Advice needed -
SWMBO is expecting child no. 3. She has a Honda CR-V and loves it. Its suits her now and will do so after the birth as well. I have a Volvo S80 2.9 with 44,000 miles from 1999. It is too big for my real needs but is comfortable and I can afford it. But once the baby arrives it will be too small for carting all five of us and luggage on long trips and I don't want a roof box.
So, I have a number of options. A few years ago I rented an A-Class from Easycar and like the driving position and general height of the vehicle. It is much better suited to the type of driving I do and given I am in and out of the car several times day, it is far more convenient than the Volvo. I have the option of buying an A210 LWB Evolution Auto, 2 years old, 5,500 miles for £12,000. That is a cheap price - the owner is leaving the country.
If I buy this then when we go on longer trips I can hire a Galaxy type car.
Alternatively, I could take over my wife's CR-V and get her a Hyundai Trajet - lots of good deals around at present and they do a diesel automatic - once the baby arrives and we go to London to visit family with the kitchen sink in the boot.
The CR-V is three years old and has only 9,000 miles; we bought it last November with less than 4,000 miles.
Money is not an issue. What should I do?
Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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{quote Espada III}
Money is not an issue
{/quote}
So that'll be a new Espace then. Nothing that does the same job comes close.
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Lee
MINI adventure in progress
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Well when I said '...money is not an issue...' I meant running costs rather than outright purchase. I think I have Carbuyers Virus 1.0 - never pay more than £15,000 for a car and preferrably buy second hand.
Besides - buy French???????? what about Chirac let alone unreliability.
Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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OK then, what about a Kia Sedona? Plenty big and you'll get a decent one for £15k. I'm not convinced that an A class is big enough for a family- leg room alone on the LWB does not make the car any roomier laterally.
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Lee
MINI adventure in progress
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Vauxhall Zafira? Renault Grand Scenic?
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Thanks. What I am trying to establish is this...is it better to have two smaller cars, and hire a larger one for the three or four times a year we actually need all that space, or do we have one regular size and one large all the time. The options are: -
Honda CR-V and Merc A210 then hire a Galaxy or similar; or
Honda CR-V and Hyundai Trajet or similar (as recommended by some of you - thanks).
Is the saving and convenience of two smaller cars worth it over have one large and one small, if you have to hire a larger vehicle for the fews times you need it?
Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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Thanks. What I am trying to establish is this...is it better to have two smaller cars, and hire a larger one for the three or four times a year we actually need all that space, or do we have one regular size and one large all the time. Is the saving and convenience of two smaller cars worth it over have one large and one small, if you have to hire a larger vehicle for the fews times you need it?
Surely it all depends how many times a year you will need to hire a larger car. Look into hire costs. Will you take the hire car abroad? This will increase the hire cost. Work out your total for the year, and then decide if you will save this much by running the smaller car. You also need to consider pros and cons of large v small for every day use. The large car may well be more comfortable. The smaller one will be easier to park. etc.
You may well find that when it comes to hiring a car you will baulk at the cost, when you have two perfectly sevicable cars sitting at home. Another option is to take two cars on some trips.
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Hyundai with 5-year warrantly looks hard to beat, and they seem to be reliable.
I'm not a great fan of the A-class in RHD form because of the way they route the steering across to the LHS - columns seem to wear out!
On the other hand, what about an MB Vaneo? - same idea but more room.
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A Vaneo - you must be joking...:-) The A-Class is overrated as well - Mercedes should stick to its core values.
The Scenic is good but I'd go for one of the three VW-Ford derived MPVs, the Galaxy, Sharan or Seat Alhambara, all of which are very roomy, provide an excellent car-like driving experience and should suit your requirements.
Of the three, the Alhambara provides the best all round value as it is very well equipped and, new or used, costs less than the Galaxy or the VW.
I should also point out that Citroen's Picasso is, as far as I am aware, the only vehicle of its type with three full rear seat belt fittings.
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Don't get an A-class - they don't sell well.
As there's a new model due you can now get a pre-reg 04 base model for about £10500 - still not a good deal!
Why not trade your S80 Volvo in for a V70 estate - that should have plenty of room for you all and it's safer than the MPVs you are looking at. Better to have one car that meets your needs...
