to munch the miles and let someone else worry about depreciation etc. I am concerned that in 12 months my car will be worth nothing. I did not expect to be doing these kinds of miles with work (new job) and am now having a bit of a crisis!

I know I could get a company car and have this for the weekends or buy a shed for the week but I don't really want to have that much cash tied up in a car that I will use every now and then. It is becoming really difficult the justify keeping it............ On the other side if I sell it now I will lose a st load of money and in the last 18 months this will be my third car change and I have lost god knows how much each time, starting to feel like some kind of illness to be honest!!

So , what do we think? I think I may end up having to get rid but it time for it to go or just suck it up?

Cheers!


PhantomAMG

997 posts

229 months

Monday 23rd September 2013
quotequote all
Suck it up mate... Lol

I gave up worrying about mileage ages ago.... If you have a car you love use it.

:-)

GilesGuthrie

169 posts

171 months

Monday 23rd September 2013
quotequote all
Get yourself something utterly characterless for your work mileage. Plenty of cars around at double-shed cost that will be reliable runners. Then you can leave the Merc at home, feeling all smug about how you're restraining yourself for the good of your wallet.

Then you can allow yourself the luxury of driving the Merc from time to time (say 1 day out of 5). You'll use the Mercedes, but not as much, you'll save money, and you'll enjoy your nice car without worrying too much or resenting the cost of running it.

gizlaroc

17,251 posts

248 months

Monday 23rd September 2013
quotequote all
Neighbour contract hired a C220cdi Executive SE auto from mercedes for £199 a month, direct from Mercedes doing 18k miles a year, going from 10k to 18k was only £30 a month more, so up it to 30k and it will be around £230 a month.
They do 50+ no problem, so with the fuel saving it would be like a free car!! wink



Having said all that, do the maths carefully, you may be surprised.

BHML

307 posts

194 months

Monday 23rd September 2013
quotequote all
I have exactly the same dilemma. Although I only do about 80 miles per week, I am getting a second car to use for 3 days a week, and use the C63 for the remaining 2-3 days. That will keep the mileage off the AMG as I am keeping it for ever.

Zanderman

Original Poster:

1,109 posts

236 months

Monday 23rd September 2013
quotequote all
I think the main problem is I can justify what the car cost me (late £30's) if it was my main car, can't really afford to keep a car of that value for the odd weekend blast.

Also I know what will happen, my main car will end up being the car I use more and more because its cheap to run (potentially looking at a new E class as a company car) decent enough and the c63 will end up getting used less and less............

I honestly wish at times that I didnt care about cars, the fact that I do has cost me SOOOOO much money over the years. I am sure there are cheaper hobbies!!

Edited by Zanderman on Monday 23 September 18:59

Gareth135R

565 posts

247 months

Tuesday 24th September 2013
quotequote all
Buy a £2500 Fabia vRS.
Enjoy the 550 miles to a tank and keep the C63 for fun.

P.Nott

227 posts

213 months

Tuesday 24th September 2013
quotequote all
I feel your pain re the amount of money spent on cars. I suffer from the same addiction, having bought and sold 4 cars in the last two years, but they have always been my hobby as far back as I can remember, so I tend not to think of what it's cost me. And it has cost me dear, but hey ho, you only live once.
In your shoes, I would buy a cheapish shed for most days and just treat myself to the occasional commute in the C63.

NorthernBoy

12,642 posts

281 months

Wednesday 25th September 2013
quotequote all
I sold my RS4 a year ago after buying a second car (SLK55) and then finding that I was needing to take the Audi out once a fortnight just because it wasn't being run otherwise, so I understand your thinking that a second car would consign your C63 to the drive.

But...

I regretted the decision pretty soon afterwards, and never stopped regretting it. I switched to a new 911, never realy fell in love with it, and now find myself unwiling to buy an RS4 again because I know that I'd not find one just like the one that went, and can't bring myself to pay more than mine went for for a car with more miles and less well preserved.

