Go back to flashy 1 car daily or keep 2 car dinger set up?

[Mdotlife]

Bit of an odd one this, and a longish read but I’ll shorten it as best I can. I have a 2020 E63 AMG, my pride of joy. Daily drove it for 2 years in and out of London. The car park I use at work is a public car park in London, near bus stops and train stations. It’s not in the nicest of areas and I have always been concerned about the car’s safety (lots of gang members, teenagers that think they’re hard, nittys roaming around etc). But, for 2 years I didn’t have any major issues, except a few finger prints and shoe marks on the car once, but no damage. Then, the car park I use at work had some major renovation and parking spaces were reduced in number and size making it impossible to park. So, I was forced to buy a cheaper daily, a Vauxhall which I’ve had for nearly a year and a half. The E63 was relegated to a weekend car. At first, I loved it. Having a dinger that you don’t care about has been liberating. I can park it at work and not give a toss, don’t care about scratches or dents, don’t care about mileage adding up and it’s been super economical and friendlier on the wallet. Overall the running cost for dailying the E63 versus running both cars together has roughly worked out the same money wise. So, other than the initial cost of buying the Vauxhall, it’s not costing me any more in running costs. I was also able to keep the E63 clean for longer with this set up and it felt special every time I got into it. Now, what Ive found 1.5 years later, is it’s not giving me any joy anymore. The car I still madly love, I just don’t feel it’s getting enough use. On weekends, I used to take it on some back roads but sometimes it just didn’t feel that fun to do so. Felt like I was taking it out for the sake of taking it out and, depending on traffic, I didn’t always get to blast it as much as I’d like to. Most of the time it’s me doing errands, meeting friends, going to the pub, carting the family around etc. but, often times, I walk away having enjoyed driving it, but never feeling satisfied. Almost as if I didn’t get to drive it enough sort of thing. I’ve put barely 2.5k miles on it in the last year via weekend driving.

So I have this expensive 4 door AMG at home, being paid for to sit around. I’m losing money on both cars via depreciation. I’ve lost a fair bit on the Vauxhall after the car market pricing corrected itself recently. I’m thinking of going back to making the AMG a daily again. What’s stopping me is the mindset I’ve got into of having a dinger and some fear that taking it back to work now will result in some unwanted attention and crime (of which there have been increased reports of car crime in the area). I was thinking of selling and getting the newer M340i. I really like the car and it would be a more sensible, low key option for work. I’d also pocket a lot of cash by getting rid of both cars. But part of me feels like I’m ’downgrading’ and I don’t want to do that either. When I daily’d the AMG for those initial 2 years, I was always thinking about it parked up and it’s been nice not having to.

I’ve been going back and forth in my head with this and have no idea how to move forward. Does anybody have any advice that could maybe help shift my perspective?

Thanks.

[samoht]

Sell both cars.

Buy a nice comfy EV for the commute - won't stand out in the car park, quiet and relaxing to drive, will save money on running costs.
Buy a Lotus for the weekend - something special enough that it'll feel rewarding to take out for a blast.

That way you have two cars each well suited to what you want to use them for.

[Robertb]

I think you’d end up worrying about your shiny newer BMW being damaged, and missing the thunderous AMG V8.

[AmyRichardson]

Sell the Merc and shed it until inspiration takes you wherever; put the money saved into the next buy.

Get out and drive a few toys, see if you want a toy. Proper sports cars, super barges or GTs, older stuff - find what your poison is. At least this year's poison, some of us don't settle easily!

I can't help feel that a 340i, or similar, will be unsatisfactory; a "magic" middle ground that will seem low-rent and zero-drama after the luxury & histrionics of the E63, but it will still be a bit too nice to curb in the rough part of town.

[fflump]

I think you really value a dinger and the peace of mind associated so stick with that IMO.
A one car option of a M340i seems to me the worst of both worlds (not super-exciting, still potential scratch/scrote magnet)

Ask yourself what you want the weekend car to be able to do.
Does it need to be a spacious E-segment saloon or can you get away with something a bit less practical and sportier?

[Jimjimhim]

samoht said:

Sell both cars.

