Second car choice and/or motorbike

OP
NBurns

NBurns

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2019
Messages
1,079
Reaction score
445
Location
Sunny Hampshire by the sea
Website
www.facebook.com
Your Mercedes
A180 CDI AVANTGARDE SE CVT,169.007, 2009
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #41
Oh she doesn't look happy in that photo LOL!

OP - i may have missed it but, I read your post as wanting a cheap runaround. Did you have any budget in mind so that you can receive some more accurate suggestions?

I was thinking something below £1k however the insurance on two cars is an issue. If i can i would have something in the daimler group so stay with the reliability. The scooter or motorbike ideas in winter appear not so good. And i remember my Fizzy50 being a bit haphazard in winter. And apparently a scooter is tricky in windy weather. The plus side of two wheels is of course beating traffic jams, sometimes!!



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
OP
NBurns

NBurns

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2019
Messages
1,079
Reaction score
445
Location
Sunny Hampshire by the sea
Website
www.facebook.com
Your Mercedes
A180 CDI AVANTGARDE SE CVT,169.007, 2009
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #42
I am retired & have an MGZR160 as a 2cd car. Used to work at Rover as a test driver & found this model a hoot to drive. A big difference to my E type for comfort but not performance. View attachment 53093

Rover?!! No thank you. MG mmmm they used to be really good. Not sure now.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

A.J.

Senior Member
Joined
May 31, 2015
Messages
21,258
Reaction score
9,581
Location
Norwich. UK
Your Mercedes
UnMerc - 2020 VW Polo 2.0t GTi Plus, DSG. Flash Red, Traditional VW GTi Tartan seat trim.
But does really it work ?, you now have 2 lots of depreciation, 2 lots of RFL (Not always of course), 2 lots of insurance and all of the of the other running costs such as tyres, servicing, repairs and so on :confused::)
 
OP
NBurns

NBurns

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2019
Messages
1,079
Reaction score
445
Location
Sunny Hampshire by the sea
Website
www.facebook.com
Your Mercedes
A180 CDI AVANTGARDE SE CVT,169.007, 2009
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #44
But does really it work ?, you now have 2 lots of depreciation, 2 lots of RFL (Not always of course), 2 lots of insurance and all of the of the other running costs such as tyres, servicing, repairs and so on :confused::)

Hence my question for asking. I really love my MB however compared to when i first bought her i was easily able to afford the running costs etc as i was on a nice contract. 5 years down the road and things have not gone so well. I know that I Can and Will get back up to a better income, a higher income and a Guaranteed income within three years now. I would love to keep the S203 for at least another 18 months until I can afford her replacement and was therefore wondering whether to get a cheaper more fuel efficient daimler group car so as to stay within that reliability framework. I know others have done this so I thought ‘why not have two cars, the S203 for non work stuff and the cheaper one for work’?



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

LostKiwi

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2006
Messages
31,328
Reaction score
21,575
Location
Midlands / Charente-Maritime
Your Mercedes
'93 500SL-32, '01 W210 Estate E240 (RIP), 02 R230 SL500, 04 Smart Roadster Coupe, 11 R350CDi
But does really it work ?, you now have 2 lots of depreciation, 2 lots of RFL (Not always of course), 2 lots of insurance and all of the of the other running costs such as tyres, servicing, repairs and so on :confused::)
It's really only 2 X depreciation, insurance, MOT and VED. Servicing and tyres are the same as the mileage is the same but split across 2 vehicles.
On a sub £1000 car depreciation is negligible.
 

A.J.

Senior Member
Joined
May 31, 2015
Messages
21,258
Reaction score
9,581
Location
Norwich. UK
Your Mercedes
UnMerc - 2020 VW Polo 2.0t GTi Plus, DSG. Flash Red, Traditional VW GTi Tartan seat trim.
It's really only 2 X depreciation, insurance, MOT and VED. Servicing and tyres are the same as the mileage is the same but split across 2 vehicles.
On a sub £1000 car depreciation is negligible.

On a sub £1000 car of course you perhaps would have to be mindful of the fact that more things are liable to break or let go. Plus would you really want to drive an old junker ? I don't think I would, not that anybody would point and say "Look at Andy driving that old thing, has he hit the skids ?" :rolleyes::D
 

EmilysDad

Senior Member
Joined
May 8, 2012
Messages
12,120
Reaction score
5,664
Location
Bury Lancs
Your Mercedes
ML350
But does really it work ?, you now have 2 lots of depreciation, 2 lots of RFL (Not always of course), 2 lots of insurance and all of the of the other running costs such as tyres, servicing, repairs and so on :confused::)

Daily running costs of a Smart are some what less than a ML eg a set of 15" Smart tyres are a lot cheaper than 20" ML tyres and I have my own half space at work no matter how full the rest of the car park is :D
 

DSK

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 31, 2019
Messages
2,187
Reaction score
2,259
Your Mercedes
CLS 320 CDI, S350 Bluetec
There are some great cars to be had for circa a £1000 (with some negotiation) but,. it may mean thinking and looking outside the box. Just beacuse a car is old does not mean its a shonker! DavidSL mentioned some serious good executive options.

