Need a new car for the Mrs (poss A150?) - seeking advice

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tommerc49

Active Member
Joined
Jan 26, 2017
Messages
62
Location
Peterborough
Car
B200 CDI Sport (W245) / A200 Turbo Manual (W169)
Afternoon,

My Mrs has a 2 year old Toyota Aygo - it's a great car but she's paying well over the odds for it (it's leased through the NHS) so she's now looking for a new (used) car. Whilst the Aygo has been great, she wants something slightly bigger. I've shown her several makes and models and she's really keen on the Mercedes A class (the mini people carrier type thing), and as such I have some questions that some of you more knowledgeable ladies/gents can hopefully answer for me...

Forgive me as whilst I'm a bit of a petrolhead myself, I'm not too knowledgeable on the various Mercedes models. From shopping around eBay/ Pistonheads etc however, it seems there are a few different models.. A150, A170, A180?

Perhaps I'm wrong but I'm led to believe those numbers refer to the engine size? The engine size isn't the main selling point for her (if it has an engine she'll happy :bannana:)... it's the shape of the car that she particularly likes, and the thought of the 'extras' that some of them seem to boast.

Firstly I think the most important thing is cheap tax - so would love to hear your thoughts on which model we should be looking at (2.0 Diesel/ 1.5 petrol/ other)?

Secondly, from my shopping around I've noticed that they come with various specs and I can't find any consistency with the 'toys' that come bundled with those specs, so I'm guessing they are 'extras', added on when new.

In an ideal world I can find her a 2005 plate onwards, 3 door, with half leather interior, Manual box (a must because I'll be driving it too and hate autos!), climate(?), air con(?), trip computer, cruise control(?), electric heated mirrors, leccy windows, front fog lights, xenon headlights (important!), and a sound system with bluetooth connectivity or at least a USB port (quite important as she likes to play music from her phone and use the handsfree), alloy wheels.
Regarding the bluetooth connectivity I'm not sure I've seen one of the earlier models with this so perhaps it's just the newer ones (2007 onwards I believe?).

I know I'm probably asking for a lot with all of the above but I'd really appreciate some honest opinions on which model/spec would fulfil our requirements?

Lastly - we don't have a specific budget set in stone but from what I've seen so far I'm thinking perhaps £2500-£3800 should find her a half decent low-ish mileage one (under 75k). Realistic? Foolish?

I'd really appreciate any help you can give me :dk:
 

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First thing first - it'll help you a lot if you know the Mercedes designation for this model - W169.

Almost all searches and descriptions will include that, and you could, perhaps find more results that way.

Technically, the model you're after (the 3-door) is a C169 (C for coupe), but practically nobody uses that (apart from Daimler AG on their official build list), so "W169 3-door" is your search term.

Rather than limit yourself to bi-xenon headlights (not the most common option, I have to say), look for projector headlights - unlike the standard ones, these are brighter, much better looking, and were one of the included options on the Avantgarde line models.

The W169 is one of the last lines, where the model number had at least some correlation to the engine size, before it went completely into fantasy land territory ... so yes, particularly for the petrol engine models A150 / A170 / A200 would have 1498 / 1699 / 2035 cc engines. All diesel ones - A160CDI, A180CDI and A200CDI are the same engine - 1992 cc.

Beware, the tax will be higher for the same model with Sports suspension and 18" AMG wheels.

All model lines had electrically adjustable and heated side mirrors as standard, but hardly anyone specified folding mirrors, so be aware they will not fold manually.

All models had electric front windows, which for 3-door pretty much all you can get :cool:

Apart from Classic, all other lines, i.e. Classic SE; Elegance SE; Avantgarde SE and A200 Turbo (listed as a separate trim line), had fog lights as standard, so again - you're pretty much covered here.

Same goes for the air conditioning - only Classic might have a simple heater - all other would at least come with a/c (two zone climate control with digital display was optional).

Speedtronic Cruise Control for manual transmission was optional on all lines, and standard on all auto (CVT) boxes.

All lines had ASSIST PLUS service indicator and trip computer as standard, as well as immobiliser; anti-lock brakes (ABS); brake assist (BAS); electronic stability programme (ESP) with acceleration skid control (ASR) - all standard on all W169s.

Now, the head unit - for up to 2008 or thereabouts, it will be NTG2 - either Audio20 or COMAND (single DIN Audio5 on Classic), and if you want bluetooth fully integrated functions, you'd have to upgrade the HU to the next generation NTG2.5 - Audio 20 with colour screen and bluetooth or COMAND. It is not cheap though, and still rather dated anyway.

