At the moment the petrol should cost a bit less, nearly-new, than the equivalent diesel: but I wonder if with all the adverse publicity about diesel engines this will still be true when you come to sell this car.
I think a few of us are watching this space with interest, we definately won't know about any plans till after the election, and then it could be a long time depending on which smaller parties are involved in making the right numbers up, Greens could be a loose cannon motorists in general could do without.
|
|
Family view is to stick with E class or Toureg. Volvo S80 was viewed, but did not excite. I shall still loom at Lexus though. The number of dealers who have not responded to messages via Autotrader is remarkable but I shall keep trying.
Missed a good value Toureg by 24 hours. Surprising that very few have electric seats but have other toys. More to follow no doubt. I am not rushing as I have a spare Astra in the fleet for a couple of months until the lease expires.
|
Hi HB, I have an E250 CDI Sport estate. 2011 model, had it from new, automatic ( of course ) Black with cream leather.
Now it has 120,000 trouble free and very comfortable miles on it. Highly recommended. I was ever so slightly worried about it being a 4 cylinder in a car which deserves 6 but I've never felt it to be lacking on power or delivery.
I'd have another in a heartbeat.
|
|
Thanks AB, however I feel I really need the V6 howl. I am going to treat myself as I think I will keep this car for at least four years.
So I have narrowed the choice down to a very high spec E350CDi saloon which is about £1,000 over my (self-imposed) budget, a reasonable spec estate version of the same car that is just within budget or a Touareg with a couple of extras for £1,500 over. SWMBO would like me to have the Touareg. I'm not so bothered. What does bother me is the idea of full service history. All are a similar age and the mileage is 20,000 for the saloon, 26,000 for the estate and 32,000 for the Touareg.
A 62 plate Touareg (not one I am looking at) has a VWFSH, which means it was serviced once in June 2013 and is due another service in June 2015. No-one has looked at it since June 2013. Am I stupid???? The Mercedes however have a variable service interval but which will requires a 12 month inspection and both these examples have proper history.
|
|
I'm not surprised your wife would like you to buy the Touareg, lots of women seem to like driving a big expensive 4x4!
|
|
|
|
If you're going to put it through the business, bik might be a consideration with the VW? 4WDs tend to be expensive on that front don't they? I'd go with the estate from your list. Just for my vote of course, I'm sure they'd all be nice. I like estates, room for stuff as well as people.
|
|
Decided against any Touareg now. It is clear they are serviced so infrequently that you could be buying can of worms. The one I had my eye on was last serviced at 15,000 miles. It has now done 32,000.
The car will be a personal purchase. So no BIK. The cost of leasing a car plus the BIK seems to be so much higher over a three year period than the depreciation suffered over the same time that it makes no sense to lease unless I really want a brand new car. I'm not that bothered.
So now the choice is the two Mercs; estate or saloon.
|
|
|
|
Both these cars would scare me to death to be honest! The Merc with their history of injector failures or the VW with the notoriously complicated and expensive to fix 3.0 tdi. You're a braver man than me! Make sure that you get a full main dealer service history with all recalls done, and a 12 month warranty minimum and preferably you will know a first class indie to maintain it. Are you sure you've ruled out a Lexus? Of course, if it's a company car, ignore everything i've said. The Merc would be my choice of the 2. The VW is just too big a bulky thing for everyday use and you'll be cracking open the beers if you ever see 30mpg I predict!
|
|
I'd have the estate. Everyone has to go to the tip sometimes !
|
|
|
|
Not ruled out Lexus, but I had a long drive in a GS450h about two years ago and whilst it was lovely, it was soulless. There is a very highly respected Merc indie on the way to my office. I think the injector failures were a few years before the ones I am looking at are built (2012).
Problem is time. I am very busy at work and don't have so much time to scout around looking.
|
As mentioned above, my car is black which I think suits it but I've seen E Class estates in a sort of swamp brown metallic which sounds vile but for some reason really works.
What colours are the ones you're looking at? Let me guess, black, silver or grey right? They all seem to be black silver or grey, unless they're burgundy !
;-)
|
|
Not black. With rear privacy glass it looks like a hea***! At least that's what I am told by SWMBO.
Not white. Don't know why but just dont want it.
So metallic silver/grey as there are no other choices around. Pity there are no interiors with cream leather. It's black or grey.
|
|
If I remember right you have school-age children, HB. In the long run you'll probably be glad not to have cream leather.
Interesting that you're going for a diesel despite not doing a huge mileage. I presume that's because there aren't many big Mercedes around with petrol power.
