1986/7 230E Auto

[jdrrco]

Go for a Peugeot RCZ diesel as a company car and get yourself a Merc to play with at the weekends.

That's why I drive an Alfa 159 and a R107 and spend all day everyday with a on my face.

 

[c2raig]

Unfortunately, I'm not allowed anything with a waiting list behind it. Which leaves me with the following options:

Peugeot 407/407SW
Peugeot 308/308SW
Citroen C5/C5 Tourer
Citroen C4/C4 Picasso/C4 Grand Picasso

All of the smaller (and frankly, more rubbish) stuff is available barring the Citroen DS3.

See why I want a Merc now?

 

[219]

Go for a Peugeot RCZ diesel as a company car and get yourself a Merc to play with at the weekends.

That's why I drive an Alfa 159 and a R107 and spend all day everyday with a on my face.

I was photographing a golf tournament the other week where one of those was the prize for a hole in one - I thought it was a disgusting looking lump of plastic that I would be embarrassed to have parked outside my house ; I feel much the same about most new cars .

 

[c2raig]

I agree, the C2 was a means to an end, I needed something fairly respectable and cheap to insure when I came off the company car scheme (changed jobs).

It's served it's purpose and it'll now go to my brother. The Fiesta is my fiancee's, I just pay for it. Both are on finance and it's just too much hassle to cancel/rejig it to fit my needs, and the C2 isn't even half way yet.

 

[219]

Unfortunately, I'm not allowed anything with a waiting list behind it. Which leaves me with the following options:

Peugeot 407/407SW
Peugeot 308/308SW
Citroen C5/C5 Tourer
Citroen C4/C4 Picasso/C4 Grand Picasso

All of the smaller (and frankly, more rubbish) stuff is available barring the Citroen DS3.

See why I want a Merc now?

If I were forced to drive a French car , it would have to be either a Citroen DS or an SM - reliability out the window though .

Maybe a Facel Vega .

 

[Sp!ke]

I guess it all boils down to how much the OP is willing or able to do himself as the maintenance on a car of this vintage will be pretty high if he is to reliably achieve 36k PA.

If he's reasonable at spanner twirling and has the time and energy to maintain the car then it is doable but remember we're looking at a minimum of six services per year for this mileage.

A citroen C5 isnt my choice of car either but whatever car you drive is going to get trashed with this annual mileage and by opting out of the car scheme you're looking at an 8K annual fuel spend alone. Once you add the wear and tear, servicing, maintenance, spares, insurance etc we're probably looking at close on £15 grand.. or over 20k of gross earnings just to get to work.

I appreciate the C5 doesnt grab you but it's just a tool of your job.

Seriously, when you work it all out (for this annual mileage) the W124 is not the sensible option even for a die hard Mercedes enthusiast like myself.

 

[Ade B]

If you like fixing cars in your spare time, then go for it - I ran a 124 almost 50k miles in 3 years and it cost a fortune - Every few months there was a £££ bill, nothing major went wrong, it was just old and stuff wore out and needed replacing. And it drank petrol at an average of 21-24ppm.

Whilst I miss the walnut, design detail and solidity of the 124, I don't miss the constant listening for new noises, the poor lumbar support on the driver's seat and the gradual inevitable onset of rust.

I now drive a 'modern' diesel and wouldn't dream of replacing it with a 124 as a daily driver. They're good but not that good.

Ade

 

[c2raig]

I'm fairly handy with a spanner, yes, I've had classics before, my Montego only did 2,000 miles in six months, and required work often. I love the idea of driving a classic daily.

The mileage, will, hopefully, settle itself down to nearer 2,000 per month in the new year, so it doesn't worry me too much.

Also, if I take a second car, it will give me further flexibility with travel, when I'm in the UK, my office isn't far from my home. I would consider handing the C2 to my brother on the condition that I need to use it when I am in the UK. This would mean I could fly rather than drive, my French flat is close to Charles De Gualle airport. To do this at the moment, hire cars are far too expensive, £100+ a day for a Corsa/Astra because of my age/license restrictions.

