Ordered a Merc, I hope I have made the right decisions

[Bonecho]

I have always owned run of the mill cars, my last two being Mondeo's but now I have ordered a C200 sport petrol automatic.

Decision 1/ I always pay cash and ideally keep cars for around 5 years but Mercedies are doing an offer if the car was bought with finance. I went via a broker but the dealer salesman I was put in touch with wanted me to buy the car through a PCP while I wanted an HP loan of £3000 borrowed over 2 years to minimize the interest payments. He put up a fight so lost the sale.

Another broker put me in touch with the same dealer but a different salesman and the deal was done with no problems until the first salesman found out what had happened but it was tough on him.

Decision 2/ Colour to be tenorite grey with crystal grey upholstery and the upgraded stereo.

The Worries

Will the running costs keep me poor, as I have read that main dealer service rates are eye watering and the car is much more expensive to service than my Mondeo? I read that I can do a service plan for £30 per month but I was wondering would it be cheaper to just pay for the first A service and then start paying £30 per month so I get two B services and one A service for my monthly payment?

Should I have got the car on a 3 year PCP and then handed it back and maybe bought a second one? My intention is to keep this one 6 years to reduce the average depreciation per year in the hope that one car over 6 years with added maintenance costs is cheaper than 2 cars under warranty over the same period. As for annual mileage it should be around 6,000 per year so the car at 6 years should have done around 36,000 miles.

Should I take out an extended warranty or with that sort of mileage should I take a chance bearing in mind the car will be kept for 6 years.

Finally I have gone for the crystal grey upholstery except just the seats and upper door cards will be this colour while the rest of the interior will be black. I would have preferred if most of the interior was the same colour like the beige option so I am wondering will the interior look odd?

So why did I not go for the standard black? I didn't fancy getting burned on a hot sunny summers when the car has been left in the sun all day.

Anyway a little about me. I am 58 and have retired , got a wife and a couple of grown up kids that live at home plus a small dog. No doubt I will be coming to this forum many times over the next 6 years so I look forward to ever ones opinion.

 

[Merc Owner 2B]

Hi There

Welcome to the forum.

Firstly Mondeos are far from run of the mill (Just my defence of the fact I've driven Fords all my life!)

PCPs are a good way of owning as the dealer often contributes to the deposit (as they make a commission from the finance)

I would definitely go for the maintenance plan for the first three years (they always work out cheaper. That's how they're designed) and then go independent after the warranty has run out.

The cars aren't expensive to service. Well no more than any other!

I can't comment on the colours as I'm not that familiar with the C class although I do know it's an excellent car.

Paul

Enjoy and welcome to the forum !!

 

[MancMike]

You'll certainly find it a major step up in quality from the blue oval.

Enjoy and welcome.

 

[Bonecho]

Firstly Mondeos are far from run of the mill (Just my defence of the fact I've driven Fords all my life!)PCPs are a good way of owning as the dealer often contributes to the deposit (as they make a commission from the finance)

The manufactures discount was the same whether I went for a PCP or a HP loan but not by paying cash. The total discounts came to 17.5% which clinched it for me. As for the Mondeo's they were both great cars so I am hoping that after a couple of lemons in the form of a Citroen C5 and a Chrysler Neon it is third time lucky.

 

[Giantvanman]

Another option would be to pay the finance off within the fourteen day cooling off period with no penalty…there are a couple of recent threads about doing exactly that.

I much prefer manufacturer's warranties to third party ones so would always extend warranty BUT would not immediately go for a service plan without doing some careful sums. The benefit of the extended warranty is it is as if the car were new BUT there is no need to rush to buy it; as long as you are in the MB system, you can buy the extended warranty yearly once the original expires/is due to expire…obviously, compare the cost doing it that way with buying one in advance.

When thinking about warranty, many things that go wrong are age related and not necessarily mileage related, if that makes sense. Or just plain bad luck, of course.

And welcome to the forum.

 

[automaniaman]

Welcome to the forum, I'm sure your choice will turn out to be a good one.

 

[Bonecho]

I had a quick look at the manufacturers extended warranty but it is not really their warranty as it is insurance based. Also even though I don't think it would affect me due to my low mileage I believe they have a get out clause for most claims as they do not cover for wear and tear so when is a fault not wear and tear? Some warranty companies include wear and tear so I am inclined to go with them.

 

[ExW205and204]

I have recieved collected a new C200 Petrol Automatic and am really enjoying it.

What trim did you go for.

I also went for the finance to get the discount, it was the same deal when I purchased my last C-Class. Last time I cleared the balance after a few months.
I plan to do the same this time.
I was considering cancelling the finance within the 14 days cooling off period, but I had a few issues collecting the car that made that difficult long story.

As for servicing, yes its expensive
On the last C-Class when I purchased the car the service plan was £27 a month. I waited until the car was 9 months old then paid £54 a month for 12 months which covered 2 services. It didn't save me anything, but it allowed me some time to shop around to work out the true cost of services.

Once the car is a year old the price of the plan increases, so it could cost more if you pay cash for the first A service then start a service plan.

 

[Bonecho]

I was thinking about starting a service plan just before the 1st year is due. I would think that by then the only option would be to pay outright for the 1st service but then get the benefit of two B services and one A service. The Mondeo service costs are £199 for the first two then £299 for the third. Anyone know what the service costs are for the W205 if paid when serviced? The other option is go to an independent. I was looking at the service schedule and to be honest not much gets changed for the fee they charge.

Also does anyone know the engine type number for the 2 litre petrol as I can't pin it down.

I took two test drives in two different sport models, which is the model I will be getting and checked the MPG figures for the 2 litre petrol engines. Both were returning figures around 36mpg which I would be happy to live with.

 

[ioweddie]

I have recieved collected a new C200 Petrol Automatic and am really enjoying it.

Hi Paul, I'm considering a petrol in AMG Line, currently drive a 62 plate sport plus diesel, how is the mpg, and how quiet is the engine as I'm getting fed up with the noisy diesel

 

[ExW205and204]

I have recieved collected a new C200 Petrol Automatic and am really enjoying it.

Hi Paul, I'm considering a petrol in AMG Line, currently drive a 62 plate sport plus diesel, how is the mpg, and how quiet is the engine as I'm getting fed up with the noisy diesel

Do you have the C200 or the C220 Diesel?

The C200 petrol is quite gruff for a petrol, especially on tick over. Its slightly noisier than my previous C180 petrol.
However its only got 600miles on the clock, and its got quieter since I first collected the car. I presume the exhaust is settling down.

Certainly quieter then any diesel!

The only downside on the AMG Line is the run flat tyres. However I now believe these have been dropped. So if you order a new one (not already built) I doubt it will have run flats.

 

[Bonecho]

The two C200's I test drove both had around 4,000 miles on the clock and seemed very subdued to me. All the published reviews only seem to test drive the C250 and mention the gruff diesel engine but there are no proper reviews on the petrol engine that I can find.

I am thinking that the C200 will offer a more rewarding drive.

 

[ioweddie]

Thanks Paul
mines a C220 diesel. Good point about the run flats I will certainly check that out as I do not like them

 

[John Barnes]

My local dealer advised me to pay for my first service, £224, then take out a 3 year service plan for 3 years (2xB and 1xA). The cost would be the same £30 per month but you get more service for the same outlay. I had a 3 year service plan for my previous car (C180) at £27 a month. However it was only 18 months old when I traded it in against a new C200. I received a refund on the service plan as I'd only had 1 service.