Buy a nice comfy EV for the commute - won't stand out in the car park, quiet and relaxing to drive, will save money on running costs.
Buy a Lotus for the weekend - something special enough that it'll feel rewarding to take out for a blast.

That way you have two cars each well suited to what you want to use them for.

Yep something comfortable but dull for the commute (petrol or battery) and something properly fun for the weekend toy.

[Mdotlife]

AmyRichardson said:

Sell the Merc and shed it until inspiration takes you wherever; put the money saved into the next buy.

Get out and drive a few toys, see if you want a toy. Proper sports cars, super barges or GTs, older stuff - find what your poison is. At least this year's poison, some of us don't settle easily!

I can't help feel that a 340i, or similar, will be unsatisfactory; a "magic" middle ground that will seem low-rent and zero-drama after the luxury & histrionics of the E63, but it will still be a bit too nice to curb in the rough part of town.

This could be a good option. I should clarify, the part of town i’m in is not totally derelict. There’s recently a 74 plate GLE and a load of Teslas that park there regularly and a new Range Rover Discovery. I can’t say the car park has completely terrible cars, but the performance cars tend to stand out a little more than I’d like. The car is also a magno (satin) grey colour which adds to the ‘flashiness’.

Edited by Mdotlife on Wednesday 16th October 21:07

[Mdotlife]

Robertb said:

I think you’d end up worrying about your shiny newer BMW being damaged, and missing the thunderous AMG V8.

I am worried about losing that V8 noise. It still puts a smile on my face.

[Nasty_Gash]

Keep dinger, sell E63, reconsider a fun weekend car that's fun on the track also?....

[Hoofy]

Having a car you don't mind being bashed is quite handy. I can happily park my TT anywhere because I don't give a st about it, and save an interesting car for meets etc.

[swisstoni]

Difficult one. As an enthusiast, you live by different rules to people who just want to get from A to B.

The problem seems to be the AMG. You don’t like to use it for commuting because you are concerned about it at the car park.
But when you do use it, it doesn’t live up to your (possibly unrealistic) expectations of how it should make you feel.

So I would probably sell the AMG and continue with the shed.
And plan to get something more special so that it means something when you do use it.

I can’t tell you what that car could be. But there’s a lot of fun to be had just deciding what car to get next.

[DeejRC]

A grey 4 door Mercedes is flash?
The OPs world sounds very different from my world, as E class Merc is pretty much the definition of invisible. And yes I’ve run one. And yes I’ve run AMGs.
It’s just a car, it’s going to lose a st load of money in depreciation whether it’s clean, dirty, unscratched or got a dent in it. You aren’t running a Ferrari for Gods sake.

[Mdotlife]

DeejRC said:

A grey 4 door Mercedes is flash?
The OPs world sounds very different from my world, as E class Merc is pretty much the definition of invisible. And yes I’ve run one. And yes I’ve run AMGs.
It’s just a car, it’s going to lose a st load of money in depreciation whether it’s clean, dirty, unscratched or got a dent in it. You aren’t running a Ferrari for Gods sake.

I’m aware of the lack of rarity regarding the car marque itself. The point behind my post was the car looks out of place given the environment it’s parked in at work, hence the concern and it not being special enough for weekends anymore

[Jules Sunley]

I used to have one nice car and then after I bought my Alpina as a second toy and had 2 nice cars i moved home with a bigger mortgage and traded down the daily to release some cash towards the move, going from a high spec and low mileage 2018 640d convertible to a higer miles 2011 XC90. It was liberating not having to worry about where I left it and made the Alpina toy more special when taking it out.

In June I sold the XC90 as it was getting higher mileage and bought a Ranger (pickup) as a daily that would also be useful for DIY and tip runs etc (big garden at new place, lots of hedges to maintain etc) and I love it.

I think having this mix now really works for me, as despite the Ranger being a little bit bling from the factory fitted Raptor bits I can still leave it anywhere and don't worry about potholes any more with the big offroad wheels and tyres on it.

I don't drive the Alpina that much so I get what you are saying about your AMG, but I for one will be sticking with a not so worried about daily and a special weekend or nice days car as on the occasions I do drive it then it seems worthwhile and also keeps the mileage down being an older car.

