thinking of downsizing

[W210 Fan]

I cannot keep complaining about the amount of traffic on the road when 5`7" of me wafts around in a S class so I am toying with the idea of getting a smaller car, I never take people in the back of the car so it seems inefficient to be dragging all that car around with me, I also keep saying to people when they say you earn to much that the car only cost 6.3K and im not a ponce or a show off, parking is a problem which wont be resolved until I buy my own place so less capital tied up and better MPG would be a bonus too as I am paying the last 15 odd K of debt off before saving for a mortgage,

Some of you may know I like big mercs, my list goes something like this:-

W210 E230,
W210 E55 AMG,
W126 500SEC,
W220 S430,

not a bad list and as you can see all large guzzling barges, I toyed with the idea of an A class but its not my thing, R170 SLK`s are cute and cheap to run but you wont get much change from 6-7k so I would have to add cash to the sale price of the S class, the main thing about the SLK is the ability to have the roof down which I would not do myself so it seems a waste of money to have it, so thats mercs out of the running unless I go for a 202/208 230K or the like, or maybe an E300/E320 CDI W210, but then its a big car again although better on fuel and cheaper to own with less complicated suspension etc but something like that would be a keeper to me and I cant for the life of me find the spec I want,

then I started to really think outside the marque and look at really cheap stuff and I have come up with two alternatives,

1. Ford Puma
2. Alfa GTV

1. The Puma isnt a silly choice, I owned one while I had the E55 and I loved it, it was a such a go kart, I just kept on thrashing it and it never let me down, it just laughed at my thrashing attempt and took some more, a great town car, no cruise control for the longer trips which was annoying but they are now around 1k so it traditional cheap as chips Ford motoring,

2. Moving into the unknown with the Alfa, I need a reliable car and it must get me to work and this has an element of risk attached to it, I would probably go for the 3 litre as these seem to be a sweet little motor, red suits the car with the telephone dial wheels and black/tan leather, has anybody ever owned one? are they as un-reliable as the motoring press make out, honest john only seemed to list a few niggles and recalls, about the same as most other cars but the reliability index was 3rd from bottom, which is not good, I think a decent GTV would be around the 3k mark and I wanted to release more capital than that so does that mean by my own logic I need to get a Puma?

any hints or words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated, due to an ongoing legal problem this will probably all happen in the new year, but actually is it better the get rid of the S now before people start thinking about Christmas, my S may take a noise dive but a Puma may only loose a few hundred off its value on the run up to the end of the year, also fuel prices have been better recently so I am hoping the market is more receptive to a 30MPG luxury barge, somehow I think I know the answer to that though and fuel is ultimately going to run out so supply and demand dictates the price will go up,

yours indecisively

 

[BTB 500]

How about an R129? With the standard hard top on they're basically a 2 door coupe, but you can go topless in summer if the mood ever does take you. Excellent build quality, no rust problems, prices falling ...

 

[Beetnik]

...the main thing about the SLK is the ability to have the roof down which I would not do myself until I'd tried it a few times and then I'd become hooked...

Typo corrected

 

[imadoofus]

How about a W124 E320 Coupe?

Two doors, pillarless almost-convertible capability and cool as flip

 

[partsspecialist]

**WARNING** If your after reliability your barking up the wrong tree with the alfa, Ha your not even in the right wood!
I worked for a fiat/alfa dealer for a year or so, Great cars to drive and thrash about. But i'd only have one as my own if i had a company car, I wouldnt rely on it every morning to get me to work. Especially the cambelt-snapping twinspark.

Ha ha sorry Alfa fans :bannana:

 

[wemorgan]

I like the idea of the Puma....small light car with good economy yet still fun to drive.

If you're really trying to improve your fuel economy you need to keep the car light. A relatively small CLK W208 is still 1500kg.

So how about a Honda CRX VTi. 1100kg & 160bhp but still 40mpg and they cost £1-2k? Avoid the electric roof version though......complex, ridiculous and unreliable.

 

[partsspecialist]

Any honda VTI is a safe bet, engine-wise they are bomb proof!

 

[janner]

You need something class-less (Merc pun intended). New Mini, Golf GTi, Fiat 500, Smart roadster, that sort of thing.
Then you can keep an SL500/SL60 R129 for the weekends.

 

[Howard]

I like the idea of the Puma....small light car with good economy yet still fun to drive.

If you're really trying to improve your fuel economy you need to keep the car light. A relatively small CLK W208 is still 1500kg.

