Moral dilemma

[Wafter]

Hello,
I have a W124 E32O. I also have a W140 S320. I need to drastically reduce my running costs. I am going to keep the S class and give up the E.

Question is, do I avail myself of the government's scrappage scheme, give them the E and buy a KIA Picanto 45 mpg run-a-round for £4,195?

The W124 is mechanically perfect with leather, air con, cruise, electric driver's seat and 10CD stacker, but the silver body work is tatty with rusty front wings, driver's door, boot lid and rear wing. No way would I get £2,000 for it but scrapping it would solve my running costs but break my heart.

What do I do?

 

[Bolide]

If you drive 10,000 miles a year in a 45 mpg car it'll save you about £888 over a 25 mpg car:

10k / year @ 25 mpg = 400 gals @ £5 = £2000
10k / year @ 45 mpg = 222 gals @ £5 = £1111

saving £888 / year

The Kia will depreciate at about £800 / year, and the W124 won't depreciate at all. So the Kia will save you about £88 a year overall, maintenance costs excluded

But let's get this straight: you want to save running costs so you're keeping the S Class? This is either a troll or you're in denial!

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

 

[Micman]

Question is, do I avail myself of the government's scrappage scheme, give them the E and buy a KIA Picanto 45 mpg run-a-round for £4,195?

Totally understand your dilema. You want something cheaper to run but don't want to sacrifice having a lovely car.

Getting a Kia Picanto isn't as silly as it may at first sound. My sister bought a Picanto in 2004 brand new for approx £6500 (specced up with a few extra's and black paint). It has been amazing, she loves it, 5 doors, decent load area with the rear seats folded down, cheap as chips to run, has a very healthy specification list when compared to other cheap cars and there's been no reliability problems. Best bit is it's still worth around 3k, not bad after 5 years.

I'm very tempted to buy one myself. Quite fancy getting a Porsche Boxster for the sunny weekends and having a cheap, reliable, new runaround for the daily commute. I've got my eye on the Kia C'eed SW as well - still quite expensive at the moment but with a 7 year warranty that is surely going to be a wise buy for a 3 year old one (it will still have 4 years warranty left on it!)

If you want to keep the S-class anyway then having a cheap runaround for the rest of the time makes perfect sense. I'd say go for it - ditch the E-class. You don't need two luxury barges!

The other thing to consider is picking up a used Picanto - They start from about 2k for a 2004 base model.

Don't think you'll regret it at all - it's just a matter of being brave enough to try! After all you will still own an S-class.

Too put it another way, if you buy the Picanto and hate it - you will probably be able to sell it again for near enough the same money you paid anyway. Haven't really got much to lose :lol::lol:

 

[st4]

Why not break the 124. There is always demands for parts for these cars.

As bolide says, the 124 will have done all its depreciation, the kia has not so your maybe £88 up in the plastic box. Just use the 124 as a run about instead and when it breaks then take advantage of the £2k allowance thingee.

 

[Myros]

safety dog rears his ugly head

I'd still rather be in old 124 in a shunt than a new picanto. Discuss.

 

[television]

I shall get to the point one day of not wanting the V70R and the SL, as I sometimes feel that a small runaround would do, but it would cost me much more in the long run, I would be spending a few grand to save a few P

 

[Alex M Grieve]

I'd still rather be in old 124 in a shunt than a new picanto. Discuss.

Good point Myros - as in other threads, cars like the 124 have such huge reserves of passive safety, cornering, braking and crash protection. They are also comfortable to drive and don't depreciate.

Sadly, it sounds as though the renovation of your rust would eclipse the value of your car.

Option 3 would be to sell to someone keen to break your car and buy a tidier 124, or 201 - there are lots of nice cars for low money.

 

[Dosco]

I shall get to the point one day of not wanting the V70R and the SL, as I sometimes feel that a small runaround would do, but it would cost me much more in the long run, I would be spending a few grand to save a few P

Don't part with the SL.

When you get to that point in your life Malcolm just ensure you can get into the garage to look and see, polishing cloth in hand and remember those wonderful days when you were out with the top down wind in your hair and all those young female things looked at you with a wistful eye, so when you wake up a smile will be on the face and the nurse will wonder what on earth you have to smile about

 

[Alex M Grieve]

remember those wonderful days when you were out with the top down wind in your hair and all those young female things looked at you with a wistful eye, so when you wake up a smile will be on the face and the nurse will wonder what on earth you have to smile about

I wholly support Dosco's plea that you should not part with the SL, Malcolm. In fact, we think an SL is probably your ideal runabout.

I think the comments about "wind in your hair motoring" are a trifle insensitive, but at least when she sees the smile, the nurse will know to stop and do something else! :Oops:

 

[television]

Don't part with the SL.