I don't mind paying for a bit more style/comfort/head turning than a bland Eurobox, I really don't. You also must remember that the company cars being offered are all in fleet specification, which means they have no standard equipment and none of them have automatic gearboxes as an option available to me.

 

[219]

When I was running my 300 the length and breadth of the UK , with the company paying for petrol , it really did not need much beyond oil , brakes and tyres .

I agree that garages tend to rip you off for basic stuff like oil changes etc ; I did it all myself for buttons , even today an oil change for the 500 will cost me something like £30 to do myself with 8L of GTX plus a genuine filter element from the dealer . As far as wear and tear is concerned an older Merc will eat these mileages and be ready to do it all again .

 

[c2raig]

I really abhore the idea of having to drive round in the most basic of new French garbage. I have no objections to putting some of my personal income into having an older car, the finances aren't really a problem, just suitability.

My current two:

 

[Ade B]

When I was running my 300 the length and breadth of the UK , with the company paying for petrol , it really did not need much beyond oil , brakes and tyres .

Was it 24 years old at the time?

 

[219]

It would have been about 12 - 15 years old at the time with mileage going from 150K to just under 200K . I'd had it since 5 years old with 48K when I bought it . My previous W114 and W123 cars were treated similarly as have subsequent ones been .

 

[Seamster15]

Is a 24 year old 124 230 really comfortable enough for 36k per year? Of course i'm not saying that the 124 is not a nice place to be in, but the 230 in a 124 is not the quickest of cruisers.

I suppose the question really is;

What problem arises if you cannot meet your work commitments due to a self funded car for high company mileage?

good luck.

 

[c2raig]

Speed isn't what I'm in it for, comfort and, dare I say it, a bit of style. It depends what your idea of comfort is really. Bear in mind, I drive a 1.1i C2 at present.

And something that isn't worth too much money.

If something does go badly wrong with it, I can always borrow a pool car on a short term basis, it's not a massive problem.

 

[219]

I'd imagine Craig could easily sell the car and get his £400 back ; he still has his Eurobox at present .

I did that mileage in my 300TE for almost 2 years , it did have electric drivers seat which was a nice extra . The 230 is slower than a 300 but the Merc four cylinder cars were surprisingly refined ( even a 190E ) and did not give much away to the sixes in that department . Certainly far more refined than any Diesel either then or now .

 

[Seamster15]

I've had both a 230ce and a 190e, however have always also run "eurobox" as well.
When I was covering a mere 18k in the UK as part of my job I had the option to take either the Merc or the 406 hdi.... Always took the Pug. I was just too much of a gamble to be 150 miles from home in the dark and rain with a dead car.

Understand you predicament, I hate the pug and would drop it in a second for Merc, but I guess I must have been tight at the time because the lure of 50mpg was too much....

I used the profit from the mile allowance to keep the merc running.....

 

[c2raig]

Add to this that most of my mileage is fairly low stress - 75mph in top.

After being convicted, I haven't been going mad at all. The way I look at it - the French are not scared of using old cars daily, nor should I be.

 

[Seamster15]

Might be time to take a slightly different approach....

Think safety.

36k per year in a 24 year old car. Air bags? traction control? Possible abs? crumple zones?

The point that i'm getting at is that 36k is a lot of miles per year. You need to drive the safest car possible to decrease your risk.

Just a thought.

 

[Ade B]

Just make sure you have a good poke about then as it looks like you've made up your mind - at £400, the petrol costs will soon outstrip all else.

At 24 years old, many of the rubbery bits may be on their last legs.

I really enjoyed my CE and the fact that I was keeping an old car running as a daily driver - then I bought a newer car.. Its a bit like pretending motorcycles are comfortable for long journeys

Ade
(must change that avatar...)

 

[c2raig]

Herein lies my problem:

Call me tight.

I don't want to spend alot of cash (purchase price) on something that's going to get hammered with miles...

So anything with safety features you mention is either going to be something like the Citroen I already have (which has 4 airbags, brake assist, etc etc), or too much initial outlay for me.

The guy who works opposite me in France does similar mileage to me, in a 20 year old Peugeot 405 Estate. It's not outside the norm over here, which has opened my eyes, and mind somewhat to an older car.