My advice? Buy something cheap enough, and small enough that you'll think that you still need a big car, and thereby justify keeping the C63, and stil having to use it. Get an MX5 of the like for your economical car perhaps?

Zanderman

Original Poster:

1,109 posts

236 months

Wednesday 25th September 2013
quotequote all
Its actually less about the economy and more amount of miles and killing my C63, I will get a company car of some sort then I can kill someone else's car. Like I say I am struggling to get my head around having £35K+ tied up in a car that I don't use. If I was going to have a weekend car I would probably spend under half that on something like a Boxster/Cayman/Tuscan etc and have something more 'fun' focussed (if that makes sense.......) and a damn site cheaper and easier to justify.

And to be fair I have regretted almost all of the car related decisions (whether good or bad). It is the one area of my life I seem to have very little control over!!

NorthernBoy said:
I sold my RS4 a year ago after buying a second car (SLK55) and then finding that I was needing to take the Audi out once a fortnight just because it wasn't being run otherwise, so I understand your thinking that a second car would consign your C63 to the drive.

But...

I regretted the decision pretty soon afterwards, and never stopped regretting it. I switched to a new 911, never realy fell in love with it, and now find myself unwiling to buy an RS4 again because I know that I'd not find one just like the one that went, and can't bring myself to pay more than mine went for for a car with more miles and less well preserved.

My advice? Buy something cheap enough, and small enough that you'll think that you still need a big car, and thereby justify keeping the C63, and stil having to use it. Get an MX5 of the like for your economical car perhaps?

team underdog

938 posts

253 months

Friday 27th September 2013
quotequote all
Couldn't you take a company car but drive the C63 a couple days per week and weekends? Unless you'll lose out on opt out cash from your employer?

It's a brutal fact but even parking the car up is costing you in depreciation, so either best to use it or lose it! Having such a commute is inherently costly, so you need to weigh up whether the cost of running the C63 is less than running a second car plus the depreciation on the Merc if its not being used. Then you need to decide whether the pleasure is worth that cost!

st4

1,359 posts

157 months

Saturday 28th September 2013
quotequote all
Just drive the merc, lifes too short to drive a st car

Its only 48000 miles per year you are doing, just drive it, its a merc, its made for it

irish boy

3,890 posts

260 months

Sunday 29th September 2013
quotequote all
Buy a cheap comfy economical depreciation proof daily....something like an accord diesel, or if you like the retro stuff like me a 190d, will make the c63 seem so much more special when you go to use it!

haggy

1,955 posts

238 months

Sunday 29th September 2013
quotequote all
Gareth135R said:
Buy a £2500 Fabia vRS.
Enjoy the 550 miles to a tank and keep the C63 for fun.
I have done this

JEA1K

2,694 posts

247 months

Sunday 29th September 2013
quotequote all
st4 said:
Just drive the merc, lifes too short to drive a st car

Its only 48000 miles per year you are doing, just drive it, its a merc, its made for it
It'll be £15k a year on fuel, absolute insanity. Keep the C63, buy a diesel for daily use and when you fancy it and the savings will be more than worthwhile. Getting out of a car this quick will probably cost you more than buying an eco-snotter.

wotnot

383 posts

198 months

Monday 30th September 2013
quotequote all
Interesting thread.
If it's not about the economy keep it for a year, put 48k or so on it and enjoy it. 48k is certainly not going to ruin your car and a year is long enough to feel that you've had your money's worth out of it.
Then, move it on, buy something far more sensible and put a toy in the garage.

Good luck. I envy you the dilemma!

gizlaroc

17,251 posts

248 months

Monday 30th September 2013
quotequote all
Doing 40k miles a year it would be cheaper to contract hire a new C220cdi for £200 a month including vat and use that for work.
You will get 50mpg up and down the motorways in that.

That is £630 a month for the car and fuel + whatever the insurance is.

The C63 will cost you £850 just in fuel plus the depreciation, which is the car is a 10 plate and worth £30k will be around £500 a month on top.