So how about a Honda CRX VTi. 1100kg & 160bhp but still 40mpg and they cost £1-2k? Avoid the electric roof version though......complex, ridiculous and unreliable.

Ooooooh , no you don't want the hairdressers CRX , you want the proper wedge shaped one , the VTEC .....

Had one of these myself , the only car i regret selling ...

 

[imadoofus]

Had one of these myself , the only car i regret selling ...

It seems strange that you've never mentioned it before, Howard...

 

[Howard]

Yes i have ...

 

[HughJarse]

Get an MX5 you'll love it.

 

[Howard]

Pick up some of these on the way home ....

 

[W210 Fan]

Get an MX5 you'll love it.

I dont think I could get anything that ginger, I took enough grief off the MoD when I got the Puma, went to pick up a load of big wigs who had argued and fought for a place in my E55, then I turned up in a red Puma, 3 unhappy blokes and a 120 mile journey was not fun!!!!!!

so the alfa is out then, insider knowledge thanks partsspecialist,

so does anybody have any advances on a puma that isnt their own car they are trying to sell?

goes to bed wondering how much XK8`s are now....

 

[Dieselman]

goes to bed wondering how much XK8`s are now....

Don't. The rattling will keep you awake.

 

[wemorgan]

Iso does anybody have any advances on a puma that isnt their own car they are trying to sell?

Seat Ibiza Cupra
A high mileage Audi A3 1.8T
MG ZS (180)...........gosh, did I really say that!?

 

[flango]

I cannot keep complaining about the amount of traffic on the road when 5`7" of me wafts around in a S class so I am toying with the idea of getting a smaller car, I never take people in the back of the car so it seems inefficient to be dragging all that car around with me, I also keep saying to people when they say you earn to much that the car only cost 6.3K and im not a ponce or a show off, parking is a problem which wont be resolved until I buy my own place so less capital tied up and better MPG would be a bonus too as I am paying the last 15 odd K of debt off before saving for a mortgage,

Some of you may know I like big mercs, my list goes something like this:-

W210 E230,
W210 E55 AMG,
W126 500SEC,
W220 S430,

not a bad list and as you can see all large guzzling barges, I toyed with the idea of an A class but its not my thing, R170 SLK`s are cute and cheap to run but you wont get much change from 6-7k so I would have to add cash to the sale price of the S class, the main thing about the SLK is the ability to have the roof down which I would not do myself so it seems a waste of money to have it, so thats mercs out of the running unless I go for a 202/208 230K or the like, or maybe an E300/E320 CDI W210, but then its a big car again although better on fuel and cheaper to own with less complicated suspension etc but something like that would be a keeper to me and I cant for the life of me find the spec I want,

then I started to really think outside the marque and look at really cheap stuff and I have come up with two alternatives,

1. Ford Puma
2. Alfa GTV

1. The Puma isnt a silly choice, I owned one while I had the E55 and I loved it, it was a such a go kart, I just kept on thrashing it and it never let me down, it just laughed at my thrashing attempt and took some more, a great town car, no cruise control for the longer trips which was annoying but they are now around 1k so it traditional cheap as chips Ford motoring,

2. Moving into the unknown with the Alfa, I need a reliable car and it must get me to work and this has an element of risk attached to it, I would probably go for the 3 litre as these seem to be a sweet little motor, red suits the car with the telephone dial wheels and black/tan leather, has anybody ever owned one? are they as un-reliable as the motoring press make out, honest john only seemed to list a few niggles and recalls, about the same as most other cars but the reliability index was 3rd from bottom, which is not good, I think a decent GTV would be around the 3k mark and I wanted to release more capital than that so does that mean by my own logic I need to get a Puma?

any hints or words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated, due to an ongoing legal problem this will probably all happen in the new year, but actually is it better the get rid of the S now before people start thinking about Christmas, my S may take a noise dive but a Puma may only loose a few hundred off its value on the run up to the end of the year, also fuel prices have been better recently so I am hoping the market is more receptive to a 30MPG luxury barge, somehow I think I know the answer to that though and fuel is ultimately going to run out so supply and demand dictates the price will go up,

yours indecisively

Alfa Romeo and reliability not 2 words you would normally use in the same sentence can comment on the others though.

We have a Ford Puma My Missus's car 1.7 engine (made by Yamaha) been trouble free for 5 years never spent a penny on it other than routine serviceing and consumables all of which I do my self its that easy, had it remapped and taken up to 170 bhp and its like driving a rocket powered roller skate one of the best handling cars for have ever done and it brings a big smile to my face every time I drive it. Fuel consumption around town 31 mpg on a run 37 mpg would be better but the Yamaha engine like all performance Jap engines does tend to rev higher than its European counterparts.

