Have I got old.....

[psmart]

I was reading the TopGear magazine last night, especially interested in the Ford Focus RS. As a past XR2i, XR3i, XR4x4, RS Turbo and RS Cosworth owner it got me drooling about the RevoKnuckle (I remember how I used to fight tooth and nail with the chipped MG Montego Turbo steering due to power being > 200bhp), the revamped 2.5 Turbo ST engine and having real street cred.... but then I looked at the performance figures, 155mph top speed, sub 6 second 0-60 and I began to wonder, was this really a performance car, were my XR's, RS's and MG's really performance cars? ... this
was sacriledge, surely, questioning this breed of cars? .... or have Mercedes just numbed me?

EClass 320CDI V6 will do 155mph, EClass 420cdi will do far more and breach the sub 6 seconds, even an ML420cdi would do this and thats without looking at the AMG models.... you dont need no RevoKnuckle on a Merc as they are RWD/4WD. ....and you cant compare the comfort levels between an RS and a Merc...

...so what is special about an RS now? ... Have I got old.....?

 

[SLinKyjoe]

? ... Have I got old.....?

Yes, but you have also grown up. You have achieved more and that allows you to taste the cars that others have not had the breaks in life to appreciate. You should be happy you have had the chance to enjoy them all, as others only look on appreciating the fact you have not lowered yourself to buying something imitation.

Mind you, I am starting to hanker after A BMW 3 series Convertible diesel....Have I gone mad?

 

[jberks]

you probably have got old. After all, how many 20 somethings would hanker after an E class...... though thinking about it, my dad did offer me his old one when I was 20 and I was tempted... anyway - you're right - E320cdi - why would you possibly want anything else?

 

[psmart]

What gets me though, is it not a case of perceptions? Are Mercs perceived as old mens cars?

I say this because I had a fleet deal with Budget Fleet Hire and approx every month I got to change cars, and I always chose performance Fords, not Mercs. When the fleet deal ended, I naturally continued on and continued
to chose Fords. I cant remember why I discounted Mercs, but quite often what mattered was performance per buck and Fords delivered. Performance Fords also gave you credibility with like minded soles and I believe the ultimate
car to have back in those days was the Lotus Carlton, all bog standard cars tuned upto the hilt. People could buy the base models and aspire to a performance version of what they owned.

Merc on the other hand, apart from the small engined units, start out with bog standard cars which match or exceed other makers 'performance' top of the range cars, and follow the same route by making AMG versions which are ridiculously fast.

Now the Focus RS will be around 25+K, which is what the Cosworths used to cost, and they used to be labelled the poor mans SuperCars because you got so much performance for relatively so little cash. You can piece together an E320cdi which will hit 62 in 6.8 seconds and be limited to 155 for roughly the same cash, or get an E500 which will hit 62 in 5.3 seconds and also limited to 155mph for roughly the same cash if you keep the options down and bought pre-registered or nearly new.

If I was in my twenties again, a few years into a job without mortgage, what would I chose, a Focus RS or an E500? Status (street cred) and speed would be overriding factors and I think very few here would disagree that Merc = Status and speed would be very similar. Both are family cars and both have credibility.

Thus, why does the Focus RS have a market? Is it not just a perception that Mercs = Cauliflowers (old people), which makes me old! Or is it more the case that Merc arent marketing correctly?

 

[SLinKyjoe]

Mercd didn't make that manycars of the type that would appeal to people who would buy RS', cossies and the like back then. When the revamped the Cossie to come out around the £20k mark, a bogo Merc would have been similar, but built to last. The price was in the build and the engineering.

In the 90s' Merc started producing more cars that appealed to more people and with that, they also reduced the build quality, but FORD and others started to build better cars, and the prices start to equate towards each other.

A simple test is to see what an equivilent car type in each segment costs. So compare the Mondeo, against the C and a 3 series and you will see the Merc/Beemer combine will cost more, spec for spec, and will hold the value better too. They will cost more to service, and will be better built, but there is not much in it these days. There is the element of Badge tho.

Merc don't produce a Hot Hatch, nor a bargain basement performance car. You won't get rally derived Merc hatch back. Yes you will get a car that will keep up with a FORD RS easily, and will be a much better car to drive too, Ford are now having to woo its buyers back, and this is one way to do. Born again cossie owners, who may not have had one before.

But beware, Ford RS's have solid suspension and its bone shaking.

Most of the Older Cossie era owners have migrated to Scooby/ EVO types now anyway.

 

[st4]

you probably have got old. After all, how many 20 somethings would hanker after an E class......

Old before my time, 23 and love mine. Only wish it had full leather...

 

[JEZ.S320L]

Old before my time, 23 and love mine. Only wish it had full leather...

Not old - just the realisation that there is:

• More traffic on the road - i.e. congestion
• Speed camera's everywhere
• Lots more anti-car measures i.e. Councils and Government

I admit that my days of 90/100+ on Motorways have long gone, and speeding here there and everywhere is absolutely pointless.

Ask yourself the question; What EXACTLY are you going to do with the odd few minutes you MAY manage to shave off a journey?

Set off a few minutes early, and arrive cool, calm, collected and SAFELY.