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A Vaneo - you must be joking...:-) The A-Class is overrated as well - Mercedes should stick to its core values.
Not saying I actually *like* the Vaneo, but it is in the frame if you are considering an A-Class, surely? (given its based on the A-class and has a lot more room).
Personally I wouldn't buy any of the VAG/Ford offerings - they consistently rate very poorly for reliability. A colleague had a Sharan and had a amazing number of faults over 3years/40000 miles - including a lot of rubberised trim separating from its rigid plastic backing - not covered under VW's warranty!!
I rather like the Nissan Tino - 3 full rear seatbelts, very very reliable and pretty good safety rating.
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Yes, I keep thinking about a V70 and there are some good value ones around now, even the D5 auto. SWMBO doesn't like estates, but it is a sensible buy and far roomier than a BMW. and probably more reliable than a Merc.
Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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The A-class is a very good car for its purpose, provided you get hold of a good example. And I like the theory of having cars that suit 95% of your driving and hiring for the other times. It makes a lot of sense.
I'm not sure about the A210 though. When we bought, the choice was A140, A160 or A190, the 210 came later. We bought the 160 and I have to say that I'm not sure how well the chassis would cope with more power. The high CofG and the compact suspension meant that even with the 160 you needed to take care if (say) pulling our briskly and turning hard right at the same time. Beware of mooses (pl sp: mise?!).
It also strikes me that the 210 is a car with few keen purchasers so its less likely to hold value. I wouldn't say £12k was especially cheap, given that.
My last concern is that if you want the 210 then it suggests that you are looking for something in a car that the A-class is unlikely to give?
Good luck, though. We loved ours.
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I've rented an A-Class and, to be honest, hated it; although it was practical, it was an awful drive and I'm sure I'd rather have something a bit more relaxing, powerful and engaging to drive, even if it wasn't quite so easy to park. A colleague of mine has an A-Class as a courtesy car, waiting for his delayed new C-Class, and he hates it too. For what it's worth, his last car was a Hyundai Coupé.
Admittedly a 210 will be quicker than a 140 but I think it would have most of the other faults.
Personally, if you want an A-Class type car you should look at a Honda Jazz. It's not second best in any way (except probably straight line speed), it's much cheaper and quality is likely to be better. If you absolutely cannot imagine driving a Jazz (which slots in the range below the CR-V, of course) then I'd suggest looking at something other than an A-Class, too, because they're very similar in concept, if not so much in execution.
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An Accord Tourer perhaps? This one is slightly high mileage but still too new for it to matter.
www.availablecar.com/kcom/response.asp?querytype=7...4
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I'm afraid I'd agree. The A-Class has lots of good points but the compromises IMO really are too great. The likes of the Jazz beat it in just about all areas and are much cheaper too.
The handling and ride are appallingly bad (the ride on a A-Class is much harder than a Porsche Carrera). I had a very scary moment in a A-Class at about 70mph when a gust of wind combined with a slight dip in the road to nearly lose control of the car.
On top of that, they are not very well built, expensive to maintain, depreciate quite heavily, poorly equipped, expensive new and not even very economical. The 1.4 is smooth but gutless, the 1.6 more powerful but rough and noisy. They're tiring to drive long distances as well - I'd take a Yaris over an A-Class faced with a 300 mile drive. It's also an old design which is just about to be replaced by something much better.
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the ride on a A-Class is much harder than a Porsche Carrera
I have owned both. No it isn't.
The problem with the A's suspension is that it is too soft, so the car leans too much. But if they hardened it, the ride would be too uncomfortable.
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I'm selling a Y reg 160 Elegance Auto A class which has done only 27k miles if you are intersted. Its in the attractive ocean blue. Its in good condition. It was purchased from an MB main dealer by a headteacher friend of mine. Recent new tyres. Drop me an e-mail if you intersted, price is negotiable.
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The new A Class pictures have been revealed today, looks quite like the old one, they will also be doing a 3 door with the new version.
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"I have owned both. No it isn't."
OK. Well, that was my perception. Seemed very hard ride indeed. Very unsettled over anything but a very smooth surface and very poorly controlled damping. Only worse riding car I've encountered is the just ended Volvo S40/V40 (an appalling car in just about everyway imaginable).