Maybe as others have said you may want to change the AMG for a different weekend car (less practical one etc) but the 'shed/normal' car for parking where you do seems to be a sensible thing to keep to me.

Good luck whatever you decide and keep this thread updated as I'll be interested in your decision.

Edited by Jules Sunley on Thursday 17th October 01:25

Edited by Jules Sunley on Thursday 17th October 01:26

Edited by Jules Sunley on Thursday 17th October 01:27

[Second Best]

Mdotlife said:

DeejRC said:

A grey 4 door Mercedes is flash?
The OPs world sounds very different from my world, as E class Merc is pretty much the definition of invisible. And yes I’ve run one. And yes I’ve run AMGs.
It’s just a car, it’s going to lose a st load of money in depreciation whether it’s clean, dirty, unscratched or got a dent in it. You aren’t running a Ferrari for Gods sake.

I’m aware of the lack of rarity regarding the car marque itself. The point behind my post was the car looks out of place given the environment it’s parked in at work, hence the concern and it not being special enough for weekends anymore

I abhor the phrase "it's just a car". Yes, I know, practically (and realistically) that's what it is, but some people take pride in what they have on their driveway.

Anyway, I'm in that position. Worst humblebrag ever but bear with me - I have a C63 AMG and a Ferrari Cali T on my driveway. I don't use my Ferrari often but I like to use my C63 when I can. However I offset the fun of the C63 with some other cars.

I live just outside of Greater London (within the M25 border) but I tend to daily an FN2 Civic Type-R. I drive it hard, don't really care about it, and if it goes pop, it's not exactly something I'll cry about. Having a fun daily shed (a CTR, an Impreza WRX, an S60 T5 etc) gives you the best of both worlds. You don't care if someone runs a trolley into it, or some tiktok tts stand on it for #clout or whatever they say these days. But you've got something you can use when you want to.

Personally, I would say (and please feel free to disagree) - keep a shed of a car, and figure out how much you'd miss the E63 if you were to sell it. What is it about the car that you love - the engine? The speed? The practicality? Whatever it is - if you sold the E63 and got, let's say, an E46 M3, would that tick the boxes for you? Could you even ask a parent or a friend to swap cars for a few weeks, just to see how much you miss seeing those quad exhausts on your driveway?

Driving a nice car daily will take the shine off it. Whilst of course the E63 can handle the daily drive, how much fun are you really getting out of it by sitting nose to tail in traffic? Why not just use it for the fun trips and leave it for those trips only?

My C63 does get the odd trip to the supermarket but I tend to go to the one further away because it involves a nice 0-70 traffic light run. All legal, of course, but if I was driving it to my local town, I'd get fed up with wanting to park it away from the Zafiras and Jukes, and also realising that 13-15mpg isn't fun.

To summarise, as I know this is quite scattered - use your nice car for nice trips. Use your shed for everything else. Don't overthink it - the less often you use a car you love, the more you enjoy the trips. So make sure it's for a fun reason.

[covmutley]

Keep the vauxhall, sounds you like that and none of your concerns relate to that.

Swap the c63 to something that is more fun and not really depreciating. Lots of choice,depending on whst you want- elise, tvrs, cayman, e63 m3, the best standard clio 172/182 you can buy, a classic etc etc

[DeejRC]

Second Best said:

Mdotlife said:

DeejRC said:

A grey 4 door Mercedes is flash?
The OPs world sounds very different from my world, as E class Merc is pretty much the definition of invisible. And yes I’ve run one. And yes I’ve run AMGs.
It’s just a car, it’s going to lose a st load of money in depreciation whether it’s clean, dirty, unscratched or got a dent in it. You aren’t running a Ferrari for Gods sake.

I’m aware of the lack of rarity regarding the car marque itself. The point behind my post was the car looks out of place given the environment it’s parked in at work, hence the concern and it not being special enough for weekends anymore

I abhor the phrase "it's just a car". Yes, I know, practically (and realistically) that's what it is, but some people take pride in what they have on their driveway.

