john weires

I have a 2012 Cayenne Turbo with 66,000 miles on it, in excellent condition. Because it is out of warranty and does not haul as much as other larger SUV's, I have been starting to investigate other possibilities. For those unfamiliar with the Mercedes Benz E63 AMG wagon, it has primarily been a special order car as USA buyers are SUV crazy rather wagon aficionado's. Therefore up to this point only a 200-300 hundred have been imported in the last 3-4 years so the selection of used one's has been limited. From 2014 on they are AWD, something I need.

There is a new generation W213 2018 E63S wagon that is just hitting showroom's. I did not get a chance to drive it but I sat in one and it had an incredibly cool interior not unlike the new Panamera with the large touch screen and mostly button free dash. At $127,000 pretty loaded, a new one cost more than I wanted to spend. This particular dealer would only give me $36,000 for my Cayenne. Against my Cayenne's $120k msrp, this broke down to about $1.25 per mile driven in depreciation cost alone. I know vehicles depreciate but YIKES.

I have driven a couple of used W212 generation Mercedes Benz E63S AMG wagons, a 2014, and at the same dealer mentioned above, just last week a 2015 with only 11,000 miles on it at about $86,000. It's sticker price was only $106,000 so evidently they feel E63's don't depreciate hardly at all! Both times I drove them I was very impressed. More power than the Cayenne (nice to have but the Cayenne is not slow), it rides better, hauls a lot more (larger rear cargo area plus the seats fold truly flat) and has an addictive exhaust note. Truly a sleeper muscle wagon. In tight corners it has more understeer and body roll than my PDCC Turbo Cayenne, but with it's lower center of gravity seems to some how feel more natural in it's handling and transient maneuvers. MB CPO warranty also can be up to 7 years long from first date of service and has unlimited mileage, an important consideration for me. Other disadvantages compared to the Cayenne are much lower ground clearance and with no trailer hitch, no ability to tow anything, although for now I do have a full sized Chevy pickup for those duties. I am hoping that within a year some W212 owners will trade theirs in on W213's and prices on used W212's will start to fall.

Has anyone that owns a Turbo Cayenne drive the E63 AMG wagon and or traded for it? If so I would appreciate your input in regards to the difference's you noticed as well as any repair problems you may have had with the MB.
Also any input on pricing would be helpful. I am not in a hurry and can wait for the right trade to come along. Thanks in advance.

wkearney99

Here's a good article regarding AMG repairs...

http://www.roadkill.com/507-horsepow...ebuild-thread/

Steven_H

Sent you a message - might be on your visitors page.

john weires

Thanks for the input so far. To make it clear, I will not be buying any expensive car, whether Porsche or MB, without extended warranty coverage. Also, trading my Cayenne Turbo toward any purchase is a requirement.

Wisconsin Joe

Depreciation on the Cayenne is going to be brutal for trade in value.
You already found this at the one dealer, but know that it won't be any better elsewhere.

Tyrone Biggums

I have a 15 CT, couldnt imagine myself trading it in for the AMG wagon. Thats just my PO.

Dilberto

Just KEEP the CTT. AMG repair costs is gonna be the death of you. Seriously...

wkearney99

I could be wrong but it's been my impression that at least with Porsche you know you're already in a particular price range. This is what they see/fix at the dealerships everyday.

With MB and AMG you run into the complication of stepping up from the 'regular' gear they service at dealers, to the more unique/specialized AMG stuff. Taking the price/time to a whole other level.

nodoors

I don't agree with that logic at all. I think this same dealer would offer you jack squat for that same E63 wagon on trade in just like your Cayenne. What do you think they are going to try to sell your CTT for if you trade it? At least 50k is my guess.

You are asking this question to a bunch of people who love the Cayenne, so few of us are going to think this is a good idea. Just get a trailer and an extended warranty and call it a day. All your problems are solved for a while for less than the tax bill on trading it in... seems like you are budget conscious, so that can't be totally ruled out, right?

john weires

Nodoors, your suggestions were my plan B. Still I think the MB 63E wagon is cool but just not worth the difference and other shortcomings. Thanks everyone for your time and opinions.

dorumac

deilenberger

Moving to the 958 subforum where it will likely pass on..

Stringbag

desmotesta

1- Check local listings for a used E350 wagon and go drive it. Should give you a decent idea of space and aspects of differences between the 958 and E Wagon

2- If you can "afford" to buy a $120K E63 AMG, an out of warranty repair on your 958 shouldn't worry you. That said, some people like the peace of mind warranties offer, and those people should never try to do the math of how many thousands of dollars they are loosing over time in depreciation and trade-ins. I will guarantee that loss is FAR greater than any out of warranty repair.

Good luck with your search

wkearney99

It's all about managing unpleasant surprises. Sure, depreciation sucks but it's a manageable factor. Likewise warranties. If you know going in there will be coverage against surprises you're often willing to overlook the true numbers. You get your shiny new thing now and have the potential for less stress worrying about sudden repair expenses. Conversely, if you're willing to gamble and prepared to pay out the repair costs it may make sense to you to buy used. It's all about managing the surprises. The important thing to understand with vehicles at this price point is their repair costs have the potential to be eye-wateringly-expensive. If you've got the stomach for that then deals can certainly be found.