Hello all,
I have a dilemma that I think this group would be able to assist with. I?ve decided to buy a new C class estate, but cannot decide between the petrol (C180K) and diesel (C220CDI) versions. The difference in economy is small (7mpg combined) and the price difference is huge (£3K), but I do like to extra torque of the diesel. As they both seem to have similar depreciation forecasts (56% @ 3 years) I will loose and extra £1500 on the diesel come p/x time.
Opinions please, would you pay for the extra 170nm low down. On paper the performance figures are very close for 0-60 but I can?t find a 30-70mph comparison.
TIA
Brian
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The bottom line figures are only a small part of the story. Get a good extended test drive in both - preferably back to back or on days close to each other then you can make a more informed decision.
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I asked this too:
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=28133&...e
My outcome:
I had a brand-new C220CDi for 3 days as a corporate demo (told them I was thinking of having it as a company car). I thought its performance felt very flat (but that may have been due to its newness).
In the end (I had to make a quick decision about opting out) I bought a 6mth old C270CDi Estate from Mercedes Benz Direct (Birmingham branch). I'd intended looking at an identical C220 but I couldn't go on the day originally intended and someone else bought it. I gave a fully refundable deposit by phone on the C270 to stop that happening again.
The MB Direct boys are VERY keen to sell cars!! Having been around the Audi/BMW/Merc local dealers it was so refreshing to meet people that wanted to sell something, I'd have probably bought anything they had to offer.
So far I'm pleased with my C270CDi - it's got that 'effortlessness' that Merc's ought to have, and its fuel consumption is mid-40's on decent run, mid-30's around town. I drive quickly, but not aggressively. A C220Cdi ought to have very slightly better fuel consumption and its torque should make it feel better mid-range than a 180K, although I've never driven a C180K.
Financially, it's a difficult call - in reality, a 6 mth old Mondeo TDCi probably makes a lot more sense!
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Bill,
Thanks for the link to your thread (I did try a search honest, but too many pages returned). Your answers covered most of my questions, and it comes down to personal preferences. I do like modern diesels, and if I want to try and save more money then yes the Mondeo option is certainly cheaper, but I've always wanted a Merc.
I have an offer of £2850 discount on either car which is too good to miss, or is it?
I too was impressed with the people at MB Direct, yes they will do a deal. I really want a face lifted car as I believe that some of the subtle improvements are worthwhile (like the paint). So with the discount and the prospect of being the 1st owner buying a 6 month old car where I don't get to choose the spec isn't attractive enough.
What did we decide again, C180K or C220CDI. But wait there's a C320CDI coming soon, 224bhp 500nm!!
I'll let you know how it goes.
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There were a lot of under-the-skin improvements during the facelift (which was mid 2004). The handling & steering are supposedly a lot better, and the ride improved too. I never drove the old one so don?t know if this is very noticeable.
Mine is 54 reg (so it is facelifted). Spec is obviously fixed if buying used, and I really wanted a light coloured (which means Grey) interior. 95% of the used Merc?s seemed to be Black interior, and a lot had Sport spec, which I didn?t want.
Apart from that, the spec of the MB Direct cars is usually impressive ? mine is an Avantgarde SE auto with COMAND, phone, grey leather, CD changer, heated seats ? 6000 miles. Most of the MB Direct cars are similar spec. COMAND is stupidly expensive but it ?makes? the car. The phone kit is fab too.
I reckon its list OTR price would have been approx £33,000 and I paid £23,500 (its screen price was £26,999). I believe the identical C220 that I missed went for £23,000. Even with £3500 off I?m not convinced there wasn?t more to go.
The only thing that I didn?t get that I would?ve liked is Parktronic ? the demonstrator had it and I thought it was great (although I?ve since heard it can be problematic as the car ages).
If you can get £2850 off a C180K Estate then that gets you under £20K in its entry level form, which maybe makes some financial sense (although it might be hard to sell on) but there?s an awful lot you can add!!
Of course if you?re buying new now, then a factory ordered car probably won?t be here until almost the next reg change! And as you say, the new diesel (and its new 7 speed auto box) will be here by then too.
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Wow! I got the impression that MB Direct were out to sell cars, but £3500 off! I can't get over this, I was going to push it and ask for a grand off. Financially this changes things.
I don't need a car until 1st July, but a factory order needs placing soon to meet this. If I wait and see what MB Direct have in at the time then I only need to choose 2-3 weeks in advance. If I got your deal I would be very happy Bill, plus there will be more facelifted models around too.
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I was originally going for a C220CDi that was £24,999, but, as I mentioned previously, had sold. I asked the salesman how much it had sold for & he told me £23,000 then asked me how much more I would be prepared to pay for the C270 (which was £26,999). I told him I wanted to pay less (than £23,000) as the insurance, servicing & fuel would be more expensive (in practise, they?re not).
He knocked £2500 off the price over the phone, just to get me to come in ? I gave the deposit at that point, both he & I being clear this was simply to hold the car for me to get there. I got a further £1000 off while I was there.
The things that make me uncertain I got the best possible deal where that he included a phone bracket that costs £130 without whimpering and the price I paid included Mercedes StarShield paint treatment at £299. He told me they all included that ie, I had to have it and couldn?t reduce the price by refusing it. However when I picked the car up he told me 60% of the cars they sell have it.
I think they?d had both cars in stock for a few wks, which may well make a difference. They were both Red, which looks fine, but wouldn?t have been my choice if new. They stood out as almost every other car on the lot was silver.
I also printed out, and took with me, the details of another suitable car that was at a nearby Merc main dealer and suggested that maybe I should go and look at that.
Although I've bought my wife a new car every few years, I found the whole car buying process at this level a real pain, to be honest. I opted out of a company car so was trying to make sensible financial judgements with two problems ? I didn?t have a strong desire for any particular car, and you can never really get a clear idea of how much cars are really going to cost. If I?d realised the level of discount available from MB Direct then I might have bought an E Class.
Re your Q on the Sport Edition ? I?ve really no idea. I do 30,000 miles/yr and wanted comfort - my very personal opinion is that if I?d wanted Sporty, then I?d have looked at BMW. The Sport pack as an option does seem good value ? how much is the Sport Edition model? How its residual will hold up possibly depends on whether it becomes a main stream model (like the ES versions of BMW?s). Even if it doesn?t then it may have some rarity value. Who knows?
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Sorry to reply to my own post again, but I have another question seeing as this is going so well.
I was originally looking for an Avantgarde SE with a Sport Pack, as this seemed a relative good value option. Now there is a Sport Edition with is pretty much the same car, does this mean that come trade in time it will have a greater book price? As the Sport Pack is nolonger an optional extra but part of the model spec?
Brian
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