When you get to that point in your life Malcolm just ensure you can get into the garage to look and see, polishing cloth in hand and remember those wonderful days when you were out with the top down wind in your hair and all those young female things looked at you with a wistful eye, so when you wake up a smile will be on the face and the nurse will wonder what on earth you have to smile about

You have given me an idea, the nurse can take me out in the SL and they all lived happily ever after

 

[Wafter]

Many thanks to all, especially to Bolide for doing the sums. However, it was Myros who reminded me of what is important. OK, I might save a bit of money but do I want to transport my 11 month old granddaughter around in an E class or a Picanto? No contest, end of argument, no more dilemma. Thank you to all.

 

[television]

Many thanks to all, especially to Bolide for doing the sums. However, it was Myros who reminded me of what is important. OK, I might save a bit of money but do I want to transport my 11 month old granddaughter around in an E class or a Picanto? No contest, end of argument, no more dilemma. Thank you to all.

It gives me the same answer too, I do not like thinking of such things, but do most accidents still happen within 5 miles from home

 

[RiceBurner]

Many thanks to all, especially to Bolide for doing the sums. However, it was Myros who reminded me of what is important. OK, I might save a bit of money but do I want to transport my 11 month old granddaughter around in an E class or a Picanto? No contest, end of argument, no more dilemma. Thank you to all.

Exactly why I bought my 230TE. The 9 year old takes priority, (and the government scrappage scheme can go play with itself).

 

[Myros]

I'm not saying picantos aren't safe

but imagine a picanto hitting an E class. I put my wife and kids (and me) in the E class.
To quote Benny Hill as Professor Peach in the Italian Job. " I like them big".

 

[st4]

I hate to burst the old E class being safer than a smaller new car bubble but it simply isn't true.

Have a look at the channel 5 renaut modus vs an old volvo estate crash test. The modus is catagorily the safer car as crash test safety as moved on enormously over the past decade and a half. Look at the ncap score of s 202 vs a 204. I'd post links but the office interweb filters work in weird and myterious ways

 

[SilverSaloon]

I hate to burst the old E class being safer than a smaller new car bubble but it simply isn't true.

Have a look at the channel 5 renaut modus vs an old volvo estate crash test. The modus is catagorily the safer car as crash test safety as moved on enormously over the past decade and a half. Look at the ncap score of s 202 vs a 204. I'd post links but the office interweb filters work in weird and myterious ways

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3ygYUYia9I

 

[RiceBurner]

but imagine a picanto hitting an E class. I put my wife and kids (and me) in the E class.
To quote Benny Hill as Professor Peach in the Italian Job. " I like them big".

One thing I'll always remember - a crash scene that a friend of mine was the AI at. Two identical VW Golfs (mk4s I think - Euro-NCAP passing cars) had smashed into each other - a t-bone.

The one that had the head on impact was crumpled, but the passenger cage was fine. The structures that mean a Euro-NCAP pass worked fine.

The OTHER one - the one that had been hit in the side was a complete wreck, it had virtually split in two. The structures that mean a Euro-NCAP pass had NOT worked at all - because Euro-NCAP does NOT test for side-impacts, so the designers had not built the structures to allow for it (ie they'd optimised the chassis design to pass Euro-NCAP without allowing for anything else).


According to a Wiki-pedia article I read, the W124 series cars were built to pass tests similar to Euro-NCAP (the wiki article suggested that the Euro-NCAP tests were copied from MB), BUT - they were also built to withstand offset impacts from the rear - which Euro-NCAP doesn't test for.

 

[television]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3ygYUYia9I

My V70R is a 98 car with all of the safety things, like side air bags and belt tensioners

 

[Alex M Grieve]

I hate to burst the old E class being safer than a smaller new car bubble but it simply isn't true.

Have a look at the channel 5 renaut modus vs an old Volvo estate crash test. The modus is catagorily the safer car as crash test safety as moved on enormously over the past decade and a half. Look at the ncap score of s 202 vs a 204. I'd post links but the office interweb filters work in weird and mysterious ways

It is a worthy thought, but bear in mind the axiom "a good big one will always beat a game little one", alternatively the larger vehicle always has right of way, or even think of it in terms of momentum - who gives most energy to the other? The saloon cars used by heads of state (The Obama monster) are proof to everything - except an IED. Once it has flown over a tall building and landed in an undignified heap, the car may be OK. The occupants are not.

Princes Diana's car hit an immovable object. The man who was wearing his seatbelt (who was sitting in the most dangerous seat in the car) is still here to talk about it - and that was a car of the 124 generation.

 

[st4]

Most other cars are designed to pass other safety tests than just the NCAP one. There is a US based one that tests rear impact + side impact (NCAP does do this and most cars have these side impact bars) and yes the bigger cars come out more favourable.

My point was not to judge a book by its cover and do a bit more research on the subject. The 124 is not also that heavy a car, it was in its day but with the growth of cars (size and in mass to cope with more stringent crash regs) there are now smaller cars that weigh equally or more than a 124.

However there are so many other reasons to keep a 124 than just the safety and the "what if" which probably won't come about. Prevention is always better than cure so keeping an unsafe car on the road is better that ploughing a safe car into a tree. That way all the occupants in the Diana crash would be with us today.