Xantia diesel Auto has died. needs replacing.Love the hydraulic suspension so the only logical replacement is a C5 but Terrified of electrical problems after xantia experience advice please!
Requirements for replacement:~ auto diesel largeish estate.Considering older Mreg onwards merc W124 estate £4000 budget gets 120-150000 nice spec 300d.Anyone got an opinion as to what would be the better optiion? Whats the road tax on the 300d?
Too polite to drive a BMW
audi ride tioo harsh
Vw's not as reliable as citroens in my experience
I don't mind driving an old car
Thanks
Edited by Webmaster on 10/11/2007 at 22:58
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This has got Mondeo written all over it!
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Hasn't every request for advice for a car? :-)
Edited by hxj on 10/11/2007 at 23:37
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Cannot for the life of me understand why they let designers get so carried away with making every system on a car depedant on an ecu.
If my dreadful memory serves me correctly wasn't it a boast of citroen that the C5 had 19 ecu's, dont know about you but it scares the hell out of me.
The xantia was a good motor by the end of its run, and i for one wasn't impressed by the new model. Magic carpet ride though.
Recently sold my '95 300d merc 124 but it was a saloon, think you will pay well for one of the last estate's cos i got over 3K for mine, so your probably correct pricewise as the estate should be worth nearly half as much again.
Terrific car mind you, good bonus is great parts backup with Euro/gsf parts.
Have you thought about a newer merc, or is the rust bug that puts you off.
Could get a BMW and then drive courteously and start a trend.
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>>Considering older Mreg onwards merc W124 estate
I'm completely biased - both because you might describe me as automotively Francophobe, and I also run an M reg W124 E300D estate. It does however have almost half a Citroenesque set up - the rear suspension is hydraulically assisted, so there is an engine driven pump, height valve and sphere like equivalents.
There are a few things to look out for on these cars (although I'm sure Roger Jones & Aprilia will be able to tell you far more than I can).
The rear windows of the estate don't seal terribly well, and rust can get a hold behind the rubber. The areas on the sills by the jacking posts can rust badly - thankfully mine's OK here.
I had problems with the inlet valves on the rear 2 cylinders (there's a post in technical about it - mine had 125,000 miles on it when I found the fault), and I've seen piccies of another via an American forum that was going the same way. I suspect that quite a few of these engines have this problem, because you can't see or hear it unless you run the engine with the inlet manifold off - although you might be suffering poor performance and economy, because No 6 is being a passenger, rather than a playing member of the team!
As these cars do have a reputation for being very tough, this leads many to skimp on servicing - I'm still working through a backlog of tasks on mine - although I am now getting to the pedantic and fussy little jobs now!
I find the E300D suits my driving style perfectly - it will cruise happily at motorway speeds, and then will cruise happily through town - however, it's never going to be a top performer in traffic light drag races!
Number_Cruncher
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The only real advantage of a Citroen at this price would be that you'd get a newer one - but you say you don't mind driving an older car.
If you can't get a Mercedes estate within budget, think again about an Audi: the ride is harsh only on the Sport versions or ones fitted with oversize wheels (because some macho type thinks they look butch). An A4 or A6 in SE trim should be fine.
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I have a 2004 Citroen C5 VTR, and maybe I'm looking backwards with rose tinted glasses, but I'm sure that the BXs and the XM I have had in the past were more comfortable. The XM definitely had better seats than the C5 in my opinion.
With regard to reliability, the C5 has had two faults. One was that the boot wouldn't open unless you folded down the back seat, crawled inside the boot and poked a screwdriver into a hole. This was caused by a faulty switch inside the boot that cost £7.70 and 15 minutes of my time to replace. The other problem is with the oil level gauge - it intermittently reads too high. I just ignore it and use the old fashioned dipstick under the bonnet to check the oil occasionally.
I know it is completely wrong and unscientific to rely on anecdotal evidence regarding reliability of cars, but out of the five Mercedes cars owned by my family and friends, the most reliable has been an independently maintained M reg C200 - in 120k it has had a head gasket, a speedometer and the wiper mechanism repaired. The worst has been an X reg E240, which has always been maintained by Mercedes. The repair bills for it over the past two years have been in the thousands - mainly electronics related. On top of that it is starting to rust.
Anyway, back to your question. If it was my money I would have the C5 because my wife likes it, and I'm put off Mercedes by my family and friends moaning about theirs. If it was your money I'd recommend an older Mercedes, as it would still be worth something when you come to sell it. I'd be lucky to get £5k for my 3 year old C5.
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Thanks for all the replies.A few more questions have come to mind.
What's the likely fuel consumption on the 300d?
Insurance group?
Road tax band?
I'd not considered a ford,as up untill I left the motor trade around '92(pre mondeo) they seemed to be built as cheaply as possible and couldn't be described as quality cars by any stretch of the imagination.Are they that much better now?If I was considering the mondeo what's the best auto diesel model in my budget?
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Just before the concensus puddles around the W124 idea too much - the newest of these will be 12+ years old now. As NC mentions, his has become more a Mercedes Enthusiast back pages project than a driving appliance, requiring constant fettling & fretting over. If you're anxious about electrical gremlins on the C5, perhaps a google & trawl around (used )review sites will confirm or ease the fears. From my experience of a 124 & (just) superceded c-class, you'll become good friends with the dealer service dept initially, then a specialist independent when their top end labour rates & parts prices begin to pall.