Diesel still seems to be in favour with buyers of big cars: that might change at some time in the future but perhaps not until truly efficient petrol engines of over 2 litres are developed, if indeed that's possible.
|
|
Avant
Children now a bit older so less worried about cream interiors. None available anyway. No petrol engines available either. The one V6 petrol for sale at some back street London garage was sold before I rang. Mind you, the guy I spoke to seemed a bit vague so who knows if I ring back it might still be available. ...
|
|
Surely cream is available if you want it?
Mercedes-Benz E220 CDI AMG Sport 2.1 5dr
|
|
Lovely; but wrong engine and too expensive!
|
|
More news.
Sat in a Lexus GS450h this morning. The back seats do not provide enough room for three people - much more cramped than an E-class the boot is much smaller to make way for the battery. I also sat in an RX450h. Very nice but with the sunroof, the person sitting in the middle of the back row cannot be very tall or their heads hits the roof lining. I am 5'7" and was too tall. Also way expensive.
A client has an BMW M5. Amazing car, but again not enough room in the back.
Getting there!
|
|
If possible, I'd go for an E-class estate over a saloon. Should hold value better, more practical, and IMO, better looking too.
|
Agree with you Trilogy. What's more, with the saloons, people might think you've started up a sideline in airport taxi runs.
;-)
|
|
So it looks as if it's coming down to an E-class. Should do you well, but if you're spending a fair amount of money I think you deserve six cylinders.
|
|
Thans Avant. The car I had my eye on was sold about 20 minutes before I rang to confirm I wanted to buy. I had spoken to the garage the night before, but some people apparently turned up out of the blue, saw it and bought it. Who knows.....
Cannot find another model like it - it was very well specced and the basic Mercedes lack some the creature comfots I was used to in the S-Max. They still persist in the stupid foot operated parking brake! EPBs are the way to go....(cat amongst the pigeons!)
Anyway, I am biding my time until the registration changes, which should bring some ex-lease cars onto the market at sensible prices.
|
I've got used to the foot operated parking brake. Won't say I like it but it no longer bothers me. Anyway, it's so flat where I live I hardly bother using it and just stick it in "P" mostly
I think I'd still prefer a lever if I lived somewhere there was a chance of sledging down the drive as I seem to recal you enjoy doing with your cars !
;-)
|
Alby, I agree with you regarding foot operated parking brake, especially when mated to an autobox. A bit like Saab with ignition key going in by the gear lever. Actually, I prefer it there to anywhere else, just so natural IMO.
|
|
AB - a good memory, but that was at least six years ago now. Hopefully not to be repeated. A good lesson that 4WD is still affected by gravity......
Went to have a look at a Mazda CX7 today. Nice car but manual only and like so many cars, it has a centre console that extends so far back it interferes with the ability of the back seat passengers to slide across without getting their feet stuck between the seat base and the console. So many cars would be much more comfortable and able to accommodate five people properly if they has shorter consoles.
|
|
i am down in watford going to look at a 2009 mercedes E320Cdi with 20,000 miles and full history. £11,000. If I buy it I have a good indy in Manchester who specialises in MB.
The car does not have SatNav so I will use my phone instead. Any recommendations for a good phone mount?
The car was not what I was looking for but at less than half the budget and with the colours I wanted and the apparent condition it seems too good not to take a closer look. Certainly that price if I decide that it is not for me after 12 months i'm sure I will get a very large proportion of the purchase price back.
Edited by Happy Blue! on 15/02/2015 at 07:45
|
|
The car does not have SatNav so I will use my phone instead. Any recommendations for a good phone mount?
It depends on what phone you have but eBay have a good selection I got one for 60p including postage and packaging and it's works on allphones and is very sturdy. Its a clamp type with a suction cup to stick it to the windscreen.
m.ebay.co.uk/itm/141351114186?nav=SEARCH
that is the one I got it works brilliantly and it has never fallen off the windscreen in 6 months.
Edited by dan86 on 15/02/2015 at 08:21
|
|
Samsung Galaxy S4. I understand there are some that clamp to the air vents or have a heavy base to sit on the dash?
|
|
Samsung Galaxy S4. I understand there are some that clamp to the air vents or have a heavy base to sit on the dash?
|
|
The jml grip go is good and works with the s4 but when I upgraded to the s5 it didn't work to we'll as the s5 has a rubbery back cover so didn't stick to it so that's y I bought the clamp one. The jml grip go doesn't work with the iPhone either.
|
|
I have a Brodit holder, soon will be changing the phone and will need to replace the front section only, leaving the base attached to the dashboard in situ.
e-retailer I will be using is http://www.dsldevelopments.com/ although there may be others too
|
|
Oh dear......