Old Mercedes C/CLK230/240/320, Lexus IS200, Lexus GS300, Volvo S60 2.0T / Volvo V70 (if lucky you may be able to bag a T5!), (Audi's at this money will be lesser value for money) so perhaps a Seat Leon FR diesel, VW Passat, BMW 3 series (loads of them in the adverts).

Just look for low number of owners, comprehensive service, clean interiors and exteriors, ensure it drives well on the test and and you're away. Any car, new or old is only as good as its been looked after!
 

EmilysDad

Senior Member
Joined
May 8, 2012
Messages
12,120
Reaction score
5,664
Location
Bury Lancs
Your Mercedes
ML350
There are some great cars to be had for circa a £1000 (with some negotiation) but,. it may mean thinking and looking outside the box. Just beacuse a car is old does not mean its a shonker! DavidSL mentioned some serious good executive options.

Old Mercedes C/CLK230/240/320, Lexus IS200, Lexus GS300, Volvo S60 2.0T / Volvo V70 (if lucky you may be able to bag a T5!), (Audi's at this money will be lesser value for money) so perhaps a Seat Leon FR diesel, VW Passat, BMW 3 series (loads of them in the adverts).

Just look for low number of owners, comprehensive service, clean interiors and exteriors, ensure it drives well on the test and and you're away. Any car, new or old is only as good as its been looked after!

but go-faster/luxury cars are almost as expensive to maintain whether they're old or brand new eg they still have the same big low profile tyres to wear through, access to expensive service items is still the same so labour times are the same

but ... they say bangernomics can work ie buy a £1000 Astra/Focus/similar, drive it till it breaks then buy another
 

Nigel Hewitt

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2018
Messages
172
Reaction score
201
Location
Brighton, Sussex
Website
www.nigelhewitt.co.uk
Your Mercedes
E300/W212/2014/2L Diesel Hybrid (Also a Honda CBR1000RA Fireblade)
Back to the original question. My second car is a motorbike.
Not because it is more efficient but because it is more fun.
 

A.J.

Senior Member
Joined
May 31, 2015
Messages
21,258
Reaction score
9,581
Location
Norwich. UK
Your Mercedes
UnMerc - 2020 VW Polo 2.0t GTi Plus, DSG. Flash Red, Traditional VW GTi Tartan seat trim.
Back to the original question. My second car is a motorbike.
Not because it is more efficient but because it is more fun.

Yes, but is that a toy rather than something to save the mileage on your main driver. Would you use the bike on a mucky day for example ? :rolleyes::D
 

LostKiwi

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2006
Messages
31,328
Reaction score
21,575
Location
Midlands / Charente-Maritime
Your Mercedes
'93 500SL-32, '01 W210 Estate E240 (RIP), 02 R230 SL500, 04 Smart Roadster Coupe, 11 R350CDi
On a sub £1000 car of course you perhaps would have to be mindful of the fact that more things are liable to break or let go. Plus would you really want to drive an old junker ? I don't think I would, not that anybody would point and say "Look at Andy driving that old thing, has he hit the skids ?" :rolleyes::D
I regularly drive our £600 210 estate.
Nice comfy place to be.
From the inside you don't know it's a 'junker'. It also commands 'respect' in car parks. No one parks me in.
Yes I'll take the 230 in preference if visiting friends but the 230 regularly gets numpties park so close you can barely get in. Strangely the 129 almost never does.
 

d215yq

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 28, 2008
Messages
2,664
Reaction score
702
Age
39
Location
Valencia, Spain
Your Mercedes
1987 W124 300D 280k miles
I'm not sure I'm getting this, isn't a C220CDI good for 55+mpg if driven sensibly - what do you expect to get for 1k that can beat that? You already have a car with good mpg and no depreciation, sure I understand it's costing you a fiar bit in maintenance but I doubt you can buy another set of RFL/maintenance/insurance/servicing + extra fuel for a less economic second car cheaper than that maintenance.

If you can't afford the C class then another car/bike/scooter is probably not affordable either, instead keep it sorn and do it up yourself slowly sourcing cheap parts and then put it back on the road when you can afford it?
 
Last edited:
OP
NBurns

NBurns

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2019
Messages
1,079
Reaction score
445
Location
Sunny Hampshire by the sea
Website
www.facebook.com
Your Mercedes
A180 CDI AVANTGARDE SE CVT,169.007, 2009
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #55
I'm not sure I'm getting this, isn't a C220CDI good for 55+mpg if driven sensibly - what do you expect to get for 1k that can beat that? You already have a car with good mpg and no depreciation, sure I understand it's costing you a fiar bit in maintenance but I doubt you can buy another set of RFL/maintenance/insurance/servicing + extra fuel for a less economic second car cheaper than that maintenance.