I actually added an AUX input to my NTG2 Audio20 and a bluetooth adapter, though I hardly ever use it - the 6xCDC plays MP3 and that's enough for me; but I can certainly connect my iPhone6, either via 3.5mm jack or bluetooth, if I want to - no instrument cluster integration though, but I can still click to the next or previous track, and control the volume on the steering wheel.

I think the above covers most of your your questions, but if I missed something - let me know :thumb:

It is now possible to look up a full VIN from a car reg (when it works), so a complete list of factory options (aka Datacard) can be checked.

There are some nice ones - extra speakers and upgraded sound system with subwoofer, for example...
 
Hi,
My O/H has a 57 plate A150 Elegance 4 door, that she bought 2 years ago with 55,000 miles on the clock which is now up to 78,000 miles.
At the time it was a choice between a Ford Focus and the A150. The A150 won because, it is a nice place to be inside the cabin with the Elegance trim and you are sitting up a little higher than you would be in a "normal " car.
It is a nippy wee thing, fuel economy seems reasonable and she has remarked it is very comfortable on a long drive.
In the 2 years she has had it, there have been no major repairs, a set of tyres and some brakes and a service at MOT time.
Personally I do not like driving it, it is a bit small for an over large person, but seems an ideal ladies car, and comparing it to my 211 Estate is not fair.
Lofty's Homepage makes some good reading.
Albert Rowe, Lofty's homepage, Index 'Mercedxes Benz 'A' Class w168,
I am sure your wife would enjoy an A series.

Steve
 
I just want to take a few minutes to say thanks very much for all the helpful advice you provided - it really helped when looking for a new car.
In fact it helped that much that it actually put us off buying an A-Class.
We went to see a couple, and actually found a very nice one with low miles, a few optional extras and full dealer history...
But in the end we decided to spend a bit more money and buy something bigger (and we think, much better).
We went for the Mercedes B-Class (B200 140BHP CDI) - which means the Mrs got the bigger 'car' that she wanted, and at the same time I got something that brings a smile to my face each time I drive it. Admittedly it's a new experience to me because I've never owned a Diesel before but so far I'm liking it.
Fuel economy doesn't seem much different from that of the Aygo.
Tax is pretty reasonable at £145/year, insurance is more than acceptable, and I've also had a brief look at remaps and the gains seem quite attractive for the prices I've seen advertised.. so this is something I can perhaps look at in the future.

Few specs of the car, just in case anyone's wondering:
- Silver
- 59 plate
- AMG 18" 5-spoke alloys
- 49k miles
- full dealer history (serviced every year without fail, even when only doing 3k miles one year)
- 2 previous owners
- spotless inside and out (except for the alloys which are kerbed - but will be getting a refurb once the Mrs has learnt how to drive it).
- Hill Start assist
- Electric/ adjustable door mirrors
- Tinted rear screen (which is new to me as only appears 'blue' at night'
- Dimming rear-view mirror
- Interior light pack (apparently. All I know is there are more than enough lights!)
- Bluetooth (phone only but apparently can get a cable to play music from the iPhone)
- CD Player/ Radio
- Auto lights
- Auto wipers
- Front fogs
- Half leather interior (seems a bit different from the normal half leathers though - apparently it was an optional upgrade)
- Projector-style headlamps, which we're more than happy with

In fact the only two things that I'm a bit gutted about is the advert said there was cruise control and traction control - but there's no stalk for the cruise and I cannot find a button to turn traction on/off. Overall we're thrilled at the amount of car we got for the money however, so again.. thanks for all the advice you all gave as it helped us reach a decision.

I'll look forward to using the forum more often in future.

Tom
 

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Congrats. Looks like a nice car. Wish Mrs a lot of happy miles and for you a lot of smiles driving it.
 
In fact the only two things that I'm a bit gutted about is the advert said there was cruise control and traction control - but there's no stalk for the cruise and I cannot find a button to turn traction on/off.

As it's a top of the line model, it's most likely would have been pre-wired for cruise control - a few members, if I remember correctly, retrofitted it to their manual 169/245 cars, so the information should be available.

Nice car, by the way! :thumb:
 
As it's a top of the line model, it's most likely would have been pre-wired for cruise control - a few members, if I remember correctly, retrofitted it to their manual 169/245 cars, so the information should be available.

Nice car, by the way! :thumb:

Thanks GLK. I think I may look into that because cruise would be great for the odd long-distance trips we do
 

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