This was the email from my aunt this morning:
I also want to change my car. I think I?m going to try and sell it on ebay cos I know someone else who got a lot more for her sports car on it than she was offered privately. I?d like to stay sporty but need 4 seats and am looking for something a bit more eco friendly (and cheaper to tax). Remember I don?t mean fast when I say sporty ? I mean posey.
Her current car is a Merc CLK convertible - I think that´s the 4 seater one, not the 2 seater hardtop jobby - I think it´s the 230 Kompressor.
Any ideas? I was thinking Panda Sporting.
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How many passengers? Fiat 500? Just so long as she doesn't get a new mini ....
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For funkiness it's got to be the 500 over the Panda (although it's only a 3 door, unlike the Panda).
I'm not generally a fan of small cars, and also not a fan of the retro cars like the Beetle and Mini, but I saw a 500 in the showroom the other day, and it's a lovely little car, very stylish inside and out.
I'm almost trying to talk my wife into one, despite being financially opposed to buying cars brand new.
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I think your aunt may be looking for something with a bit more cachet. She is changing from a CLK, after all.
What about a Volvo C70 diesel? or if she's not a badge snob, a Ford Focus CC diesel
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Definitely a bit of ´tennis club cachet´required I fear.
I thought the Panda might work in a ´reverse cool´type of way.
I will mention the 500. I see a lot of them, but they really don´t do it for me at all - look like a jelly mould IMHO.
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Sorry to ´bump´ this thread, but things have moved on, and I thought I would post up her latest email and my reply to it just to see what y´all think. Any advice gratefully received.
Her email:
Answers in order of priority.
Why should I live with a standard car? It would have to be something special since I enjoy the wind running through my roots. I like the idea of the hard top convertible because you can see out of the back window, it?s probably safer from abuse. Peugot 208 too small. I need to get 4 in the back.
Annual mileage around 15000
Mpg of Mercedes uncertain ? around 22 ? 25 in town, 32 ? 28 on a long run. The mpg of the megane I tried yesterday was 40 so it isn?t difficult to be better.
Would prefer automatic.
Book price for merc quoted to me as £5600. Am now committed to new tyre and wheel, MOT and 6 mth tax disc, everything expires at the end of this month so pt exchange unlikely to be worth it. It?s a 2.3 avant garde komp A, sports interior, 2 door CLK, W reg,, 1st registered 2000, mileage, 73000.
No finance, I?d pay cash unless there was a good reason not to and no finance on the merc.
Tried the megane 1.6 and liked it. Dealer price was £9999 with £5000 pt exchange. Kept me there 2 hrs. Haven?t seen the peugot. What about a Japanese car?
Looked on ebay yesterday to get feel for possible sale. There?s a merc CLK 2001 deep blue there at the moment up till the 11th. Starting price £6000, no bids. Also looked on autotrader at meganes.
Budget ? I?m prepared to spend up to approx £3000 more than I sell this ? would prefer less.
Am off the Oz the 16th March till April 1st so am sorting out MOT, wheel, tyre, road tax now and will start serious efforts when I get back.
Hope this is sufficient info.
My reply:
Renault have undervalued your car. I can get the current Glass´s guide valuation, and here it is:
Estimated value of your car
Part-exchange Price:
Excellent condition: £7530
Average condition: £6790
Below average condition: £5930
Take this valuation to them.
One option - Keep the Merc, stick it in the garage, use it for longer runs. It´s not going to depreciate much more than that.
Get a medium-sized hatchback (2002 Ford Focus) - 1.8 petrol would be fine but the diesel 1.8 better - for around 3k. These are an absolute hoot to drive, way better than a Golf GTI, and use as an everyday hack. With the money you save keep both on the road.
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If you are desperate to get a Megane CC, look at the diesel. marcusfothergill.com/home.asp have one at 11k.
Was it the Megane trip computer giving you a reading of 40MPG? They are wildly optimistic. With the 1.6 engine it will struggle to do that on a run. It´ll be wheezy and underpowered after the Merc - the CC Megane is a heavy old beast.