Merc W208 CLK 230K this is my weekend car and a fine one it is two a manual sport model excellent car but I'm not sure its what you would be looking for fuel consumption around town 25 mpg on a run 31 mpg

XK8 I considered this instead of the CLK but changed my mind the minute I drove it, If you have not driven one go and try one and you'll see what I mean.

Hope the above helps
Ian

 

[W210 Fan]

Alfa Romeo and reliability not 2 words you would normally use in the same sentence can comment on the others though.

looks like the alfa is out then, shame, its quite a looker and very different to what I normally shop for, I friend of mine swears by his, but he had a TVR before so his definition of reliability is very different to mine,

We have a Ford Puma My Missus's car 1.7 engine (made by Yamaha) been trouble free for 5 years never spent a penny on it other than routine serviceing and consumables all of which I do my self its that easy, had it remapped and taken up to 170 bhp and its like driving a rocket powered roller skate one of the best handling cars for have ever done and it brings a big smile to my face every time I drive it. Fuel consumption around town 31 mpg on a run 37 mpg would be better but the Yamaha engine like all performance Jap engines does tend to rev higher than its European counterparts.

Yeah its a great little engine, a few complaints on the car I had were,

1. no arm rest,
2. no cruise,
3. needed a little more power,

the first two I can ignore as I am used to big luxury uber saloons, the 3rd however was more a complaint that the chassis could take more than the engine gives, which you just proved!!! how long has it been running at 170? I always heard the 1.7 had a tendancy of cracking inbetween the bores which I assumed was a problem with the thin walls after boring out the 1.4 engine to get to 1.7, maybe this is just typical female servicing, I have knackered a 1.4 puma engine in a friends car, burnt out one of the hydraulic tappets, turned out she had never serviced it and the sump was dry, so just bad luck it went when I had it, I thrashed my old puma all the time (1.7) and it was fine, including a journey of some 100 miles bouncing off the rev limiter...

Merc W208 CLK 230K this is my weekend car and a fine one it is two a manual sport model excellent car but I'm not sure its what you would be looking for fuel consumption around town 25 mpg on a run 31 mpg.

I get the on a run figure from the S430, it suprises me how juicy those 2.3k`s are and yours are are pretty typical figures,

XK8 I considered this instead of the CLK but changed my mind the minute I drove it, If you have not driven one go and try one and you'll see what I mean.

There is a jag garage at the bottom of the road, are they rubbish then? poor driving? visability? I wont be able to try one for a while as I am away this weekend...

 

[flango]

been down the TVR route and yes the Alfa is more reliable than a TVR but that doesn't say much.

Our Puma been running at 170 bhp for about 4 years with no problems, In fact we were about to swap it for a C180 coupe but the missus wants to keep it so I need to do a little bit of work to bring it back to pristine, just sort out a few scratches and car park dings, but as part of this I'm thinking of taking it up to nearer the 200 bhp mark, do have to say though I also carried out the rear brake conversion to discs and have drilled and grooved discs with Red stuff pads on it all round. You can get 170 by just remapping to go further will need some engine work, I even thought about dropping a 2 litre cossie in it but they are not that reliable apparently.

The other 2 gripes you have can be cured by fitting the arm rest and cruise from the Fiesta, I'm reliably told it goes straight on although I have never done it as the missus did not want it.

I would have loved a CLK 430 but just could not find one without spaceship mileage and in decent condition so I settled for the 230 with the Brabus K1 performance kit, really enjoy it.

The XK8 really dissappointed me it has the supercar looks but has the handling of a barge and the accelaration lag of a cross channel ferry, visibility is poor because of the large A posts, and for a 4 litre supercharged engine it's slower than my 230 and it's not in the same league as your S430, but just my opinion you need to have a drive and judge for yourself.

But back to the Puma for my Missus to keep a car 5 years it must be good, she says all the others shes test drove in the hot hatch category don't come close to it.

A couple of good sources of info and bits are www.pumaspeed.co.uk & www.pumabuild.co.uk

Good luck & happy hunting

Ian

 

[Dieselman]

You can get 170 by just remapping to go further will need some engine work,

How does a remap take a N/A engine from 125Bhp to 170Bhp.?
I can't see how it can do it without forcing more air, and even cams and exhaust mods wouldn't increase filling by anything like the requirement.