Car very nice but vendor missed the rust bubbling up around the rear nearside wheel arch. Also neglected to state that bluetooth required a plug in module costing over £150. I can cope with the module but don't fancy repairing rust when my similarly aged S Max had no rust at all.
So, on my way home.....
|
|
I'm sure I've seen reports of rust on Mercedes from a particular period - was it 2006-10? Someone may know in more detail, but there were rumours of cost-cutting which went too far and which was then remedied, so that more recent models are OK.
I still think there might be a nice new Skoda Superb estate with your name on it: there's a new model coming out later in the year so there will be good deals about. Your clients will think that someone who buys good value will give good value!
|
I'm sure I've seen reports of rust on Mercedes from a particular period - was it 2006-10? Someone may know in more detail, but there were rumours of cost-cutting which went too far and which was then remedied, so that more recent models are OK.
Mercedes-Benz had a bad decade, from 1995-2005.
|
|
Done a bit of research on the way home. It seems these cars were galvanised from early 2003 so any rust may be a sign of a previous repair. Certainly the history of the car shows service invoices with at least two replacement door mirrors so the previous owner parked by touch........ feel better for walking away.
Back to square one. Maybe there is a Skoda for me??
|
|
Skoda Superb estate sounds a good way to go. A Merc would be nice, but IMO, and from all I've read, is more likely to be a money pit than a Superb.
|
The Superb is a very nice car, although only the top Elegance version offers anything but an all-black interior. We looked at the estate in 2012 before settling on an older (2009) E220 CDI estate instead, partly because the Superbs we liked all seemed very expensive.
The legroom in the rear of the Superb is enormous: I'm 1.97m and can sit behind my own driving position and waggle my legs. It's not awfully wide, though - something I'd consider an advantage in traffic and parking, but not if I regularly had to put three in the back. The E does frequently take three 10-13yo boys, who are OK for space in spite of the transmission tunnel. Not so good for three adults, of course, but few modern non-MPV cars are.
|
|
Welcome back, Brian. I see you last posted on here five years ago, so don't wait that long again!
|
|
Feel for you HB, don't you just feel like lumping these sales bods one, you dragged right down to Watford to be shown a car with obvious rust, he'd have needed therapy after receiving a piece of my mind for that.
Rust on a 2009 Benz isn't what we wanted to hear, especially after all the hype about moving on from the doldrum days of 95 to 05 ish.
Galvanising at MB was more or less across the board from 2005 (not sure about Vito vans and MPV's mind you, do they put any paint on them at all), i wonder if that 09 car could have been sat around for maybe 3 years before being registered and was in fact a non galvanised car?
|
|
Don't know GB. It was bought with only five miles on it from Car Giant in 2009 and given the colour it was unlikely to have been sitting around for three years. I suspect that there had been a slight ding previously which had been poorly repaired - although there was no sign of any repair or overspray etc.
A local indie I spoke to yesterday said I did well to keep away. I shall keep looking.
In the meantime, I have to find myself some wheels by the end of March. As my son turns 17 not long after and a member of staff needs a new small car early next year. I have decided to buy a new small runaround for me to drive and my son to practice on for a few months, after which it can go to the staff member. I need to have bluetooth and satnav so have been researching makes/models. I have seen very good value Nissan Notes, but understand that they are not as good as the previous model. Also in the frame are Seat Toledos and Skoda Rapids which are conspicuously good value compared to the VW Polos which are also around for similar money but are smaller and with smaller engines. Member of staff currently drives a two door Clio so anything would be better for him. It is amazing what good value cars are now, given the safety gubbins and other fancy features which are standard. The Note can be bought nearly new for under £9,500, the Rapid/Toledo twins for just under £11,000 and the Polo is clearly expensive at £11,500.
|
|
Sorry the Merc didn't work out HB. A friend has recently bought a VW Up for similar reasons to your latest thoughts. His son is about to start learning to drive so rather than replace one of the family cars with another larger one he's gone the other way and bought something he can commute a short-ish way in and use for his son learn on. He rather likes it but they do have another car on the drive with more room.
|
|
Well, I've done it.
Bought a Renault Captur 0.9TCe Dynamique Nav. £1,250 manufacturer contribution then 40% down and the rest at 0% over four years. Cheaper than buying a pre-reg if you take into account the new registration year.
Drives surprisingly well for the engine size and remarkably quiet at 70mph. Well specced and comfortable. Hopefully within 12 months eldest child will have passed his driving test and I can revert to my usual mode of transport (large and automatic) or I will have a mid life crisis and buy an MX5.
|
|
You trendy old thing you ! Enjoy !!
|
|
|
|
|
|
