- Joined
- Mar 12, 2006
- Messages
- 2,608
- Car
- Mini Cooper S, BMW M140i
Greetings, Citizens.
We have been thinking about upgrading Mrs. Gaz's ancient Fiat Panda to something a) more modern and b) with a bit more poke. She is a difficult customer in terms of cars but has mentioned that she didn't think the A class looked too bad.
I've been casting an eye over the Trader recently, and although the sort of spec I'd want to buy is rare, they do exist and as I know from experience it's just a case of waiting for the right one to come up. It took 18 months to find the right C43..
Anyway, I thought there's no point in kicking off the search in earnest until she has at least had a sit in one and see if she likes it on not. She does have issues with driving sometimes as she is on the short side (just under 5 foot) and reaching the pedals comfortably can be a problem.
So, today we found ourselves around the corner from the local MB main dealer and I suggested that we go and have a look at an A class and see if it's a possibility or not. The first one she tried in the showroom wasn't good as she couldn't press the throttle all the way down - not that she's a speed queen but you do need to be able to hit full throttle if needs be. This was a Classic which only had height adjustment on the driver's seat, the salesman said we should try an Elegance or Avantgarde which had multi-way seat adjustment.
So, we go and look at a second hand, sorry "approved used"
one that they had on the forecourt and lo and behold this is much better. Mrs G can get comfortable and is able to press all the pedals as necessary. This car had a handwheel in front of the height adjuster enabling the seat squab tilt to be adjusted.
We also got the sales spiel at no extra charge and TBH, it's a very well-packaged bit of kit. Huge load space with the seats folded, lots of room in the back with the seats up and even reasonable boot space too. A practical little car.
So (and I am getting to the point here - thanks for bearing with me for so long!) the only sticking point seems to be buying one with the adjustable seat so that SWMBO can drive it comfortably and therefore safely. I had assumed from the salesman's spiel that the multi-adjustment seat was standard on the Elegance and Avantgarde, but having looked at a few Trader adverts in detail and checking out the options list on the Parkers guide, it doesn't appear to be the case. I think what we need to look for is the "multi-contour" drivers' seat, which was a £170 option when new and doesn't appear to have had a big uptake.
MB club forumers, I would welcome the benefit of your knowledge. What do I need to look for?
Cheers,
Gaz
(PS does any one have a mint, low mileage A200CDI Avantgarde in Dune Gold with Orient Beige leather, parktronic and COMAND for sale? You never know
)
We have been thinking about upgrading Mrs. Gaz's ancient Fiat Panda to something a) more modern and b) with a bit more poke. She is a difficult customer in terms of cars but has mentioned that she didn't think the A class looked too bad.
I've been casting an eye over the Trader recently, and although the sort of spec I'd want to buy is rare, they do exist and as I know from experience it's just a case of waiting for the right one to come up. It took 18 months to find the right C43..
Anyway, I thought there's no point in kicking off the search in earnest until she has at least had a sit in one and see if she likes it on not. She does have issues with driving sometimes as she is on the short side (just under 5 foot) and reaching the pedals comfortably can be a problem.
So, today we found ourselves around the corner from the local MB main dealer and I suggested that we go and have a look at an A class and see if it's a possibility or not. The first one she tried in the showroom wasn't good as she couldn't press the throttle all the way down - not that she's a speed queen but you do need to be able to hit full throttle if needs be. This was a Classic which only had height adjustment on the driver's seat, the salesman said we should try an Elegance or Avantgarde which had multi-way seat adjustment.
So, we go and look at a second hand, sorry "approved used"
one that they had on the forecourt and lo and behold this is much better. Mrs G can get comfortable and is able to press all the pedals as necessary. This car had a handwheel in front of the height adjuster enabling the seat squab tilt to be adjusted.We also got the sales spiel at no extra charge and TBH, it's a very well-packaged bit of kit. Huge load space with the seats folded, lots of room in the back with the seats up and even reasonable boot space too. A practical little car.
So (and I am getting to the point here - thanks for bearing with me for so long!) the only sticking point seems to be buying one with the adjustable seat so that SWMBO can drive it comfortably and therefore safely. I had assumed from the salesman's spiel that the multi-adjustment seat was standard on the Elegance and Avantgarde, but having looked at a few Trader adverts in detail and checking out the options list on the Parkers guide, it doesn't appear to be the case. I think what we need to look for is the "multi-contour" drivers' seat, which was a £170 option when new and doesn't appear to have had a big uptake.
MB club forumers, I would welcome the benefit of your knowledge. What do I need to look for?
Cheers,
Gaz
(PS does any one have a mint, low mileage A200CDI Avantgarde in Dune Gold with Orient Beige leather, parktronic and COMAND for sale? You never know
)
