Buying new A-class W169 with £7000 budget

[Perpetual Tourist]

Hi there, and thank you for a very nice forum.

I'm looking to buy a new A-Class. This will be my first car and I'm pretty excited about it. I have around £7K to spend, and would appreciate some advice.

It seems my options are to go with a 2005 low mileage Classic or a higher mileage Avantgarde (in some cases with stronger engine).

For example I have looked at the below:
2005 5-door 15,000 miles A150 Classic SE (£7000)
2005 5-door 50,000 miles A170 Avantgarde (£7500)

So what to go for... I am drawn to the Avantgarde but put the off by the mileage. But should I be? Surely with new cars 50,000 miles is not that much right? I have read in other threads that the thing to look out for is a full service history and regular stamps in the service book, and most cars seem to have this.

Your advice is greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
Toby

 

[hawk20]

Market conditions are tough right now. Bargain hard. You will get book mileage, well maintained examples for your price from 2005.

Good cars. Lots of space, very economical especially the diesels.

 

[Perpetual Tourist]

Thanks, good to hear there is room for bargaining.

Should I be concerned about a higher mileage 2005 model such as the one currently at 50,000 miles? I just don't know what sort of servicing should have been done on a car with that sort of mileage.

 

[rhud]

A word of warning. Many (if not all) Avantgarde models hve stiffer sports suspension which makes for a harsh ride. I have 5dr Classic SE and wouldnt want anything joltier than that. But they are really good cars - MB got them right second time around.

 

[hawk20]

A word of warning. Many (if not all) Avantgarde models hve stiffer sports suspension which makes for a harsh ride. I have 5dr Classic SE and wouldnt want anything joltier than that. But they are really good cars - MB got them right second time around.

IIRC sports suspension is an option (and not just on Avantgarde). But I totally agree with you -as do most reviewers- that sports suspension is definitely worth avoiding.

Bigger wheels also make the ride harsher.

 

[hawk20]

Thanks, good to hear there is room for bargaining.

Should I be concerned about a higher mileage 2005 model such as the one currently at 50,000 miles? I just don't know what sort of servicing should have been done on a car with that sort of mileage.

Why go there? You can get book mileage or less and with fullMBSH for the money you plan to spend. Plenty of them around. Try the search engine for approved used on the MB website and then you get a proper 12 month warranty.

 

[Perpetual Tourist]

Forgot to mention I am only looking at automatics. Thanks for the advice all.

 

[hawk20]

Forgot to mention I am only looking at automatics. Thanks for the advice all.

Try and get a drive in an A180cdi auto -that is what I had and it is a very nice set-up. The diesel seems to suit the CVT just right. And great economy almost the same as the manual.