Anyway, I'm in that position. Worst humblebrag ever but bear with me - I have a C63 AMG and a Ferrari Cali T on my driveway. I don't use my Ferrari often but I like to use my C63 when I can. However I offset the fun of the C63 with some other cars.

I live just outside of Greater London (within the M25 border) but I tend to daily an FN2 Civic Type-R. I drive it hard, don't really care about it, and if it goes pop, it's not exactly something I'll cry about. Having a fun daily shed (a CTR, an Impreza WRX, an S60 T5 etc) gives you the best of both worlds. You don't care if someone runs a trolley into it, or some tiktok tts stand on it for #clout or whatever they say these days. But you've got something you can use when you want to.

Personally, I would say (and please feel free to disagree) - keep a shed of a car, and figure out how much you'd miss the E63 if you were to sell it. What is it about the car that you love - the engine? The speed? The practicality? Whatever it is - if you sold the E63 and got, let's say, an E46 M3, would that tick the boxes for you? Could you even ask a parent or a friend to swap cars for a few weeks, just to see how much you miss seeing those quad exhausts on your driveway?

Driving a nice car daily will take the shine off it. Whilst of course the E63 can handle the daily drive, how much fun are you really getting out of it by sitting nose to tail in traffic? Why not just use it for the fun trips and leave it for those trips only?

My C63 does get the odd trip to the supermarket but I tend to go to the one further away because it involves a nice 0-70 traffic light run. All legal, of course, but if I was driving it to my local town, I'd get fed up with wanting to park it away from the Zafiras and Jukes, and also realising that 13-15mpg isn't fun.

To summarise, as I know this is quite scattered - use your nice car for nice trips. Use your shed for everything else. Don't overthink it - the less often you use a car you love, the more you enjoy the trips. So make sure it's for a fun reason.

Well, if you run a Cali T and hang about the poncy sections of ph then you will know that I was I dumbing down my normal phrase with “it’s just a car”.
To go back to the OP though, at the risk of repeating myself again: it’s just a 4 door Merc. A grey 4 door Merc. No matter what you may think, it really doesn’t look out of place at work, or pretty much wherever you have left it. Nobody knows what engine is in it, nobody knows how old it is, nobody knows how much it’s worth. You might, but nobody else does. That’s the point of an E - they are, effectively, effortlessly anonymous. And they do a superb job of being so. Over the years we have run SLKs, Es, MLs, AMGs and none AMGs, 4 pots, 6, 8, diesel and petrol. Used them all as dailies, put tens of thousands of miles on them and done so everywhere throughout UK and Europe. Left them everywhere, parked them wherever and all have been completely invisible. The only times contrary to that have been when my wife used to run the SLK55 around town, roof down, with our Dalmation in the passenger in her own set of Doggles and then crossing the Spanish border where they wanted to check we weren’t smuggling cigs etc cos we were in a big black V8 ML. Once they opened up and saw a hot Dalmation in the back they shrugged and said bugger off.
The point being - Mercs, all invisible unless you really try hard to make an effort. Stop overthinking it.

[WhyTwo]

I’ve had a practical SUV plus a weekend toy for years now and, to me, it’s the best of both worlds.

The weekend toy, TVR Cerbera, will be up for sale shortly - time for a change - but there’s no doubt that’s an occasion every time I get it out of the garage.

[DaveCWK]

Just my opinion but an E63 isn't really enough of a 'weekend car' to justify being one.
If you cant use it as the fast daily it's indented to be i'd sell it, free the cash up and shed it for a bit whilst browsing the classifieds.

[Hammy98]

I sold my M5 earlier this year and got something cheap to run for commuting, going to get something as a toy in the new year. I think something older which isn't depreciating as rapidly as a toy, and something cheap to run as the daily is the winner.

E63s, M5s, and RS6s aren't exactly toys. They're proper top-level super saloons which make sense as a daily but not as a weekend toy.

If you're keen on AMGs what about a W204 C63 coupe with the big 6.2L? Maybe one of the more focused ones - Edition 125?

AMG GT?

911?

EVs are great as dailys if you have the option to charge at home.