Out with the old and in with the New!

[Deleted member 113659]

Very nice indeed Ant. Love that colour

Best - Pete

How you getting on with your new GLA Pete?

Did you ever have your garage opening widened?

Ant.

 

[Jay2512]

Well, our shinny new E220 arrived today. I must say I'm more than impressed by it after just one day and 60 or so miles of driving. I didn't realise just how stiff the suspension of our little B Class Sport was until I drove the E Class. its doesn't shake your fillings out over potholes like the B Class did. I'm REALLY impressed with the ILS after just driving back from Carlisle. I understand now why members here rave about the system. The boot is just about big enough for Debbie's Quingo scooter (Yes, we're not doing the E Class 'Old Man Image' any favours with references to Scooters!!! ) My only negative thought so far is that the 18's look far too small on a car of this size. But being a lease car I'm not going to even consider changing those. I've had a tiring day so I've yet to explore the Comand system or load any of our music onto it. My Wife & 10 year old daughter absolutely love the car which in turn makes me a Happy Chap indeed. It's not the C Class I wanted but for £209 pm it'll do us for a few years. Ant.

Congrats Ant. Looks good!!

 

[Maxi4]

How you getting on with your new GLA Pete? Did you ever have your garage opening widened? Ant.

GLA is great. Has developed a bit of a rattle from the air vent. It's being sorted by my local dealership who we bought the car from. No complaints so far. I'll do a write up with more details soon. My last quote to do the garage door is around 4K. So umming and ahrring still.

Let us know how you get on with the E


Best

Pete

 

[Deleted member 113659]

Well, the end of the 2nd week with our new car and I can't report a single issue whatsoever.

We now have everything set up to our liking. Everything is so much nicer than the B Class. Gearbox, suspension, steering.

I'm now thinking a boot lip spoiler and a number plate for my birthday.

Druk has suggested a tow bar so I can use it for work with my Ifor williams tipping trailer. Watch this space.

Ant.

 

[Brian 1]

Pleased you like it Ant, love everything about the design, colour and the interior is stunning if its like mine, "enjoy"

 

[tuonopepper]

The estate is vast but has the same floorpan as the saloon, the boot liner is the same for the estate and saloon. Emma's dad has the saloon and we bought him a boot liner for Christmas which was identical to ours.

The seats in our SL adjust so much she can also get in and out of that just fine as long as I don't park next to a huge kerb.

Deb would probably like the GLC for ease of access with the seat in it's low position, but you absolutely must not have the optional side steps, they look great but are completely impractical. If a petrol version of that arrives in the UK we're interested.

It's funny as I have the running boards on the GLC. I've had them before on a Disco and they are a right pain In the ****, always catching trousers on them on exit and ending up with a line of dirt, on the other hand they are great for the kids (5 and 7) getting in and out and it just looks so much better with them so that was 2 plusses against one minus. I just have to take a long step out to avoid them!

GLC height would make very easy access/egress for anyone with mobility issues but you are spot on, running boards would make it a nightmare.

 

[Deleted member 113659]

I obtained a price today from MB Carlisle for an AMG boot lip spoiler for our 212

They want £405 including Vat and fitting. Does anyone know if that's a fair price or is it worth me shopping around?
As its a lease vehicle I'm obliged to have any mods done at an authorised dealer so an Indie is not an option.

It does sound a lot but I think it would look quite nice. My wife and daughter are on at me for birthday ideas and as I'm a happy chappy I can't think of much else l want.

Thanks for your thoughts in advance.

Ant.

 

[ash59fifty-uk]

I obtained a price today from MB Carlisle for an AMG boot lip spoiler for our 212 They want £405 including Vat and fitting. Does anyone know if that's a fair price or is it worth me shopping around? As its a lease vehicle I'm obliged to have any mods done at an authorised dealer so an Indie is not an option. It does sound a lot but I think it would look quite nice. My wife and daughter are on at me for birthday ideas and as I'm a happy chappy I can't think of much else l want. Thanks for your thoughts in advance. Ant.

They wanted £300ish just to spray a small 'nick in my door so I'd say £405 supplied painted and fitted sounds quite decent

 

[Deleted member 113659]

They wanted £300ish just to spray a small 'nick in my door so I'd say £405 supplied painted and fitted sounds quite decent

Cheers Ash. The spoiler doesn't require painting so I assume it comes high gloss black as standard. (Or carbon fibre effect.)

I've asked them this question. They've yet to reply.

High gloss black would suit the black details of the AMG Night Edition & the Tenerite grey I think.

Ant.

 

[Deleted member 113659]

I know they'll be lots of differing opinions on this but can anyone tell me if they'd any advantage to be had from buying premium deisel as apposed to the regular?

And no arguments please, just behave yourselves.

Ant.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

I've owned four, five, six and eight cylinder diesels and found the difference negligible in the 4 & 5cyl, slight improvement in the 6cyl but it made a big difference to the V8's both in economy and power.

None of that can be backed up with any other science than the trip computer on the different vehicles and how they felt performance-wise.

 

[ash59fifty-uk]

I know they'll be lots of differing opinions on this but can anyone tell me if they'd any advantage to be had from buying premium deisel as apposed to the regular? And no arguments please, just behave yourselves. Ant.

