Car for the wife - C class coupe ??

[MJH]

I need to get the wife a new car to replace her trusty 1.6 petrol citroen picasso which she's had since new in 2002 ! While utterly reliable for the last 110 thousand miles is getting a bit past it's best and she's bored to tears with it.

She's been looking around but has taken a liking to the german brands i.e. Beemer 3 Series or C class coupe's. We've not got a massive budget without getting into finance, which I don't want to do in the current climate of uncertainty with her job. So looking at something around 4K. I've seen a few around that would do the job on 54 and 55 plates but as with most cars nowadays the mileages can be a bit highso we'd be paying out cash to get something a few years younger but with only marginally less miles.

The question is what to look out for on the C's and also given the relative cheapness of the petrol engined model vs the diesel, what sort of mileage are they good for ?

Thanks in advance, Mike

 

[Palfrem]

Sorry, just read the thread title and thought you wanted a swap

 

[A210AMG]

How about an SLK or do you need more seats?

 

[mika]

Sorry, just read the thread title and thought you wanted a swap

Im not parting with my old girl or the w124

 

[MJH]

Sorry, just read the thread title and thought you wanted a swap

So I get rid of one bottomless pit and replace it with something slightly cheaper to run

 

[MJH]

How about an SLK or do you need more seats?

Two teenagers put pay to that idea So need 4 seats as she won't drive the E... too big to park apparently

 

[LTD]

Dare I mention it, a VW Golf fits the bill.

 

[mika]

ford fiesta
just got my son one, mark v facelift (06) for around that budget
hes had it a month and it still works

 

[MJH]

The question is what to look out for on the C's and also given the relative cheapness of the petrol engined model vs the diesel, what sort of mileage are they good for ?

Anyone with a C class coupe going to comment I'm genuinely interested in getting some real life feedback on what they're like ?

 

[jonnyMercUK]

Sorry I only just read this...

I have a C Class Coupe 220 CDI. Really really nice car, my first brand new one so it's going to be special but aside of that I love it.

The fuel economy is great and even though mine is a smaller engine of the diesels, its still got some excitement about it when needed.

Any other questions just ask!

 

[MJH]

Sorry I only just read this...

I have a C Class Coupe 220 CDI. Really really nice car, my first brand new one so it's going to be special but aside of that I love it.

The fuel economy is great and even though mine is a smaller engine of the diesels, its still got some excitement about it when needed.

Any other questions just ask!

If only we could afford a new shape like yours unfortunately I'm looking at old shape money as it's a second car so around the 03 to 55 reg mark models.

Cheers, Mike

 

[jonnyMercUK]

Ah ok, my friend does have one of those although its an 08 plate, he is very happy with it!

 

[Chrishazle]

Our first ever MB was a 2001 C270Cdi - estate. Wife absolutely loved it (and agreed with your wife that the E is too big, especially for supermarket etc car parks). Brilliant when shopping - just open the back and throw everything in. 45mpg helps too! Beware the known probs of the early ones - Valeo radiator, rust (body not galvanised until about Q2 2003 apparently, then nano paint brought in about 2nd Q 2004), thermostats (engine does not get above 60C) and MAF (engine won't rev above 3k, no kickdown). Other than that, fabulous car, had intended to keep it for quite a while longer but saw an irresistable deal on an S204 just over a month ago.

Be aware that W/S203's, especially autos, are useless in snow unless you put winter tyres on - then they're OK.

 

[grober]

Dare I say a nice late E46 3 series Coupe or a later W209 CLK = better built/finished car than the W203 coupe would fit the bill. You are more likely to find an "unmolested" CLK but there are still some clean well cared for E46 coupe's around.

 

[wemorgan]

My sister had a 2004 c-coupe for a short while. She's 5'5 and found the seating position very poor. The seat needed to be very close to the steering wheel for her to reach the pedals - this then put her head also close to the headlining trim. The steering was also rather heavy for her.

So all I'm saying of course is, give the car a decent length test drive before you buy.

 

[Aoraki]

Mrs A has an 08 200cdi. Fuel economy around town is rubbish. Also seems under powered to me. She's a district nurse doing 10~12 jobs a day so plenty of stop starts, averaging 22~24 mgp. Seat positioning shouldn't be a problem if it's in the lower setting, steering seems really heavy to me but I'm comparing it to mine which is light. Rear view is very poor and parking sensors are a must.
I must admit that I don't like it but Mrs A loves it, as stated above a long test drive is required.

 

[Tan]

What about an A-class or B-Class? Getting into the rear of a C-coupe could be a bit of a pain.

 

[MJH]

What about an A-class or B-Class? Getting into the rear of a C-coupe could be a bit of a pain.

B class would be an option but the A is too small. I've not seen any B's at the right price though.


The C coupe seems to be cheap and plentiful for some reason, especially the petrols hence why I keep coming back to them at the top of the list, mrs H isn't so keen on the saloons and defo won't do the estate thing. Not ruled out E46 318 ci's and 320d's as they are in the right ballpark but the CLK looks a bit too big... like an E with less doors

I need to have a traul through the autotrader , I think I've looked at every car on Ebay over the last week

 

[Tan]

My Brother had a C320 Sports coupe and it was a very nice car, the big engined ones seam even better value and often come with the some nice options. My brothers had Panoramic roof, HK Sound, Command, leather etc.

Another one to consider may be an earlier A-class lwb, they have loads of space inside, in fact our A140 LWB has more rear legroom than our W140 S-class has, plus its 5 seats as opposed to the C-coupe's 4.

 

[MJH]

Bought a C180K SE tonight A little bit high on the miles at 90K but she's clean and tidy with a full history, 12mths ticket and a bit of tax left so at just a smidge over 3.5K it's near enough for Mrs H

So, anyone want to buy a cheap Picasso, makes a great van and cheap as chips to run