INSIDE: Have you been asking yourself, “Should I buy a Mercedes Benz?” We did too, and we finally made our decision. Find out what it was and why we came to that conclusion.
So after many (MANY!!) days obsessing about “should I buy a Mercedes Benz” and pouring over your thoughtful notes and advice and nudges (you sure didn’t hold back! Haha…) we finally made a decision on what we wanted to do with that Benz offer burning a hole in our brains…
And that decision is…. drum roll please….
NOT TO BUY IT!! EEK!
And instead, keep going forward with the minivan route as we originally planned.
Something in a million years the old me would have never guessed I’d be typing out, haha, but unfortunately for him there’s a new family guy in charge, and Mr. New Family Guy just doesn’t think it would accomplish the mission… Despite how fun it was to dream about it for a while.
How We Came to the Answer to “Should I Buy a Mercedes Benz?”
When we sat down to really hammer out what *exactly* we wanted in a new car, the answers just didn’t match up to what the Benz offered. Then the answer to “should I buy a Mercedes Benz?” was NO.
- Extra space for storage and people (it was roomy, but not minivan roomy)
- A car for the more *longer* term (would the Benz last two years or twenty years?)
- Easy and cheap to maintain (I’m not a DIY’er in the least and 100% rely on mechanics!)
- And then most important of all, at least for my minimalist side, something I don’t have to *think* about or *worry* about at all and just gets us to where we need to go in relative joy and comfort. And having driven many a cars in my lifetime, I know I can be just as happy in a minivan as I can in a luxury car so long as it gives me peace of mind! Plus – after hearing all the love some of y’all have for your vans, I’m actually kinda excited to give it a shot now! Haha… It’ll be a new adventure, right?!
So as much as I loved the *idea* of a new Benz to the Money family, it looks like it won’t be happening this time around, but I’d be open to it again later when the circumstances are different. Some of y’all almost had me convinced there for a bit!! Haha…
In fact, the most interesting part of the polling here was the drastic difference in opinions when they were shared PUBLICLY vs PRIVATELY!
I have no idea if it’s purely coincidence or not, but those who shared their opinions publicly on the blog or social overwhelmingly voted for us NOT to buy it, whereas those who shared their opinions privately via email overwhelmingly told us to GO FOR IT!
Isn’t that wild?!
And then when I actually tallied up ALL the answers from across the board, it was split almost perfectly down the middle with 61 yays and 64 nays (as well as a good 40-50 “it depends”). Telling me right there it was indeed a hard call to make and I wasn’t totally being a drama queen up in here ;) Haha…
It’s been about three days since we sent over our final decision, and if you can believe it it hasn’t crossed my mind even *once*! A sure sign we made the right decision for sure…
So thank you, THANK YOU, thank you for all your thoughts and advice across *all* sides of the table here! And I can promise you that I read every last one and kept an open mind.
And if you’re asking yourself, “Should I buy a Mercedes Benz?” maybe all of this will help you make your decision as well.
It’s funny to think that just this time last week I was completely torn and didn’t know how it would turn out, and then literally just days later it’s all made clear again :) The power of just letting time do its thing right there! Thank goodness the car was halfway across the country, or we very well could have been writing a different post today! Haha…
Now anyone have a minivan they want to sell for $5,000???
******
PS: Here were a few of my favorite comments from y’all ;)
- “This is a used car, not a marriage. You can always trade or sell later.”
- “Quick, call MMM right now so he can punch you in the face!”
- “No brainer here, you get a solid car AND the fun. Eat the cannoli!”
- “Once you’ve owned German the rest are vermin.”
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I Love Mini-Vans, I can haul my kids and grand kids anywhere, I can move A matress or a couch , I can lay down and take a nap in it… I have to have at least 1 Van in my inventory of cars.
Hah!
My kids will love it even more knowing they can camp out in it – good call ;)
Hahaha! Happy to see I made one of your favorites :-) I could just see and hear the DEFCON 1 Siren going off at Triple M’s house awaking him from a leisurely nap and picking up his red dedicated phone calling you to STOP!!!