There will be*
There's*

Couldn't resist

I went through a phase of buying shell v power diesel, mpg definitely went up and stayed consistent after a few tanks. Only Placebo effect I'd say was that it felt that it ran smoother

I'd say two main advantages, the mpg... and the double points on my shell card twice a month, which adds nicely to the regular points from filling up my work van twice a week

 

[Deleted member 113659]

There will be*
There's*

Couldn't resist

Arrrrrrrrrrrhh! My bad. I totally hate making silly mistakes like that. I must start checking my posts before pressing the button.

Thanks for pointing it out Ash.

Ant.

 

[Deleted member 113659]

Well, Mrs Ant & I have had our sensible heads on this week. Our 212 is due to go back in At the end of Feb. Seeing as I've looked after it as if it was my own and with only 9200 miles we decided to request a lease extension from MBFS.

Existing payment £209pm
New payment from March 2018 for 12 months £462pm.

So, looks like it'll be going back regardless.

However, the lady advised me that if I return the car 1 month early I can avoid paying for its 2nd year service saving me £530 that MB of Carlise quoted me.

This means I'm on the prowl for a factory order deal. Possiblities are:

C Class Estate
E Class Estate
3 series Touring
4 series hatchback
A5 Sportback
A4 Avant
A6 Avant

Quite a shortlist. The other option is to wait about 1 month before hand back and pick up a 'in stock' lucky dip. Feel free to post any deals you think might be of interest.

 

[Red C220]

The E class and A6 are a step up in size from all the others on your list Ant.

We went from E Class to Audi and I don't regret it all. A big part of that was fantastic deals on the Audi as an outgoing model. However, I got one with a big engine and I get the feeling the standard models can be a bit "meh" from a driving dynamic point of view (if that matters). The BiT Diesel and the S6 seem to be the sweet spot.

All the others on the list above will feel like a step down in size from your current car. That may or may not be a problem and I guess it comes down to what equipment you're moving around regularly for Debs.

I just couldn't gel with the BMW's at all, I don't know why, they did nothing for me.

The new C class is a belter in estate form as is the A4. You couldn't really go wrong with either of them.

The A5 is a repackaged A4, it's just a design thing.

Are you looking for a lease deal or are you buying this time?

 

[Red C220]

Contract Hire Offers

 

[Deleted member 113659]

The E class and A6 are a step up in size from all the others on your list Ant.

We went from E Class to Audi and I don't regret it all. A big part of that was fantastic deals on the Audi as an outgoing model. However, I got one with a big engine and I get the feeling the standard models can be a bit "meh" from a driving dynamic point of view (if that matters). The BiT Diesel and the S6 seem to be the sweet spot.

All the others on the list above will feel like a step down in size from your current car. That may or may not be a problem and I guess it comes down to what equipment you're moving around regularly for Debs.

I just couldn't gel with the BMW's at all, I don't know why, they did nothing for me.

The new C class is a belter in estate form as is the A4. You couldn't really go wrong with either of them.

The A5 is a repackaged A4, it's just a design thing.

Are you looking for a lease deal or are you buying this time?

Thanks for your thoughts Alan,

I'd love S4/S5/S6 but all well out of budget for us. Not many good deals on any of the BMW's at the moment anyhow and would only want one of those is in 335d/435d guise.

If always adored the C Class estate but all the cheap deals on those do not include premium plus packs (which I would want).

Some great deals on A4 Avant/A5 Sportback which we will look into today.

Not really wanting to buy. I like to change cars regularly so leasing suites us more at this time. However, a 36 or 48 month lease this time. 24 months is a little too short.

Great deal here on A4 Avant. Inc Tech Pack with virtual cockpit, Nav Plus + a few other bits.

Audi A4 Avant

Or £24 pm more for this which adds Night Pack into mix with flat bottomed stearing wheel, 19's and the usual black details.

Audi A4 Avant Special Editions

 

[PenelopePitstop]

If you choose longer lease, you have to consider extra costs of: replacement tyres, service, having car out of warranty. Most people would advise against 4 year lease, because you're paying to fix someone's else car. 2 years is usually recommended as sweet spot, since you can avoid most maintenance costs and in case of cars with Long Life service, pay only for one oil change.

Check out this thread on Pistonheads: Best Lease Car Deals Available? (Vol 4) - Page 1 - Car Buying - PistonHeads Following it for a couple of weeks/months will give you idea what are the beast deals around.
You can install script to sort results on Contracthireandleasing website: Best Lease Car Deals Available? (Vol 4) - Page 220 - Car Buying - PistonHeads

Regarding A4 1.4TSI, read reviews, some people complain about lack of pulling power, some people say it's fine for them. Best to test drive it.

 

[Red C220]

Don't just look at contract hire, particularly if you want a specific list of options.

Run the numbers on a PCP for something with heavy discounts, which with a low deposit is very little difference to contract hire.

Something like this gives you a lot of spec standard:-

 

[PenelopePitstop]

If you PCP it, you have to pay road tax yourself and it will be £450 extra per annum after first year. In case of PCH, it's already included in total cost.