I hope to change car in the next week or so, and have finally whittled the choice down to the following (in no particular order):
Volvo S80 2.4 SE (170 BHP)
Mercedes-Benz E240 Elegance
Saab 9-5 2.0/2.3 SE
B** 523i SE
Requirements are: peaceful cruising down busy dual-carriageways, good safety, and automatic transmission. Fuel consumption, driving dynamics and 'image' are relatively unimportant. Having said that, I can't quite manage to spell out the 523's manufacturer; so some aspects of 'image' may well rule out a begrudgingly-good car!!
Budget is £9k tops, to be sourced from auction, and 'S'-plate or newer (with commensurate mileage - 100k+ not a problem).
I guess they're all pretty decent cars, really, so much will possibly depend on how long suitable 'targets' take to come up at auction..........
Any advice/recommendations appreciated..........
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"Requirements are: peaceful cruising down busy dual-carriageways, good safety, and automatic transmission."
All of them satify that with perhaps the Volvo being the most quiet and comfortble. The Merc quiet but not as comfortable. The Saab comfortable but not as quiet. None major on dynamics which is the BMW's strength.
The BMW would be dynamic & quiet but not as comfortable as the Swedes - no-one does seats like the Swedes.
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Opinion based on gut feeling...MB E240
MM
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E240. I love the car.
Not relevant to you, but if you were considering a new one, don\'t neccessarily get the Elegance.
It can work out significantly cheaper to buy the ordinary one, look at the list of extras on the Elegance and order just those that you want.
Its quite well detailed in their brochure and price list.
Some of the extras that I would not want seem to have a very heavy price.
Of course, you would have to live with the fact that it said Classic on the trim rather than Elegance.
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"look at the list of extras on the Elegance and order just those that you want."
For £9K tops?
C
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Cardew,
Unlike you not to read exactly what I said.
M.
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Mark,
Agreed - but I did read the post by LHM stipulating £9K max.
Let's call it a draw!!
C
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Steve S,
Seats are a very personal thing, as was discussed at length on the forum a good while back. I strongly disliked the seats in the few Volvos I have been in. We are obviously shaped quite differently!
Saabs don't excite me, especially the 'Saab-badged Vectra' versions. Not that the Vectra is a bad car, it just isn't in the same league. I like low-down torque provided by the low-pressure turbocharging but there has to be much more than that.
I have looked very closely at Mercedes C and E classes over the past year or two but they just don't do it for me. The engines and build quality lagged far behind BMW during the second half of the 1990s.
The BMW 5-series has everything in its favour so far as I am concerned -- except its image (BMW drivers aren't all pompous and selfish, honestly). I have a 1992 E34 and it is a brilliant car. The newer E39 (1995-on) is better still, by far, whether using its dynamics or just cruising. Its inbuilt dynamic qualities also make it a very safe car to drive, however it is being driven. The 5-Series has also recently received a well deserved 'Used Car of the Year' award.
LHM, I would try them all and make up your own mind.
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Dizzy,
Didn't mean everyone necessarily, but the Swedes consistently score higher for comfort and ergonomics and my ownership of all these brands concurred with that.
The 5 series is a great car and dynamically is the pick, but the priorities were elsewhere. I had a 5 series, enjoyed the drive very much but IMHO the two swedes are more comfortable and quieter which was where LHM seemed to have priorities.
I can also understand why the BMW image maybe a problem.
Horses for courses.
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I can also understand why the BMW image maybe a problem.<<
Yes, I can understand too -- well deserved in many cases.
I still think image is the least important 'attribute' of a car. In my view, three of the very best cars are the BMW 5-Series, the Rover 75 and the Skoda range (Fabia, Octavia & Superb) but these all have an 'iffy' image in some peoples' eyes. I wouldn't reject any of them, whatever their supposed image.
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The 523 is a very good car, without doubt, I still remember the first time I drove one.
I had a Saab 9-5 for a couple of months recently and was very impressed. It was a 2.0t manual and I made a mental note that if I found myself doing more miles again I would buy a 2.3t Auto.
Very comfortable, well equipped, safety beaten only by the new Laguna I think, and dynamically it was surprisingly very good.
An S plate with 100k+ would only need half your budget at auction.
Saab hold Saab Finance sales occasionally through BCA. I was at one last week, reserves were all reasonable.
Good luck.
PB.
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Thanks for all contributions - much appreciated!
I had a drive of an 'S'-plate M-B E240 Elegance this morning. Hmmm. Whilst I have always liked the external styling of the E-class - a car with real 'presence', I was somewhat underwhelmed by the interior styling. All good quality and well screwed together, but it felt quite dated - some would no doubt call it 'traditional'! I don't know if there was something in my tea this morning, but it had all the appeal of the decoration normally seen on cuckoo clocks - sounds bizarre, but I just couldn't get the thought out of my head. Maybe I ought to lie down :-)
I won't rule it out entirely (I really do like that shape!), but it's slipped a bit in the pecking order.
Nice to get other viewpoints, though, as it's easy to miss virtues/foibles/irritations on a short test drive with a salesman in tow (not literally).
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After much umming and ahhring, I finally completed my metamorphosis into middle-age by buying the Volvo :-)
The choice came down to that and the Saab. Both come up relatively infrequently at auction, so the appearance of a '99 'T'-plate S80 2.4SE (170) automatic with 57k on the clock aroused my interest........
To my surprise, on viewing in turned out to be very 'straight', in Polarctic Blue with black leather - 'direct from the company', as they say. Stamped VSH to 54k - had to be worth a punt!
I had a bit of 'opposition' and bidding went to 7900 - which was top 'book' price (and as far as I was prepared to go!) according to CAP.
Fortunately the car drives spot on, and satisfies all my important criteria. Even SWMBO and my 11 year old son approve, which can't be bad!!
No doubt I'll be posting for help with problems in due course......!!!
Thanks to all who offered suggestions.
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