Don't get me wrong - I LOVE driving fast and being in control. BUT - I save that aspect for Track Days and (attempting to) beast an Aston Martin

 

[100%Bitch]

I am starting to hanker after A BMW 3 series Convertible diesel....Have I gone mad?

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[SLinKyjoe]

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

having done some homework, it seems the 3ltr petrol is winning the battle.

Now the other question is, do I buy that flat, and then buy the car, or do I buy the car and then the flat?

Oh, and do I keep the house? and how long for?

And the deisel is about £1600k dearer and uses about 8mpg less, and I do about 10-15k a year in it!

Leather or no leather?

What colour inside and out?

 

[JEZ.S320L]

having done some homework, it seems the 3ltr petrol is winning the battle.

Now the other question is, do I buy that flat, and then buy the car, or do I buy the car and then the flat?

Oh, and do I keep the house? and how long for?

And the deisel is about £1600k dearer and uses about 8mpg less, and I do about 10-15k a year in it!

Leather or no leather?

What colour inside and out?

How about getting the flat seller to throw in a free BMW with the deal..!!??

Not as mad as it seems - here in Spain, more and more properties for sale are offering a NEW car. And STILL no buyers..!!

 

[100%Bitch]

How about getting the flat seller to throw in a free BMW with the deal

Are you trying to put people off? Who the hell would want a free BMW?

 

[SLinKyjoe]

How about getting the flat seller to throw in a free BMW with the deal..!!??

Not as mad as it seems - here in Spain, more and more properties for sale are offering a NEW car. And STILL no buyers..!!

Good idea, but it won't work here.

I intend to offer less than they want anyway, although I have not yet decided if I need to buy it. it is a 3bed top floor job with a sea view, but I don't really need 3bedrooms.

I just like the fact its the top floor of a listed mansion and that would also be in the address! Sad really.

 

[JEZ.S320L]

Are you trying to put people off? Who the hell would want a free BMW?

Sell it - then buy a decent car..!

 

[JEZ.S320L]

Good idea, but it won't work here.

I intend to offer less than they want anyway, although I have not yet decided if I need to buy it. it is a 3bed top floor job with a sea view, but I don't really need 3bedrooms.

I just like the fact its the top floor of a listed mansion and that would also be in the address! Sad really.

I understand now. Relatives did the same - only they bought the West Wing :-D. Agree - had a lovely address, and not only a Heli-pad, but a landing strip and hanger in the back garden..!!!

 

[JEZ.S320L]

Good idea, but it won't work here......

It's not working in Spain either - but it was just a thought.

 

[hawk20]

Are you trying to put people off? Who the hell would want a free BMW?

Chavs like them. Chavs chariot of choice.

 

[Seeker_UK]

Mind you, I am starting to hanker after A BMW 3 series Convertible diesel....Have I gone mad?

I wouldn't say so.

MB really have missed a trick here (or as usual are behind the drag curve). This time around, if MB could have offered a 4 seater convertible with good fuel economy and more oomph than the clk 200k I would have bought it on the spot.

 

[SLinKyjoe]

Well you do have a point. I was orginally taken by the 1 series convertible as it seems most cars have either some big roll hoops spoiling the view, or a price tag staring the other side of £30k. However, the 3 seems better value for money, and you do get a choice of engines.

I still have not made the leap yet, but looking the the CLK and the fact I had several spots of unreliablity with my SLK, I don't think I will be doing MB for a few more cars yet.

Perhaps I am getting old too.

Do Chav's still exist? If they do, I suggest you move to a more exclusive area! There are none round here.

 

[psmart]

Working in Stuttgart, the antagonism between the Schwaben and the Bavarians is akin to the English and the Germans. For example, a common quote: 'The Bavarians are the missing link between Austrians and Human Beings'! Probably makes sense why Chav's buy Beamers

I think in essence, given that high speed is a normal occurence in Germany as opposed to the rest of Europe (ie. 80km/h on Motorways in Barcelona is now the norm!), speed isnt an indicator that you've got old, in fact I see many 20 somethings driving like old Grandads of yesteryear. The difference between an RS (the Hot hatch is a bit of a misleader, just means small car with big engine, whereas your Cosworth or even RS are not really small) and a Mercedes is adrenaline. Taking the same journey, in the RS you drive by the seat of your pants, thrashing every gear, body rattled over every bump, its basically a thrill seekers ride, whereas the Merc gets you their just as quick but cossetted and comfy. You feel the speed in the RS, you dont so much in the Merc. The status is probably just the same, people give you similar respect in an RS and a Merc (BMW Chavs excluded ), but the reason, in my opinion, you would buy the RS over the Merc is your a thrill seeker. A Merc
just wouldnt offer you the raw thrills, because its a more refined, luxurious vehicle, than a performance Ford.

Would you buy a Ford Focus RS over an E500 (or C320cdi etc)?

 

[Seeker_UK]

Quite right psmart.

The thing with Mercs was they are made with a different philosophy. They were developed to carry you at speed and in comfort. An old W123 230E is positively glacial when it comes to hitting 100 mph (when compared to a bavarian equivalent such as the 525e) but when it gets there, it'll stay there, run true and leave you very comfortable indeed.

Nowadays, with AMG and the like, MB gets you to 100 more quickly but a CLK63 will be more effortless and less of a work-out than an M3.