.*********
I would think about the Vauxhall Astra convertible. Made in Russelsheim, and then bodied by Karmann, it´s solid and German. Plenty of 2002 - 2003 examples near you around 6-7K. Better engine, but still a ragtop.
Don´t do anything just yet. It´s still not primetime for cabrios, and any money you put into the Merc at this stage you will get back at tradein or private sale. Keep me posted.
Thoughts, anyone?
Edited by barchettaman on 05/03/2008 at 09:27
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How about an Alfa 159, diesel for economy.
You can't ask a lady to swop a Merc CLK for a 2002 Focus and a Megane, well not if you want to be remembered in her will anyway.
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She has told the Renault dealer to stuff it...
.....in no uncertain terms after they?d taken personal info I didn?t want to give, tried to sell me products I didn?t want to buy and then, having told me it was an incredibly sophisticated business to work out a px showed me a book price. Far from feeling obliged I wanted to set fire to the place.......
but is still no nearer working out what she wants.
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It's an interesting point made by Ed V and it's not just a lady that may have a problem switching from a Merc to a Focus/Megane.
So what is a good exit strategy from a prestige car? I know a few people who've gone down the japanese route and told everybody that they've done it for reliability reasons. Perhaps the emphasis on green matters as mentioned by the OP would be better now.
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There is no good exit strategy from prestige cars!
In order to ween myself off a straightforward 3 Series I had to buy two cars, a Mondeo V6 and an MG TF, despite this I still get withdrawal symptoms from time to time!
Now that I've had a year of having the best of both worlds I'm going to attempt to ween myself further off the expensive cars by trading down to an MG ZT CDTi or possibly an X-Type diesel.
If I'd had a Merc it would probably take me a lot longer for the cold turkey to end! :-)
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A good exit strategy from \"prestige\" cars is to not place \"prestige\" on cars in the first place.
Its all a state of mind really and what one percieves that the car says to other people about your social station in life.
You are just as valuable as anyone else.
So called prestige cars are usuallyvery competent machines.
Look for a competent car that primarily does its machine function. If you like its drive and it suits your eye then great.
You probably wouldnt like the sort of person who values you/judges you for your car anyway - more fule them eh?
Sorry to sound sanctimonious but there you go.
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I´m with you both. Not sanctimonious at all, David - sound common sense.
Unfortunately, it´s the trendy aunt who is looking to change, not the ´bangernomics´ nephew....
I have mentioned to her that one course of action would be to get a 5 year old Focus (for example) and drop the miles on the Merc, but that didn´t cut much ice.
She seems determined to chop in the CLK (and take a whopping depreciation hit) and get something else.
Problem is, her ´prestige´ 4-seater cabrio options (which is what she will get I reckon) are limited.
Budget is 5k+trade in (6kish) so 11k.
I´m running out of new ideas for her....
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How about \"cute\"? VW Beetle cabrio perhaps?
Edited by Round The Bend on 06/03/2008 at 07:42
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I was thinking that too, and will suggest it. The Diesel option might appeal to her sudden desire to view MPG as her main priority.
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>>>> You probably wouldnt like the sort of person who values you/judges you for your caranyway - This is probably very true, I'm sure people would want and expect their family and friends to accept them as they are, but for many people their car is a tool of the trade in their working life and need to consider the mentality of customers and contacts.
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For £11-12k you are just about getting to A4 Cabrio country
Nice looking machines, and no doubt hold their value better than a megan cc etc
Edited by nick1975 on 06/03/2008 at 21:31
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Not buying a car on finance is usually a good move, but are there funds to have both cars for an overlapping period, or at least could that be financed?
If what I read is right, the cabrio market is starting to pick up for spring so the best price for an open top replacement could be had by buying sooner rather than later, while a better resale price for the Merc could possibly be obtained on return from holiday.
I am welcome to be proved wrong here and it's possible she has already missed the boat as far as low winter cabrio prices go. Plus, wasteful as it is to be paying to run two cars when only one is wanted, it is worse that the aunt is on holiday for the overlap period and not able to drive either.
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