Advice Needed Urgenly!!

[anchak99]

HI Buddies!!

This is my very first post on this forum. I need the best advice from you experts out there as I am on the hunt for an economy Benz with the following conditions as a pre-requisite:

1. 1991-1995 model
2. Low Mileage.
3. Automatic Transmission.
4. Compact size (Not too long)

I?ve had a look at the 1994 and 1995 C220s. Do these meet the requirements above? Please suggest any other models which satisfy my requirements.

Thanks for your help.

Cheers,
Chak

 

[jberks]

Hi Chak,
I have a95 C220 - or did, my dad has it now, - great car.

 

[philharve]

Economy 'Benz?

Hi anchak99

You pose some fairly broad questions and what do you me by 'economy"?

If its fuel economy you are after then maybe a small petrol or a diesel-engined 'Benz would suite you. It occurred to me that by economy you may have meant low running costs. If you did, then provided you buy wisely and nothing goes wrong, then running costs aren't too bad. M-B dealer prices are quite high but M-Bs tend to be fairly reliable. An entry level C-class is worth considering. The other upmarket series, E-class and above, are fine automobiles but they are expensive to purchase and to maintain.

If you regard 10 - 12k miles per annum as average then a 10 to 15yr old car with less than a 100k miles would fit your bill. Low mileage will mean higher than average prices because M-Bs tend to retain their value. You don't mention your purchasing budget but judging by the age of car you have in mind your budget would seem to be of the order of 5k or less.

My first automatic was a M-B and after 35yrs driving manual gear change cars an automatic was a revelation. It's much easier to drive in stop/start driving such as in towns. It's also suprisingly fuel efficient. I find automatics very relaxing to drive. Beware, the M-B has a curious foot-operated handbrake that takes a bit of getting used to. The hand brake is easy to use with automatic transmission but definitely more skill is required if the car's a manual.

Length is relative. Do you have a small garage or is parking your worry? Is space at a premiu? I find that M-Bs can 'feel' big but are often little larger than a Mondeo. The 'T' series touring models are quite long. Do you require the extra carrying capacity provided by an estate model? One think I didn't expect from my M-B was its manouverability, I can squeeze into parking places I never thought possible. The front wheels almost seem to turn through 90 degrees. The only difficulty I have is reverse parking because you can't see the boot tail. Parking nose first is a breeze because of the star emblem on the bonnet which provides a good reference point for the frontal extremity of the vehicle.

I'm sorry I can't be too specific wrt series/model/etc., but it is difficult to make recommendations based purely on the 4 criteria you mention.

REGARDS Phil