Quite sad ..

[littleowl]

I made the very difficult decision to part ex my Merc for another car. The main reason being its lowered suspension just isn't suitable for the lane I live in (during winter anyway) and various other places I go in the countryside. I did have stars in my eyes when I bought it and didn't fully appreciate its impracticalities! I know many of you have two or more cars but it's my daily drive and don't want to have it sitting around over winter not being used, so have been looking at all the SUVs and small crossovers to give me a bit more ground clearance and/or 4WD. It's been a real wrench as nothing I've seen lives up to it, unless I want to spend big money which I don't. Looked at the Jap SUVs which to me all look alike, and most of them too big really. They also offered me a really lousy part ex price, most of them £5k less than what I bought it for in April! That means it has depreciated nearly double that of my Citroen in 8 months of ownership compared to 3 years with the Citroen. I knew that I'd have to take a hit but didn't expect quite such a big one ... I even went back to the Mercedes dealer I bought it from thinking they might give me a bit more but no they were the same.

So what I was looking for was something that had performance and reasonable mpg as well as being able to cope with various roads and conditions, and as good a part ex price as I could get. The car that came up was absolutely not one I'd even considered - a BMW X1. Now before you all laugh - it's size, ability, performance and not least the best part ex price, suits my needs. It doesn't match the plushness or looks of the Merc which has well and truly spoiled me, a few compromises had to be made and I'm just praying I'm not going to regret it (can't afford to lose any more money!). Now I don't need anyone telling me what sh*te cars they are ... I'm suffering enough!

I will say that this forum has been one of the best vehicle forums I've been on, you are all so informative, entertaining, (mostly) polite and dare I say 'gentlemanly' . I will miss being part of the Mercedes gang and very much doubt I will find the same kind of feedback on a BMW forum!

 

[AMGeed]

Good luck with your search for a new car. Totally understandable wanting to change given your circumstances.
Whatever you get, don't stop visiting the forum. Just use it for the social side of things.

 

[markjay]

I don't know if you have already agreed on the X1, but if not then you might want to consider the Kia Soul.

Mrs. MJ has one, it's a 'fake' SUV, i.e. it rides high and it's tall and boxy but underneath it's just a normal FWD car.

It is very reliable, and very practical, and good in the snow. And they come with 7 years warranty, which is nice.

 

[Gazwould]

+1 not the real deal but just more suspension travel that even std S204 springs wouldn't suit your requirements .

 

[grober]

SUBARU XV ??

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[littleowl]

SUBARU XV ??
]

Quite like that grober (my best and most reliable car ever was a Subaru Forester) but it doesn't have an auto diesel version and not quite as good mpg as the X1. Which I've already put a deposit on so I mustn't look at alternatives now!

 

[MrRight]

GLA if not too small...