Taking a barth

When my husband died I was left with his 10-year-old SLK Kompressor and my own Abarth. An ideal combination. Unfortunately a recent illness has made it impossible for me to drive anything other than an automatic car and so I had to sell the Abarth (5 months old £3,000 loss). The Mercedes is a wonderful car; it has only done 29,000 and is in perfect condition but I need four seats. So, my question is, what car should I buy (or lease?) to replace the above
which was, for me the perfect duo. My thoughts are around a BMW 1 Series cabriolet; Audi A3 cabriolet or Mercedes CLC sports coupe. After my re-sale experience with the Abarth I am reluctant to have new. Fuel economy would be a novel addition but I'm not sure about diesel. Once again I would really value your opinion.

Asked on 10 April 2010 by S.R., via e-mail

Answered by Honest John
If you had a 5-month-old Abarth 500 you did not have to take a bath on it at all. Certainly not at a £3,000 loss. These cars are very difficult to get with a long waiting list. If whoever you sold it to has now re-sold
it, they could well have made £4,000 on the deal. Why didn't you ask me first? (This isn't getting at you. It's to warn anyone else in a similar situation.) You need auto. The jury is still out on VAG's DSG. So I'd say it has to be the 1 Series. Just be careful to buy one on sensible 16" or at worst 17" wheels. Buy one on 18" or 19" wheels and you will pay for it with twitchy handling, a rock hard ride, and total lack of control in snow.
Similar questions
My wife broke her leg 5 months ago and can no longer drive a manual car. I have a new Landrover on order but the leadtime is 5 months. I would like to buy a small automatic for <£4K which I can sell again...
I have an 07-registered Mitsubishi Colt CZ1 (3dr, Black, Air Con, 18,000 miles, petrol, manual). I want to downgrade to something a little older say 2004/2003 (Nissan Micra, Honda Jazz) but would like...
My retired mother is looking at selling her immaculate 1995 Mercedes-Benz C180C auto with 50,000 miles on the clock. She wants a smaller, more economical and manoeuvrable car for her short suburban journeys....
Related models
Transforms the Fiat 500 into an eager little sportscar with great handling and steering feel.
 

Value my car

Save £75 on Warranty using code HJ75

with MotorEasy

Get a warranty quote

Save 12% on GAP Insurance

Use HJ21 to save on an ALA policy

See offer