I *may* be in a position to significantly increase my salary soon. As a result the battered and tired [but very reliable] VW Polo that has given me 3 years + of good service may soon be able to retire.
Here are the factors I will be taking in to account when the times comes [if it ever does]:-
I commute 120 miles per day so on average do 24k miles per year and that's before business miles are added - approx another 3-4k per year
Would prefer a 'prestige' marque
Automatic is a desirable option to have for me - spent too many years stick shifting now and want an easier option
Not sure on the diesel vs. petrol thing - if I were to go the leasing route I'm not bothered as if it goes wrong it's their problem. Other factor is that leasing could be expensive due to high mileage?
Car doesn't have to be brand new - quite happy to look at used
I'm currently looking at the C class Merc and Audi A4/A5/A6 as potential hacks.
Is the Merc any good? I hear so many stories about them not being as good as a few years back, but are they improving? Never had an Audi - seem well built etc
Your thoughs please.
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1. Move closer to work and start working some days from home if you can. Perhaps 120 miles a day is not uncommon, but it would deeply depress me -- all that dead and stressful time.
2. The new C-class seems to be hitting the nail. There's talk of MB regaining lost standards. The period of greatest trouble was 1996--2003; since then things have been improving.
3. Even with the resources to buy a new car, I think I'd still hang on to my pre-1996 MBs. If doing something radically different has any appeal, there are still enough out there to find a real good'un -- which will need attention, but any problems are so predictable as to be easily identified and fixed, and they remain half-million mile cars if looked after. £30k on a new car or £5k on a good old one, plus £1--2k for permanent fixes -- and spend the difference on a house closer to work?
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And minutes after writing that I found this on an MB forum:
"As an automotive manufacturing engineer myself i never buy the first version of anything new, or anything about to be discontinued as these tend to attract the biggest proportion of cost down components and unknown long-term reliability.
In general, for a car, buy a chassis that has been in production for at least 3 years but not about to be phased out, using an engine/transmission/running gear combination setup that is certainly not brand new. Just look at the 7-G tronic transmission problems and SBC brakes fiasco as examples.
I would not buy the new W204 [C-class]; but a 2007 E-Class is a good bet, but not a 2008 E-Class as the cost-down is now at its highest as the new E-Class manufacturing is in preparation."
tinyurl.com/5b277c
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If you're looking at used then is there a handy specialist in one make or another that can do your servicing?
I have a Merc C270CDI auto and have been pretty pleased with it, although I've done a lot less miles than I expected (I now work from home).
I'm by no means a Merc fan, but when I opted out of company 406s & Mondeos, good though they were, I too wanted something "prestige". As it was doing 30K/yr it had to be diesel and I hankered after an auto.
I thought A4 was too small in the back, I really didn't want to engage with the whole BMW thing, and I stumbled across the Merc. I actually went to buy a C220 but it had sold, however they (MB Direct, Birmingham) had an identical C270 and sold me that for (allegedly) the same price. Anyway, I was very happy with the deal (which is unusual for me, I usually suffer terrrble buyer's remorse!).
I'm glad I got the 5cyl 270 rather than the 4cyl 220 - servicing and insurance is no more expensive, it's effortless to drive yet will display 50MPG on a long run. Merc stopped making the 270 so they're the last of the EuroIII emissions cars, so are not burdened with EuroIV controls which affect the MPG.
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I would favour a Merc (I've got a C320CDI!) - I think their autoboxes take some beating and having driven fwd for years now prefer rwd for the cleaner feel to the steering. Audis look nice but have always struck me as (fwd) badge-engineered VWs
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Id lean towards the Merc myself. Far better image than BMW with the estate agent associations and it certainly seems on the face of it, to have turned the quality corner.
The previous model was a Proton compared to the current model in terms of quality.
My only thoughts on Audi is that interior finish is a bit hit and miss with durability. I have several customers with current model Audis who's trim is disintergrating and wearing incredibly fast despite light use. That would really annoy me if I spent that much more on a car on tha basis that its quality is higher and quite honestly, you may aswell buy a cheaper VAG version, the Audi is for insecure folk who need the badge.
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I think there is a lot of MB bashing that is completely unounded. I'm on my 2nd used one and am impressed with the cars reliabilityand quality. I know nothing about
Audi but would not hesitate to buy a Merc.
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I'm firmly in the RWD camp as well, gives a lovely ride quality, and when getting a move on none of that awful torque steer or pitching between changes, even an auto in FWD does this IMO.
