2013 Tesla model s P85+ vs 2014 Mercedes E63 AMG S model

[bobfreeman]

I know this is a tech forum not a car one, but I need help deciding, so please tell me which one you'd choose and why. The choices are a 2013 Tesla Model S P85+ (not p85d) with 48,000 miles for $60,000 or a 2014 Mercedes E63 AMG s model fully optioned out with 26,000 miles for $66,000. Both are very fast and very nice cars,and both have downsides. The Tesla is older with more miles and the Mercedes has abysmal gas mileage 

[AyeJayKay]

I would personally take the Mercedes. The interior is far nicer and I don't like the styling of too many Mercedes but the face lifted E-class of that generation looked quite good. Unless you live in an area and also have a typical commute that supports the lifestyle of an EV, it would be best to just get a good old combustion engine car.

[elfensky]

In general, I'd probably go for the Tesla.

 

Smaller tax cuz "EV", immediate 6k saved, savings on petrol and with the slow up and coming in abundance of super chargers in both USA and Europe, even long trips are relatively easy to make, they just require some planning and a bit more driving.

 

If you mainly commute home-work-shop, get the Tesla. If you do road trips often, get the Merc I guess, can't beat the convenience of gasoline, even with the above mentioned abundance of superchargers.

 

If you have some money to spare, lease both cars for a week, and see which you like most.

Like I mentioned, I like the Tesla, but one of the main reasons is the superior technology, software updates and the like.

 

Sit it both cars, see how it feels.

[Atmos]

I hate teslas with a passion, because they simply do not work in ANY way for my life style. 

 

Id take the merc any day. 

though, for that kind of money I'd be looking at another nsx, or convertible corvette. Im much more of a race inspired sports car as opposed to an overpowered sedan. 

[bobfreeman]

24 minutes ago, ElfenSky said:

In general, I'd probably go for the Tesla.

 

Smaller tax cuz "EV", immediate 6k saved, savings on petrol and with the slow up and coming in abundance of super chargers in both USA and Europe, even long trips are relatively easy to make, they just require some planning and a bit more driving.

 

If you mainly commute home-work-shop, get the Tesla. If you do road trips often, get the Merc I guess, can't beat the convenience of gasoline, even with the above mentioned abundance of superchargers.

 

If you have some money to spare, lease both cars for a week, and see which you like most.

Like I mentioned, I like the Tesla, but one of the main reasons is the superior technology, software updates and the like.

 

Sit it both cars, see how it feels.

i've driven the Model S and absolutely love it, the only reason i'm not jumping on it is because the one in question has 48,000 miles on it. i would get a new one, but a 70kwh comes out to over $70,000, and it's not as fast as i would like it to be

[Iceprincess]

Can you afford it in cash or will you finance it? That's a pretty important thing to consider. Also, US or Canada?

[GlassBomb]

The Tesla will be an overall better car. Where as the AMG will be a nicer car, and it will sound so, so much nicer.

 

Tesla will be much cheaper to run and insure, that would be the main point of going with the Tesla. Maintenance will be close to a non-issue on the Tesla as well. Huzzah for few moving parts.

[Iceprincess]

This is my opinion, so take it as such:

 

Pros from the Tesla
* No gas costs
* Relatively very low maintenance costs as it has no mechanical pieces inside
* Cheaper to insure
* Receives constant software updates from Tesla Motors, so the car is up to date for the most part.

Cons For the tesla
* You'll find it hard to travel long distances unless you use the supercharger network
* Recharging times can take a lot, up to an hour in a supercharger.
* Noiseless, if you like an engine's noise.
*  Unknown resale value
* AFAIK batteries can be expensive to replace if they're out of warranty

 

Pros for the Mercedes
* Fast as hell
* Elegant
* Good resale value during its lifetime

Cons
* Super expensive to maintain, expect to pay more than 5k to fix the transmission if it dies on you.
* Expensive to insure
* Gas thirsty, it's a Twin Turbo V8
* Will draw you attention

 

What you need to ask yourself is this:
* Can I afford this in cash without financing it?
* Do I NEED a car like this? 

* Do I make enough yearly to justify such expense? Cars shouldn't cost more than 10% of my yearly income post tax.
* Can I afford an awful emergency that comes up as a consequence of owning this car?