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Odd. That really doesn't sound like our one. I wonder if there was a problem with yours (now thats rare!:o)
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When I rented an A-class from Easycar, I had two examples, both autos. The 1.4 was dreadfully slow and the 1.6 was fine. I'm not going looking for an A-class, its just this A210 is available and I can't decide if i should snap up what appears to be a bargain.
The other issue is SWMBO. She is a badge snob. If it we me, i'd have a Focus C-Max 1.6 Diesel Auto (if they actually make them - they are on the list but you can't order one yet I understand) but noooo... I can't have Ford. Also I like the Honda Jazz, but '...its not the type of car a forty year old partner in a firm of surveyors should be driving...' as if the clients care... as long as the valuation is higher than they were anticipating everythings OK. Suggest a Multipla - too ugly also no auto. If the C-Max said Volvo i'd have no problem.
I think I will bury my head in the sand and wait for the baby to arrive and we need to take the whole family to the outlaws in London, including travel cot, nappies, and books/toys for the older two. Then we shall see what happens.
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Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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Forget the A-Class - GF bought one (mostly my fault) and it had no end of problems, most of them catalogued in this forum. It's a cheap Merc, cheaply built.
6 months later she chopped it in for a brand new Honda Jazz, which we've now had a year and has been faultless.
Mike
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I read an article in the papers by a psychologist who had been studying that classic subject of British people and class issues. I wish I had cut it out and kept it now so I could quote accurately. I remember she had devised what she called 'the Mondeo test' where she would ask people what they thought of the Mondeo. Negative comments (such as references to sales reps or Essex girls) were consistent with people with very middle - middle class indicators. People who weren't rude about the Mondeo were asked a follow up question about large Mercedes. Negative comments about these (such as showing off and fat cat jibes) identified people by their insecurities as only slightly higher middle class. Higher social classes basically didn't care and managed to be polite about anything. She also looked at the importance of how clean your car is and concluded a clean car is only important to middle - middle class groups.
So for the sake of your business, if it is important to impress middle - middle class people a clean executive, but not luxury car would be best.
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The A class suspension was changed following the infamous Moose test. This stopped them falling over, but ruined the ride quality.
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The A class suspension was changed following the infamous Moose test. This stopped them falling over, but ruined the ride quality.
I have to admit, I'd rather have the bumpy ride....
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If you want space and a good family car you should forget the A class and get yourself a Volvo estate. We had two when we had young children- dog etc. They are tough as old boots, reasonable to run and take long journeys in their stride.
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'...its not the type of car a forty year old partner in a firm of surveyors should be driving...'
And an A-Class is!???
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IMHO yes if its tricked up properly. When I rented them from Easycar, they had alloys and smart metallic colours and looked fine. One or two clients even commended my on my smart choice of small car but high status. Pity no-one else in the badge league makes something similar.
Its crazy, but if I turned up in a new Clio or Punto I wouldn't be taken seriously. If I turned up in a 15 y-o Merc S-Class, no-one would raise any eyebrows at all.
The benefits of the A-Class are mainly the amount of room for the size of car, the very easy access (very important for someone who gets in and out of my car more than several time each day), fuel economy and the fact that the car I have in mind will be a bargain. Maybe the disadvantages outweigh the benefits?
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Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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Why not keep the CRV and use that for long trips, as it's low-mileage now. For credibility with clients (it matters more than people think, doesn't it) you could go for whatever size and age of Audi suits your needs and budget. An A3 would do the job better than an A-class.
My wife is a little like yours - she loves her Jazz but wants something a little faster, and also more relaxed on motorways. We thought about, and tried, an A-class - she wouldn't be seen anywhere near a Skoda Fabia VRS which would have been ideal - but have gone for a Civic type S - another option for you perhaps as Hondas have plenty of street cred.
There's also the Honda Stream which has lots of room and the 2-litre version has plenty of oomph.
Hope this helps.
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David
A voice of sanity in a weird world. I'd love a Skoda VRS but guess what - no way Jose!!! Hadn't thought of Civic Type-S. Thanks.
CRV probably too small for five of us and luggage and in no way do I want a roof box. Getting closer to a solution.
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Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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