I truly hope the post 03 MB's are improved as we keep being told, you still read about 30K milers having new bottom ball joints and the like, but as with these things if the vehicle is being hurled over speed humps at speeds a toy amazon would baulk at then such things will go wrong.
My only problem with Audi, apart from them being FWD and have interiors as dark as possible, is that the used values of older ones can be dreadful, and they do sort of look the same as all the others from their stable.
Unless money is no object, i would have thought depreciation will be the highest cost, and with your projected mileage the biggest cost, some careful sums to do.
Before you buy anything, do test drive a 320 diesel MB, if you can try that engine on an open road i would say you will have decided.
MB had mobilio life that would more or less guarantee the car for ever if you had it maintained by them, i believe its changed recently, so you'll have to do a lot of small print checking.
That 5 series BMW with the big diesel is a very desirable car too.
As an aside, if lexus had seen the light and put a 3+ litre diesel in their cars would there have been a far more difficult choice here.
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MB had mobilio life that would more or less guarantee the car for ever if you had it maintained by them, i believe its changed recently, so you'll have to do a lot of small print checking
It only guarantees to get your car to a Merc dealer & a replacement car during the mending period after a breakdown. It's useful, in extremis, but falls a long way short of a 'guarantee' in the usual sense of the word. I've had to use it once - got a nice (new) c-class to me & car to Merc dealer PDQ.
I'd put a good(ish) word in the the Merc option- but maybe look at higher power 1.8 petrol supercharged version if fuel consumption isn't be all & end all - I found the supercharged much nicer to drive (turn-in especially) with its much lighter engine & greater refinement - my usual is a c270 diesel.
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In a choice between an Audi and a Merc, I would take the Merc. I think it's a matter of taste but I just find Mercedes products more comfortable and nicer to drive than their Audi counterparts.
On the other hand, I have a BMW 530d as a company hack. I inherited it from my predecessor and it wouldn't have been my first choice in a job which involves driving around 1000km a week visiting customers. However it has the "Comfort Seat" option and the seats are just about the most comfortable I can remember experiencing in a car, and perfect for long journeys. Now if only the BMW engineers could just do something about the rock hard suspension on the E60...
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My neighbour has a 2005 Mercedes C270 CDi estate, which he's owned from three months old. In 45,000 miles, not one thing, and literally not even a tiny, inconsequential niggle, has gone wrong with it. Just gets quicker and more frugal as time passes. Still looks and feels like a brand new car.
Cheers
DP
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I should hope not DP. It's nobbut a youngster ! Wildly off topic but I have to say that quality and reliability is not limited to the so called premium brands. My car also has never had the tiniest hint of a problem.......nothing. It still looks, drives and feels like new. Never had a moments bother. The difference is it's six years old and has 150,000 miles on it. As Rolf Harris might say "can ya tell what it is yet?"
Ford Mondeo Ghia X diesel estate.
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You're a brave man SS, and I applaud you. I so wanted to sing the praises of the Mondeo in this thread having test driven all things German before I bought it. Would have one over an Audi, Merc or BM any day!
I'm the only 'non badge engineered' car owner in my company (I bought mine for cash, all the snobs have theirs on finance), and I'm laughed at every single day. My car does what I want it to do, is reliable, comfy and will be cheap to fix *if* anything does go wrong (had this one for a year and not a squeak or rattle).
The blue oval may not have the same kudos as the 3 pointed star, but sitting behind the wheel of a Mondy, it feels like something far more expensive.
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Well, to be clear Boggy, I was lucky enough to be given some very nice cars when I was employed. I have had several BMWs, two Mercs a couple of Audis, three Volvos ( inc a T5 ;-) ) and I can say nothing bad and a lot of good things about all of them. Some of them were an absolute delight. However, when I decided to take the plunge and set up my own business several years ago, I had to cut my car cloth accordingly.
Nowadays, I suppose I could reasonably easily trade back up if I chose to and I certainly don't discount doing so sometime if I take the notion, but I really can't fault my current car and would actually be quite reluctant to part with it. Frankly, if I had to make the decision tomorrow, I would probably just buy another one.
Edited by Shoespy on 21/06/2008 at 21:02
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I should hope not DP. It's nobbut a youngster !
Couldn't agree more. However, with what you hear about newer Mercs....
I can vouch for the durability of the Mondeo. My mk2 was a little shabby (through cosmetic neglect as much as anything else) but still running well at 140k, and my dad sold his 94 2.0 petrol to a neighbour two years ago with 180k on the clock. He's still using it, and it's about to click over 200,000 miles. Still as reliable as the tides, and even still running on the original clutch. It's skipped the odd service in its life, too.
Cheers
DP
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