As long as it was followed by “Hammer time”, haha…
Glad you opted for the route of not constantly having your car in the shop for repairs that cost 10 times what they actually should… Plus that mini van probably has every amenity the Benz does along with cup holders as far as the eye can see. We have mini van and the power doors make it worth its weight in gold. Not having to worry about kids door jacking someone else’s car and quick load/unload even in crowded lots. I’m just saying, there is a stigma attached to it, yes, but like anything in life, if you own it fully, no one can even begin to make fun. Other people will wonder “Am I the one that’s missing out?” The answer is yes….yes you are.
Haha…
Hope to not be missing out sometime soon!!
Got my blinders on now and ready to do this thing!!
“just letting time do its thing” — in the long term it’s terrifying, but in the short term that right there is gold!
You made the right decision. The Benz isn’t the right fit for your family. That’s too bad.
Minivans are expensive these days. I hope you find a good one.
It’ll 100% be used, that’s for sure!
And don’t mind the mileage being up there on that one as much since it’ll be a lot cheaper to maintain (though going to shoot for the 50k-70k range)
Invest in a vasectomy now, and then the Benz can follow say 14 years from now.
It is on my consideration list ;)
Just not in a rush as yet, haha…
I hate to say that you’ve almost definitely made the right choice. I’ve returned to a minivan after 10 years in an SUV and it’s just a much better tool for the job of having a family.
Now, on the other hand, we’re car shopping for the OTHER car….LOL!
I know a great sexy car for sale! :)
Great call! Our seasons of life are always the biggest considerations in these kinds of decisions. The Benz isn’t in Wisconsin is it?
No, sorry haha…
You’re right on the “seasons” though – great way to look at things :)
Hehe I was looking forward to your decision. I think this is the right one in the long term. I had originally said maybe give it a short trial so as to put to bed your “will I have regrets?” feeling but I’m glad you didn’t even need to do that much!
I will miss the adventure from the road trip, but knew I’d be too tempted and wouldn’t be able to come home empty handed so didn’t even risk it, lol….
We recently replaced our small SUV with a big Toyota Sienna minivan. The Sienna is so much nicer for a family of 4 like ours. It has a ton of room, the seats are super plush and comfortable, we have a ton of storage space in the back, and the kids even have an entertainment system with dual tv screens for long drives. We love it, and while we used to have a bit of a bias against minivans, we’re all in now. We love them! For the place we are in life right now, it’s the perfect vehicle for us. You won’t regret it either I’m guessing!
So cool!!!
If you are in, I am in, haha…
#SiennasForMoneyBloggers
Please post pictures of your sweet sweet ride when you get it! A good friend of mine in college drove a mini van, and though we called him Mr Mom, it was actually hella handy to carry tons of college kids in too!
Haha I bet!!! And would be happy to carry on the tradition if you and your old college pals ever make your way down here too ;) Who said 40 year olds can’t go bar hopping anymore?!
Congrats on the decision! Benz are horrible to maintain $$-wise
We love our Toyota Sienna! Had it for 7+ years.
Rock on!! I haven’t heard a bad thing about them yet… though I’d kinda like to? :) Anything you hate about Siennas? I know they’re more expensive compared to some other vans out there..
If there is anything I have learned is that the world is distracted and alas nobody will notice you drive a minivan.
HAH!
Good thought to keep in mind for *anything* we do in life, really… :)
So I bought a 2019 AMG G63 in January for $185,000 which I absolutely love and have no shame carting around my 2 grandchildren in (picture big pink car seats in the backseat) but much to my surprise my son and daughter in law are on baby number 3 so I decided to get a minivan since I pick them up from daycare everyday. I extensively researched minivans and ended up going with a Honda Odyssey Elite and I can honestly say I love my minivan. There is so much room, it has cabin watch so I can see the kids at all times, cabin talk so I can talk to them even if they have the dvd headphones on, a magic 2 row middle seat that moves forward, back, side to side so they can get in the third row by walking back there and the gas mileage is AMAZING!, I still have to spend $250 on Mercedes service A (oil change, check fluids, etc) and service B (same thing with maybe a tire rotation) $250-$600 because Grammy had to keep her G-Wagon for weekends but I figure you only live once and the grandkids will eventually be out of car seats
Holy crap – y’all are ballin’ over there! those AMGs are hot!!
and to be able to afford two new cars like that in those price ranges AND in the same year? where’s your $$$ blog so we can all learn from you?? ;)