rustleg
Member
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2009
- Messages
- 13
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- Location
- Fareham
- Your Mercedes
- C class C220 CDI Auto W204
I am considering the purchase of a new C class estate and wanted to share my thoughts so you good people could make comments which might help me in the choice and process of buying. Sorry for the length of this post.
I am considering a new C220 CDI estate, to buy sometime early next year, maybe March. I'm thinking of deciding now as when I looked last Spring there was a significant delivery delay. I currently run a C220 CDI saloon 58 reg which I bought nearly new in June. This is my first Mercedes, and it is the first time in many years that I have enjoyed driving rather than just considering a car as a method of getting from A to B. I intended to keep this car for several years but I have decided that I made a mistake in buying the saloon rather than the estate.
I have used hatchbacks for many years and didn't realise how much I would miss the load carrying capacity. I have borrowed my wife's Astra hatch several times to carry stuff. Also my golf gear (with electric trolley) is a tight fit in the boot and if I want to take my golfing friend to a course I have to stack 2 bags on the back seat - not good.
I've rarely bought new in the past but this time I'm thinking of buying new as, assuming I keep it for some years, being retired it may be the last car I need!
1. First thought is how good are the blue-efficiency units? How did they manage to increase the power and also the consumption and CO2? Believing there's no such thing as a free lunch I wonder what compromises have been made.
2. About diesel engines. This was my first diesel. I bought a diesel for the torque and I am very impressed with its acceleration. However there seems to be a downside in vibrations from the unit - not usually significant but I've heard stories of other cars which have been criticised for this (e.g. a Telegraph review of the Honda Accord). What are the pros and cons of the 2.2 engine? I don't need the greater power of a larger engine (with its cost in terms of consumption and CO2) so the 2.2 seems a sweet spot for me unless there's another unit which is significantly smoother. Maybe the V6? But is it worth 6K (plus more fuel, road tax, insurance) for this? (I only do around 8-10,000 miles per year so extra running costs are not a show stopper.)
3. I have the built in Satnav in my current model but am intending not to have this in the new one. I like having a nice screen which folds away but there are limitations in use compared to the Tomtom I had used before - i.e. no full postcode, no local street names on the map, no way to label a destination with my own choice of name (e.g. "XXX golf club") - unless I have missed the option. On top of this it seems very expensive. Also if I get a tomtom I can update this in future when technology moves on, as it seems to do rapidly.
4. I have parktronic but this has become a nuisance as it beeps a lot for no reason. So not going in to the new car.
5. No 6 CD changer - there's blessed little room in the glove compartment. I don't mind feeding in the odd CD. I don't use it much anyway.
6. Elegance rather than Sport. This is what I have at present and I like the ride - don't want a harder ride. This was part of the reason for choosing a Merc rather than a BMW.
7. Leather seats. Worth the extra.
8. Standard or Bi-Xenon headlamps? Or the full Intelligent light system? I have no idea on this one. Comments gratefully received.
9. Standard aircon. How does the "luxury" version justify itself?
10. Heated front seats for winter for my old bones.
11. How to buy to get the best deal, including part exchange for my current car? I'm thinking of checking out 2 local dealerships (Portsmouth and Southampton). One reason to buy local is to establish a base for a good relationship for future service. What experiences have forum members had which would indicate whether this is worth something or whether it's irrelevant? What time of year will I get the best deal? I've heard some tales of great deals in the past year, but I think that was probably due to the recession.
12. Have I missed any isues, big or small, I should consider?
I look forward to any comments good or bad.
I am considering a new C220 CDI estate, to buy sometime early next year, maybe March. I'm thinking of deciding now as when I looked last Spring there was a significant delivery delay. I currently run a C220 CDI saloon 58 reg which I bought nearly new in June. This is my first Mercedes, and it is the first time in many years that I have enjoyed driving rather than just considering a car as a method of getting from A to B. I intended to keep this car for several years but I have decided that I made a mistake in buying the saloon rather than the estate.
I have used hatchbacks for many years and didn't realise how much I would miss the load carrying capacity. I have borrowed my wife's Astra hatch several times to carry stuff. Also my golf gear (with electric trolley) is a tight fit in the boot and if I want to take my golfing friend to a course I have to stack 2 bags on the back seat - not good.
I've rarely bought new in the past but this time I'm thinking of buying new as, assuming I keep it for some years, being retired it may be the last car I need!
1. First thought is how good are the blue-efficiency units? How did they manage to increase the power and also the consumption and CO2? Believing there's no such thing as a free lunch I wonder what compromises have been made.
2. About diesel engines. This was my first diesel. I bought a diesel for the torque and I am very impressed with its acceleration. However there seems to be a downside in vibrations from the unit - not usually significant but I've heard stories of other cars which have been criticised for this (e.g. a Telegraph review of the Honda Accord). What are the pros and cons of the 2.2 engine? I don't need the greater power of a larger engine (with its cost in terms of consumption and CO2) so the 2.2 seems a sweet spot for me unless there's another unit which is significantly smoother. Maybe the V6? But is it worth 6K (plus more fuel, road tax, insurance) for this? (I only do around 8-10,000 miles per year so extra running costs are not a show stopper.)
3. I have the built in Satnav in my current model but am intending not to have this in the new one. I like having a nice screen which folds away but there are limitations in use compared to the Tomtom I had used before - i.e. no full postcode, no local street names on the map, no way to label a destination with my own choice of name (e.g. "XXX golf club") - unless I have missed the option. On top of this it seems very expensive. Also if I get a tomtom I can update this in future when technology moves on, as it seems to do rapidly.
4. I have parktronic but this has become a nuisance as it beeps a lot for no reason. So not going in to the new car.
5. No 6 CD changer - there's blessed little room in the glove compartment. I don't mind feeding in the odd CD. I don't use it much anyway.
6. Elegance rather than Sport. This is what I have at present and I like the ride - don't want a harder ride. This was part of the reason for choosing a Merc rather than a BMW.
7. Leather seats. Worth the extra.
8. Standard or Bi-Xenon headlamps? Or the full Intelligent light system? I have no idea on this one. Comments gratefully received.
9. Standard aircon. How does the "luxury" version justify itself?
10. Heated front seats for winter for my old bones.
11. How to buy to get the best deal, including part exchange for my current car? I'm thinking of checking out 2 local dealerships (Portsmouth and Southampton). One reason to buy local is to establish a base for a good relationship for future service. What experiences have forum members had which would indicate whether this is worth something or whether it's irrelevant? What time of year will I get the best deal? I've heard some tales of great deals in the past year, but I think that was probably due to the recession.
12. Have I missed any isues, big or small, I should consider?
I look forward to any comments good or bad.