If you can't afford the C class then another car/bike/scooter is probably not affordable either, instead keep it sorn and do it up yourself slowly sourcing cheap parts and then put it back on the road when you can afford it?

Yes it has done between 50-55Mpg. However I was thinking that if i used something which did say above 55Mpg and was just as reliable that would save even more money.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

d215yq

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 28, 2008
Messages
2,664
Reaction score
702
Age
39
Location
Valencia, Spain
Your Mercedes
1987 W124 300D 280k miles
Yes it has done between 50-55Mpg. However I was thinking that if i used something which did say above 55Mpg and was just as reliable that would save even more money.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Everyone wants above 55mpg and reliable - so you're looking at 2-3k for stuff like that - which will still cost servicing rfl insurance etc - will it really cost so much to get this C220 back on the road?

For me it would be

1) buy monthly insurance on the C220, get it to the MOT station and see how bad it is - maybe a few hundred could get it a pass and then it's safe and don't bother with any non essential maintenance until you are in a better position - some may disagree but at that age it should be able to go a few extra months between services etc, especially if driven carefully/with sympathy without any problem.

2) sell it as it is for a few hundred and buy a scruffy but maintained Yaris 1.0 - it'll get 50mpg and should be very reliabel and low insurance.

Any other option will just likely bleed money away, you can then reassess the situation when you have more cash and can think about what you actually want. It's all very well the mention of big engined luxury cars and 600 quid E classes that run for ever and "only" cost you more in fuel/ins/RFl but not repairs...but for everyone of those there's probably another 9 that eat through the 2 or 3 times the purchase price again in the first 6 months. Cars are just so variable - the first year and a half and 25k miles of ownership of my 32yr old 300€ W124 was 2,200€!!! The next 2 years/ 40k miles total maintenance cost (INC servicing) was 210€. The last year and a half/30k miles has cost 600€. So depending on when you bought mine you could have had the cheapest motoring and most trouble free 40k miles ever or a year of constant hassle and stress and large bills, or somewhere in between.
 

00slk

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2012
Messages
9,594
Reaction score
9,294
Location
Cambridgeshire UK
Your Mercedes
2002 SL55 AMG, 2005 E320 CDi, 2014 SLK250 CDi, 2003 SLK200
Oh she doesn't look happy in that photo LOL!

OP - i may have missed it but, I read your post as wanting a cheap runaround. Did you have any budget in mind so that you can receive some more accurate suggestions?

Never happy with me!! Says I keep spending all her money on cars. Got 8 at present and 1 bike :oops:

I think the OP is just fishing at the moment?
 
  • Like
Reactions: DSK
OP
NBurns

NBurns

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2019
Messages
1,079
Reaction score
445
Location
Sunny Hampshire by the sea
Website
www.facebook.com
Your Mercedes
A180 CDI AVANTGARDE SE CVT,169.007, 2009
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #59
Everyone wants above 55mpg and reliable - so you're looking at 2-3k for stuff like that - which will still cost servicing rfl insurance etc - will it really cost so much to get this C220 back on the road?

For me it would be

1) buy monthly insurance on the C220, get it to the MOT station and see how bad it is - maybe a few hundred could get it a pass and then it's safe and don't bother with any non essential maintenance until you are in a better position - some may disagree but at that age it should be able to go a few extra months between services etc, especially if driven carefully/with sympathy without any problem.

2) sell it as it is for a few hundred and buy a scruffy but maintained Yaris 1.0 - it'll get 50mpg and should be very reliabel and low insurance.

Any other option will just likely bleed money away, you can then reassess the situation when you have more cash and can think about what you actually want. It's all very well the mention of big engined luxury cars and 600 quid E classes that run for ever and "only" cost you more in fuel/ins/RFl but not repairs...but for everyone of those there's probably another 9 that eat through the 2 or 3 times the purchase price again in the first 6 months. Cars are just so variable - the first year and a half and 25k miles of ownership of my 32yr old 300€ W124 was 2,200€!!! The next 2 years/ 40k miles total maintenance cost (INC servicing) was 210€. The last year and a half/30k miles has cost 600€. So depending on when you bought mine you could have had the cheapest motoring and most trouble free 40k miles ever or a year of constant hassle and stress and large bills, or somewhere in between.

I remember being shown a W124 back in 2003 ish. When I worked at Philips electronics. My team leader was getting everyone in his team to move over to them as he felt they were brilliant and almost bomb proof. Sadly I didn't change because I wasn't convinced and I think my finances were not brilliant even though he insisted my finances would improve with one of these. You know what? I wish now that I Had listened to him and bought one.
I bought my C220 s203 5 years ago. Best car I have ever owned!!!



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

malcolm E53 AMG

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2005
Messages
6,993
Reaction score
4,597
Ford Fiesta - loads about - cheap as chips to buy and run.... but if you want quirky or interesting SMART would fit the bill
 
Top Bottom