 

Keep in mind that 60k is a good amount of cash, and like it or not cars deppreciate badly. In 5 years any of the two will be worth 20k or less. IMO you could really invest the money in something smarter like stocks or an index fund that can generate you a 6% profit or more yearly, but that's me.

 

Also, take it from a lady: A sports car won't impress a smart lady, young or old

[bobfreeman]

12 minutes ago, Iceprincess said:

This is my opinion, so take it as such:

 

Pros from the Tesla
* No gas costs
* Relatively very low maintenance costs as it has no mechanical pieces inside
* Cheaper to insure
* Receives constant software updates from Tesla Motors, so the car is up to date for the most part.

Cons For the tesla
* You'll find it hard to travel long distances unless you use the supercharger network
* Recharging times can take a lot, up to an hour in a supercharger.
* Noiseless, if you like an engine's noise.
*  Unknown resale value
* AFAIK batteries can be expensive to replace if they're out of warranty

 

Pros for the Mercedes
* Fast as hell
* Elegant
* Good resale value during its lifetime

Cons
* Super expensive to maintain, expect to pay more than 5k to fix the transmission if it dies on you.
* Expensive to insure
* Gas thirsty, it's a Twin Turbo V8
* Will draw you attention

 

What you need to ask yourself is this:
* Can I afford this in cash without financing it?
* Do I NEED a car like this? 

* Do I make enough yearly to justify such expense? Cars shouldn't cost more than 10% of my yearly income post tax.
* Can I afford an awful emergency that comes up as a consequence of owning this car?

 

Keep in mind that 60k is a good amount of cash, and like it or not cars deppreciate badly. In 5 years any of the two will be worth 20k or less. IMO you could really invest the money in something smarter, but that's me.

 

Also, take it from a lady: A sports car won't impress a smart lady, young or old

Paying for it is not really an issue. I plan to pay most of it down ($45k) and pay off the rest within the next 2 months 

[Iceprincess]

I strongly advise you to consult it with Reddit's /r/personalfinance just in case. You don't want to make a financial mistake because of a car.

[KingKeith55]

My first question would be do I really need a $60k car...

 

 

[dalekphalm]

2 hours ago, KingKeith55 said:

My first question would be do I really need a $60k car...

 

 

Agreed, if the OP has enough money to put a $45K down payment... well, in my eyes, he should just get a $45K car and pay in cash, upfront. $45K will get you a really nice "practical" car, fully loaded. Or it will get you a damn nice used car, probably also fully loaded.

 

It won't get you a Tesla or a Merc e63 though.

[IMPERIUS]

The cars are really different so there can't be an obvious better car. One is an electric car the other a sports car. Whichever you like more, go for it, that's the only good advice you can get

[elfensky]

4 hours ago, IMPERIUS said:

The cars are really different so there can't be an obvious better car. One is an electric car the other a sports car. Whichever you like more, go for it, that's the only good advice you can get

 

Tfw implying a 0-100 (60mph) of 4.2 seconds isn't "sporty" enough lel. Aren't both technically considered luxury sedans, and not sport cars?

[elfensky]

20 hours ago, Atmos said:

I hate teslas with a passion, because they simply do not work in ANY way for my life style. 

 

Id take the merc any day. 

though, for that kind of money I'd be looking at another nsx, or convertible corvette. Im much more of a race inspired sports car as opposed to an overpowered sedan. 

 

Indeed, if the guy can down 45k, why not get a Nismo 370z? Either a very low mileage one or even new. If I was ever in the market for a Tesla I'd just wait, save up some more and get the P90D model, when you're spending that much there's not much sense in not getting the top model.

[IMPERIUS]

38 minutes ago, ElfenSky said:

 

Tfw implying a 0-100 (60mph) of 4.2 seconds isn't "sporty" enough lel. Aren't both technically considered luxury sedans, and not sport cars?

imo an AMG car is pretty sporty....

[dalekphalm]

4 minutes ago, IMPERIUS said:

imo an AMG car is pretty sporty....

Yes, but the lines between a Luxury Sedan and a "Sports Car" are pretty blurred sometimes. An E64 AMG is definitely more towards the Luxury side of things. Powerful? Sporty? Oh yes. But that doesn't stop it from primarily being a Luxury Sedan.

