I do believe my Merc C350 is expecting..!

[Mercy1]

Well, we thought we could make do with just one car - but it's not working out, as my pride and joy is getting too much of a battering with day-to-day workhorse usage.
So thoughts are turning to the patter of tiny wheels - and as a Merc man first thoughts turn to the A series.
No idea what it's like - some reviews seem good but others are truly horrendous. Anyone out there help me with opinions??
I'm setting a budget of about £12,000 so that should get me a nearly new model with less than 10,000 miles on the clock. It'll definitely be a second car to the C350 so it will only be used for the daily dog walking trip (about six miles) and other routine stuff. That should ease the wear and tear on the C350. But it will go on the airport trips three or four times a year so I that I don't need to worry about the valet parkers!
If not the A series, any other good suggestions/bargains for this type of need. Only "musts" are that it must be hatchback/estate and must be automatic.
Thanks...

 

[Dr-Nab]

B-Class?

 

[Pappilo]

Well, we thought we could make do with just one car - but it's not working out, as my pride and joy is getting too much of a battering with day-to-day workhorse usage.
So thoughts are turning to the patter of tiny wheels - and as a Merc man first thoughts turn to the A series.
No idea what it's like - some reviews seem good but others are truly horrendous. Anyone out there help me with opinions??
I'm setting a budget of about £12,000 so that should get me a nearly new model with less than 10,000 miles on the clock. It'll definitely be a second car to the C350 so it will only be used for the daily dog walking trip (about six miles) and other routine stuff. That should ease the wear and tear on the C350. But it will go on the airport trips three or four times a year so I that I don't need to worry about the valet parkers!
If not the A series, any other good suggestions/bargains for this type of need. Only "musts" are that it must be hatchback/estate and must be automatic.
Thanks...

Smart man. I also use my other car (Pug 307) for airport trips when I,ll be leaving the car with them.

 

[bostonmj]

Well, we thought we could make do with just one car - but it's not working out, as my pride and joy is getting too much of a battering with day-to-day workhorse usage.
So thoughts are turning to the patter of tiny wheels - and as a Merc man first thoughts turn to the A series.
No idea what it's like - some reviews seem good but others are truly horrendous. Anyone out there help me with opinions??
I'm setting a budget of about £12,000 so that should get me a nearly new model with less than 10,000 miles on the clock. It'll definitely be a second car to the C350 so it will only be used for the daily dog walking trip (about six miles) and other routine stuff. That should ease the wear and tear on the C350. But it will go on the airport trips three or four times a year so I that I don't need to worry about the valet parkers!
If not the A series, any other good suggestions/bargains for this type of need. Only "musts" are that it must be hatchback/estate and must be automatic.
Thanks...

My wife had an A Class and moaned about it after two weeks - she wanted something sporty so got the Avantgarde and the ride was far too harsh for her. Now she's driving a CLK!

 

[Sparky 371]

toyota prius??


ok i get me coat

 

[Dieselman]

I don't get this driving a second car to stop wear on the first one. It will be much cheaper to just drive the better car all the time.

 

[st4]

I don't get this driving a second car to stop wear on the first one. It will be much cheaper to just drive the better car all the time.

neither do I. Without being unkind to the OP, perhaps if they bought a cheaper car in the first place. (like a used c220cdi) they would not feel so precious about this one. Its why one should never buy too valuable a car relative to their income.

Of course, for the airport trip, rather than drop £12k on another car, they could take a taxi and leave their own car at home, or with their £12k saving, drive their C350cdi to an airport car park and just dump it in the long stay section and pay the extra £50 or so for it not to be valet parked.

The cheapest thing is to enjoy the C350cdi, and not to preserve it for its next owner, who'll reap all the enjoyment of your car. Actually, sod that, buy the A class and keep your C class nice for me, I'd be quite happy in a C350cdi.

 

[gIzzE]

If you just fancy a new car then fair enough, but to stop yours getting 'used daily' doesn't make sense.
Get something like a £9k E Class estate for the dog walking, holidays etc.
Get something smaller and you want want to use it imho.
I bought an new Toyota Aygo the day I got 3 more points, taking me to 9 points, as I decided I would only tootle about in that, and it would be a cheap car for all the short runs round town, had it a year next month, done 2000 miles in it and I have done 42,000 miles in the E320cdi in the same. Would have been far better to have bought another 1 series, or something that you really wanted to take out, with you having the C350cdi I reckon if you bought a big wafty E Class estate you would love it and really use it as intended.

Seriously, if you walk out onto the drive and look at a nice C350cdi and say an A180cdi on a cold and wet morning which one do you really think is going to win your choice??

Just my thoughts.

 

[NewMB]

My wife drove a A180 Cdi AG auto for 2 years and liked it.

Personally I think it was noisy, too hard suspension on the AG, sluggish and the diesel was like a tractor. Reasonable good on fuel. BUT, a rental A170 (petrol) in Germany changed my opinion completely! What a difference. This particular one was a Elegance, automatic and was superb, comfortable, smooth and very quiet.

Another thing I did like with the A class is how much you can load it up with, once the seats are folded. Truly amazing actually.

A testdrive in the A200 Cdi also showed that the few extra ponnies made a nice difference, although the engine was still a noisy diesel. Especially on a cold start.

B-class uses the same diesels btw.

 

[The Boss]

c class estate

 

[A210AMG]

For 12K you would get a nice B class.

More room inside than your C (in the boot)

Great car, wife has a 2.0Cdi auto one and its great.

 

[Mercy1]

Thanks all for your input and sensible reasoning. Should have known that the direction I chose in the thread would not stand up to your forensic scrutiny!
OK, in terms of £s shillings and pence, buying a second car for the reasons I outlined would not stack up, but of course there is more to it than that - many other bendfits in getting back to a two car set-up.
So where does this leave my argument. Truth is I wouldn't buy a second car JUST to ease wear on the first. However, there is wear and there is wear. The wear I experience these days means two frequently muddy border collies in the boot, us wearing walking coats and equally muddy boots, and frequenting daily sludgy forestry commission car parks! Oh the joys of early retirement!
My C350 has lovely Alpaca Grey leather (just about see it if you look closely at my pic on left!) and yes I do like to keep it looking good - for me, not the next purchaser (sorry ***, you'll have to look elsewhere:bannana.
Don't tell me I should have bought a Defender in the first place. You would probably be right, but I enjoy my C350 in so many other respects...
But to steer this back to the main reason for posting, I am trying to ascertain first hand experiences of the A class, as I know little about them. Another C or a B would be more than I need - might even go to a Fiesta or Corsa...and I would be interested in any other recommendations...
Thanks

 

[st4]

A VW Golf would fit the bill. Nicer than the A class by a long shot.

If going for a supermini a Skoda Fabia, on a family holiday my old man + ma and me had one and we got 3 suit cases in it.

Excellent cars.

I'd go with that, as you want not too good a car otherwise you won't use the c class and the fabia still nice but not nice enough to force you out of the C class.