Life comes at you fast

"Battery Tender Unnecessary" (carac) 10/23/2017 at 23:43 • Filed to: None

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Buying a house, getting a dog, and planning to have kids sooner than you thought changes things.

Long story short, we weren’t planning on buying a house but stumbled upon a local one on a large plot of land in the middle of town about 3 months after buying the R8. Fast forward 6 months, we’re almost done renovating, we’ve got a 6 month old, 80lb, Bernese Mountain dog, and we’ve got a timetable on when to start trying to have kids. Suddenly the R8 doesn’t fit our life as well as it did earlier.

So I did what anyone in the market for a 600+hp vehicle that can comfortably and quickly transport two adults, a large dog, and some kids would do, I ordered an E63 Wagon. Looks like it’s going to be 4-5 months until delivery. 4-5 months of which the R8 would be spending most of its time under a cover in a garage, so it doesn’t make sense to pay insurance, personal property tax (Virginia assesses tax at 2% of assessed value of every car you own, every year. And in my county they only count the cars you own on Jan 1st, so getting rid of it by then will save $3500 alone). So it’s going away this week. God I’ll miss that V10 wail.

Thus I close the door on SLS’s, i8's, R8's, etc...at least for a couple decades. Time to move to more “practical”, “family” based motoring decisions. Thank god practical doesn’t mean boring.

Goodnight sweet prince.

Wagon antics to come.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Battery Tender Unnecessary 10/23/2017 at 23:48

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Nooooo

But also

Yaaaaaaaay

BeaterGT > Battery Tender Unnecessary 10/23/2017 at 23:49

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Which begs the question, how long does it take to sell an R8?

TheHondaBro > Battery Tender Unnecessary 10/23/2017 at 23:50

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I happen to be in the market for a new car.

CB > Battery Tender Unnecessary 10/23/2017 at 23:54

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Oof, that sucks. But that’s how life progresses, isn’t it? Here’s hoping you have room for another “irresponsible” car in the future.

As an aside, doesn’t the new E63 S make more power than an R8?

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > TheHondaBro 10/23/2017 at 23:55

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RPM esq. > Battery Tender Unnecessary 10/24/2017 at 00:14

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This seems fine. I’ll buy it off you in three or four years when you have more kids and I’m ready to move my C63.

The reason my next car is a toss-up between an E63 wagon and a 911 is basically your experience....namely, RPM Jr. is driving now, but what if I have another kid?

DipodomysDeserti > Battery Tender Unnecessary 10/24/2017 at 00:20

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Practical schmactical.

The trick is to always have a motorcycle for when you teally want to get your rocks off.

[homeowning thirty year-old father of two with an eleven year-old dog]

AfromanGTO > Battery Tender Unnecessary 10/24/2017 at 00:24

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The E63 AMGS has a 5 month wait. That’s the only car I agree to get rid of my GTO for. If something were to ever happen to the GTO.

Battery Tender Unnecessary > BeaterGT 10/24/2017 at 00:30

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In my case? 2 days. Only ~30 used Plus models in the US. As long as you’re not an ass pricing it ($220k with thousands of miles when you paid less than $200k new a year ago like one guy is attempting)

Battery Tender Unnecessary > CB 10/24/2017 at 00:33

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3 more I believe, but 214lb-ft more torque. Less than half a second difference in their quoted 0-60 times. Also, it’s believed AMG is measuring power at the wheels in their literature, Audi’s is at the crank.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > RPM esq. 10/24/2017 at 00:40

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I think the time to move on is now. I’ll take the C63 off your hands.

Saracen > Battery Tender Unnecessary 10/24/2017 at 01:09

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Not a bad compromise at all!

XJDano > Battery Tender Unnecessary 10/24/2017 at 01:52

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Congratulations on life happenings.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Battery Tender Unnecessary 10/24/2017 at 02:31

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Sorry about the R8. But congratulations on the E63! Have you driven anything with the 4.0 V8 yet? Or was this just sort of a whim?

shop-teacher > XJDano 10/24/2017 at 06:59

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That dude looks so much like my dead uncle, who drove a beat up white Chevy van, that it freaked me out a little.

shop-teacher > Battery Tender Unnecessary 10/24/2017 at 07:01

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Well jeeze. Too bad about the R8, but dat wagon!

LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com > Battery Tender Unnecessary 10/24/2017 at 07:12

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I would guess that states with property tax on cars have a lower per capita number of cars since it can be expensive to have a collection. Would you have kept the R8 if there weren’t the tax?

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > Battery Tender Unnecessary 10/24/2017 at 07:33

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You’ll have fun with a kid. We have 3 boys under 5, and it’s the best thing yet. They act a lot like a dog actually, except you can’t send them outside to poop. Good luck with the new chapters of your life. It’s awesome.

Tom McParland > Battery Tender Unnecessary 10/24/2017 at 08:03

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Just an FYI...I have a dealer in PA that has a black one on the lot right now.

Maxima Speed > Battery Tender Unnecessary 10/24/2017 at 09:04

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V8 or a V10? I had the opportunity to see one on vacation when I went to Charleston SC Cars and Coffee. They are beautiful in person. Also got to hear it at what sounded like full throttle as it left, the sound made me fall in love. By far the best sounding car out there.

TheHondaBro > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 10/24/2017 at 09:18

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You think you’re funny.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > TheHondaBro 10/24/2017 at 09:19

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I think you’re funny looking

TheHondaBro > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 10/24/2017 at 09:28

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Fight me IRL

Discerning > Battery Tender Unnecessary 10/24/2017 at 09:28

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Any reason you chose the wagon over the (slightly) less expensive, lighter, and quicker sedan?

Also, did you happen to check out any of its competitors?

I think you made the right choice. The E63 is seriously fast in a straight line and even very quick around a track..

Jayhawk Jake > Battery Tender Unnecessary 10/24/2017 at 09:29

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I’m just curious, why not maintain the R8/SLS/i8 type ownership as a fun car in addition to the practical car? Obviously for the first few years it’s impractical to take the little one(s) in the sports car, but eventually they’d be fine and I think it’d be fun to share that experience.

I’d like to say I wouldn’t change my car habits significantly with child, but I’m also not a parent and am not planning on becoming one for some time.

Though, I suppose, that AMG wagon is still pretty damn sporty.

XJDano > shop-teacher 10/24/2017 at 10:26

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This guy got famous for his tv interview to a news station. “ Reality hits you hard, bro!”

Battery Tender Unnecessary > Jayhawk Jake 10/24/2017 at 11:11

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Shifting priorities I guess. As I get older I’m shifting more of my income to retirement, savings, (pretty soon) a college fund. Plus, at least for the next few years I plan on updating the house a bit more. Probably install a couple Tesla powerwalls, solar panels (or those new panels that look like roof tiles), etc. And despite my car choices, money is finite. Seems about the right time to buy something fast and practical with an extended warranty. And in hindsight, had I known a house would pop up a couple months later, I probably wouldn’t have sold my RR SVR and just kept it.

Battery Tender Unnecessary > Tom McParland 10/24/2017 at 11:11

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You don’t say. Wonder how it’s spec’d.

Tom McParland > Battery Tender Unnecessary 10/24/2017 at 11:17

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I was going to send you an email, but I can’t find it. Hit me up - AutomatchConsulting@gmail.com and I’ll get you the spec.

Battery Tender Unnecessary > Tom McParland 10/24/2017 at 11:18

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I see a white one in Atlanta. And it looks like my local dealer (Knoxville) ordered a sedan with the Acoustic Comfort Package which adds 75lbs of sound insulation, including the floor pan, rear seat, trunk, etc. Meant to almost completely drown out wind, road, and engine noise...in an AMG. I guess someone that only cares that it’s the most expensive e-class will swoop it up.

shop-teacher > XJDano 10/24/2017 at 11:35

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The tip-offs for me that it was not my uncle were that this guy doesn’t have a mustache, his clothes are clean, and my uncle’s van was a G20 instead of an Astro.

Tom McParland > Battery Tender Unnecessary 10/24/2017 at 11:48

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Apparently, my dealer in PA has four of them...a black one currently in stock and 3 more incoming soon.