What age/generation are you looking at?
The first genereration W168 gets a bit of a kicking, but I think if you buy knowing the issues to look for then they are very good value right now, especially compared to their nearest competitor the Audi A2.
The manual 1.7 diesel or 2.1 Petrol would be my pick of the bunch.
http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/mercedes-benz/a-class-1998/?section=bad
The first genereration W168 gets a bit of a kicking, but I think if you buy knowing the issues to look for then they are very good value right now, especially compared to their nearest competitor the Audi A2.
The manual 1.7 diesel or 2.1 Petrol would be my pick of the bunch.
http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/mercedes-benz/a-class-1998/?section=bad
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^ As above
They get a bit of bad press and people tend to have ago. Like most cars though I'm not sure how much of this is from actual owners or workd of mouth from people knowing people that know someone with a problem.....
We have owned a faclifted W168 for over 3 years and bought it when my wife was expecting as it was different to any eurobox at the time (the A2 was also on our list but smaller...for the pram).
Over 3 years its been great, does 40mpg, looks good, loads of room, pretty cheap to run. So much so My brother bought his wife a A170Cdi as they liked ours. His does over 50mpg. I would say go for manuals (odd with a merc I know but they suit it and the autos do tend to have issues).
* both ours are LWB versions and loads of leg room in the back, the rear seat also moves slightly to give you a larger boot.
They get a bit of bad press and people tend to have ago. Like most cars though I'm not sure how much of this is from actual owners or workd of mouth from people knowing people that know someone with a problem.....
We have owned a faclifted W168 for over 3 years and bought it when my wife was expecting as it was different to any eurobox at the time (the A2 was also on our list but smaller...for the pram).
Over 3 years its been great, does 40mpg, looks good, loads of room, pretty cheap to run. So much so My brother bought his wife a A170Cdi as they liked ours. His does over 50mpg. I would say go for manuals (odd with a merc I know but they suit it and the autos do tend to have issues).
* both ours are LWB versions and loads of leg room in the back, the rear seat also moves slightly to give you a larger boot.
thebook
Active Member
My wife had a 54 plate A160 lwb auto. When it worked it was excellent. Unfortunately we had a series of expensive issues culminating in the need for a new starter motor (which in these is incredibly expensive to install).
We have now moved her to a Civic as I couldn't face any more repair bills. Real shame as the room inside could only be beaten by Dr Who's Tardis...
We have now moved her to a Civic as I couldn't face any more repair bills. Real shame as the room inside could only be beaten by Dr Who's Tardis...
J400uk
Active Member
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2009
- Messages
- 136
The post-2005 W169 models are the best to go for if you can afford it. I've heard lots of bad stories about the previous shape W168.
blondebier
Active Member
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2008
- Messages
- 605
Well said.
We've got an A160cdi - It's a great little car. My wife loves it.
£35 a year to tax and does over 60Mpg.
I don't think motoring could be any cheaper.
My wife has had a A150 petrol from new for close to 2 years and loves it. I have an S Class worth four times as much as the "A", but am happy to use her car around town. Great visibility, superb quality, practical, easy to park, economical. Love it. No problems at all so far.
kurtdaley
Active Member
I ran a A180cdi manual for 2 years, absolutely loved it, no problems with it whatsoever, if yoy can afford the diesel go for it.
We (my wife and I) ran an 07 A180CDI Elegance Auto for 2 years with no reliability issues, but then it only had 4k miles when we bought it. Space, economy, comfort, noise levels, ease of use were all excellent. Only problem we found was with the suspension, which was incredibly easy to ground over speed bumps and the like (too soft). I drove a later Classic as a courtesy car and it was much more controlled.