 

@bobfreeman

IMHO getting a car like an E63 AMG is ridiculous unless you make a lot of disposable income, because:

1. Gas - this thing will drink fuel like an alcoholic on a drunken binge

2. Maintenance - any luxury/sports sedan in this price range is going to cost a LOT to maintain. Even regular service intervals (Oil change, filters, etc) are going to cost a lot unless you're prepared to do these things yourself. Also, parts of any kind are going to be pretty expensive.

3. Unexpected repairs - any car has them. With a Honda Accord it might set you back $500-$2000. With a car like this, emergency repairs could cost as much as a brand new entry level car.

4. Insurance - they will rape you. Anally. And without lube.

 

As long as you're okay with all of those things, and you have the money and income to continue to afford to actually own a Merc E63 - then sure why not. The Tesla will cost a lot less to own and maintain though, and will certainly be just as sporty and fun to drive (Minus the engine noise, but you'll get used to it - and if you're actually a Petrol Head, you'd never consider a Tesla to begin with anyway).

[handymanshandle]

Tesla all the way. The older ones (pre 2016) look pretty nice. The new one I'm sorta mixed on.

[bobfreeman]

On May 4, 2016 at 10:28 AM, ElfenSky said:

 

Indeed, if the guy can down 45k, why not get a Nismo 370z? Either a very low mileage one or even new. If I was ever in the market for a Tesla I'd just wait, save up some more and get the P90D model, when you're spending that much there's not much sense in not getting the top model.

The P90d is $50,000 more 

[bobfreeman]

On May 4, 2016 at 11:16 AM, dalekphalm said:

Yes, but the lines between a Luxury Sedan and a "Sports Car" are pretty blurred sometimes. An E64 AMG is definitely more towards the Luxury side of things. Powerful? Sporty? Oh yes. But that doesn't stop it from primarily being a Luxury Sedan.

 

@bobfreeman

IMHO getting a car like an E63 AMG is ridiculous unless you make a lot of disposable income, because:

1. Gas - this thing will drink fuel like an alcoholic on a drunken binge

2. Maintenance - any luxury/sports sedan in this price range is going to cost a LOT to maintain. Even regular service intervals (Oil change, filters, etc) are going to cost a lot unless you're prepared to do these things yourself. Also, parts of any kind are going to be pretty expensive.

3. Unexpected repairs - any car has them. With a Honda Accord it might set you back $500-$2000. With a car like this, emergency repairs could cost as much as a brand new entry level car.

4. Insurance - they will rape you. Anally. And without lube.

 

As long as you're okay with all of those things, and you have the money and income to continue to afford to actually own a Merc E63 - then sure why not. The Tesla will cost a lot less to own and maintain though, and will certainly be just as sporty and fun to drive (Minus the engine noise, but you'll get used to it - and if you're actually a Petrol Head, you'd never consider a Tesla to begin with anyway).

Sure I can afford it, but I would rather not pay that much in maintenance and fuel. I am leaning heavily towards the Tesla, but the thing stopping me is that it doesn't have autopilot, but the E63 is fully loaded with the distronic plus package. I would enjoy the engine sound, but i could live without it 

[dalekphalm]

4 hours ago, bobfreeman said:

Sure I can afford it, but I would rather not pay that much in maintenance and fuel. I am leaning heavily towards the Tesla, but the thing stopping me is that it doesn't have autopilot, but the E63 is fully loaded with the distronic plus package. I would enjoy the engine sound, but i could live without it 

Is Auto Pilot really something you care about? While it's definitely a "neat" feature, I would personally not put make that a deciding factor unless everything else was equal.

 

Also, you should look into whether that specific model of Tesla can be updated to Auto Pilot via an OTA Firmware Upgrade. Tesla has been known to give out free software upgrades all the time for older models, but there might be some specific model restrictions or something.

[Iceprincess]

Why not just get a Focus RS if you want something sporty?

[dalekphalm]

26 minutes ago, Iceprincess said:

Why not just get a Focus RS if you want something sporty?

While a Focus RS is a nice sporty small car... it's not even on the same planet as a Tesla Model S and a Merc E63.

 

That's like going to a premium Steak House and ordering a $5 hamburger. Yeah it probably tastes alright, but it's no $30 steak dinner.

[v-raze]

@bobfreeman If you don't mind waiting a year or two, you could just reserve a Tesla model 3, and get the highest performance package available. If you have to buy a car now, I'd buy the Tesla, because it is both an exciting ride and a practical vehicle, whereas the Mercedes is not something you're going to want to use in all conditions and will cost quite a bit more to operate and maintain.