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Hi,
A couple of years ago I spent some time in a hospital. The private taxis serving the patients there had a high proportion of C5s. When I asked the drivers, some of whom had done very high mileages, they were all very satisfied with their cars and had had few problems.
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my local taxi company has around 20 cars and at least 15 are c5 diesels.
ive just bought a c5 estate an 04 plate vtr model. lots of toys and really comfortable
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Few would dispute that most of Ford?s more recent efforts are an improvement on what went immediately before, and there are plenty on here that will eulogise the virtues of the Mondeo.
It seems to me there are 3 major attractions to the Mondeo, they are:-
In it?s own right the car is very well regarded verses the competition ? i.e. driver appeal, comfort, space, reliability, etc ? all class leading, more or less
Secondly there are ?market? benefits
No brand cache with a Ford = huge depreciation from new = cheap second hand
Thousands sold into fleets, which subsequently find their way to market at low prices
Finally there are the benefits associated with driving such a popular model ? there is likely a Ford garage in your town (or three). Pretty much any local independent will be familiar with these cars as well. Spares are cheap and in stock.
Bad points? There have been some issues with rusty doors ? if you do a forum search I?m sure you will find the threads. No doubt there are other things to watch out for too. However as a total ownership package, many find it hard to beat.
Have a read of HJ car-by-car breakdown.
Edited by nick1975 on 11/11/2007 at 17:44
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>>As NC mentions, his has become more a Mercedes Enthusiast back pages project than a driving appliance,
True, but that's as much of a statement about me and the way I approach any second-hand car than about the W124 itself. apart from the valve work (which I suspect most people would have left well alone!), there haven't been any significant problems. The closest to a breakdown was when the intermittent functions stopped - to fix this, it only needed some joints on the relay re-flowing - the work of only 10 minutes.
>>the newest of these will be 12+ years old now.
Quite true - and if you aren't a little bit handy with spanners, it's difficult to recommend one. If you have to pay someone for every job that needs doing, you'll soon find that enquiries about fuel consumption, insurance and tax band are academic niceties!
Number_Cruncher
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Yes NC, I rather got the impression the OP was probably like me in being keen, but rather detached from the rigours & disciplines needed to fettle & encourage older teutonic masterpieces. I enjoyed my W124 coupe & formed an affection second only to that of a S111 XJ6 I ran in the 80's. Keep a close eye on those jacking points for rust ;)
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Interesting thread. Very similar to the decision process I went through between Sept'06 and Feb'07.
Have a look at the thread where I was trying very hard to buy a Mercedes diesel estate...
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=45112&...f
My summing up post having bought my "new" car pretty well covers it all...
>>>I did like the W124s I looked at but to be honest, as others have said, most are in their twilight years now. Many ideally needed front wings due to corrosion. Also they were a little larger than I needed and with their great wide seats and tailgate styling they put me in mind of the old family Granada Estate in the early 1970s. I could appreciate the tank like feeling of quality though.
>>>The W210 Estates were definately too large and something about their image didn't fit with me. And the rust... these cars are now being sold with "usual rust issues" clearly stated in the ads, so much has it become the norm.
>>>Most of my searching has been for a C-Class Estate around 1998/99 with the 250 diesel engine. Oh dear the rust again. So many were starting to look scabby in all the usual places we knew from British Leyland cars of the 70s. I did see a few that were tidy but when you *really* looked there were tell tale signs that a couple of years on the problem would show. Also I came across several as trade sales "needing engine repairs". These were the 250 diesel engine where the glowplugs had broken off (as I was advised above) and knowing the cost of a head-off repair were being sold as-is. The ride of the standard C-Class is a bit over-firm for me and the Equipe models with the slightly lowered/stiffened suspension much too hard for our poor local roads. Another odd thing was that so many were in the most dreadful interior colours. Bright colours obviously designed by Mothercare or at the opposite end of the scale an overuse use of baby poo brown.... and of course the lovely looking cream that is not far off white.... not a family/dog use choice!.
>>>So I chickened out on the MB idea and replaced my faithful 1993 Xantia SX TD hatch of 6yrs with a mint 1999 Xantia TD Estate. It is slightly larger than the C-Class, rides better and I know it won't rust.
Over the past nine months since buying the Xantia estate it has proved the right decision. The loadspace is large for the car's dimensions and together with the comfortable self levelling suspension makes a unique load lugger or trailer towing vehicle. Mine has all the spec inc Trafficmaster, rain sensing wipers, multichange CD, climate control, side air bags etc. More important all those things work as does every other electrical/electronic device. In fact this car has made me more confident of risking a C5 estate in 2008 or 2009 despite my previous worries about their electronics.
PS. First post on the revamped site.... I like the changes.
Edit: It seems a long time since I had the edit button!
David
Edited by M.M on 12/11/2007 at 09:17
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MM It's uncanny but I have reached the same conclusion. Checked out the VED yesterday and it's band G For a 300d £400 next year C5 better but stiLL £4000 There are xantias out there for say £800 without 19 ecu's and i;m gonna get me one and a new kitchen and bathroom with the difference. Thanks for all your input everybody
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Checked out the VED yesterdayand it's band G For a 300d £400 next year
Hang on, a Merc 124 will be too old to go into bandings anyway so will be about £190/200
I understand that band G £400 only applies to vehicles registered after March 2006.
Or do you know something i dont?
Don't blame you going for another xantia.
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