To change, or not to change?

[RichardM]

I'd consider a W204 C320 CDi - I wonder how far off they are now?

My local dealer called me the other day to say they had one in as a demonstrator now so they should be available.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

<Best Liono from Thundercats voice>

Ccccc-an't hhhhhh-o-l-d on.

Mmmmm-u-s-t res-ist the temp-ta-tion Wile-y-kit

</Best Liono from Thundercats voice>



Apologies to all those thinking "who on earth is Liono from Thundercats?".

 

[Guy]

By the power of Grayskull, you could not resist if She-Ra willed it.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Was queuing in traffic beside a Jeep dealer, so I called in. The Grand Cherokee seems outrageously good value. Especiallg given it shares the 3.0 litre diesel with the ML - any one know if there are any differences?

I was offered a 20% discount on new but registered Overlander with every box ticked without me actually sitting down to talk numbers!! Maybe a little more to squeeze there.

Residuals concern me a little - I looked at the GFV they used on a finance quote later, and it was set to lose £15k over 3 years from the already discount price.

I suspect an ML would be a several thousands more than the Overlander's list price with equivalent spec, and whilst the percentage value after 3 years would be better, I suspect a £15k loss would be about right.

Any experience of the latest Grand Cherokee amongst members?

 

[pammy]

The Cherokee seats were disappointing when we tried it. Very hard and not comfy like the Voyager seats. We were rather let down by the Cherokee all round but I can't rememebr the detail - sorry. They do suffer signifacnt depreciation, so don't buy new!! Try for an ex-demo if you are keen to have one.

 

[fuzzer]

GL320 CDI and a 520d for the consience.

Can't beat a 520d for doing big miles in. £135 a year road tax and 50mpg. And with 177bhp too. Bargain!

 

[Martin]

Eco: New SMART ForTwo, 107/Aygo diesel, Jazz?

Why such dull or in the case of the Smart ForTwo such a nasty to drive eco car? You could have an eco friendly car which is a real drivers car as well..............the MINI Cooper Diesel. Expensive to buy, but MINI residuals are cast iron and once again have come out top of the Lex leasing annual depreciation survey and 5 years BMW servicing is just £150 with their TLC. On top of being greener than all of its rivals, 118g CO2 emissions puts the Cooper D in the ultra-low band B for road tax (it costs £35 a year) also for Londoners its likely to be exempt from the C-charge next year, with a 64mpg combined fuel economy figure and its still an absolute hoot to drive like all Minis. The diesel also manages 0-62mph in 9.9 seconds and tops out at 121mph.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Been having a look at Land Rover 3s tonight, and in GS spec (air suspension and 7-seats) they seem quite good value for money providing you don't indulge on extras and accessories.

That said there are things that are standard on the base-spec W163 ML which are fairly expensive options on the LR3, like cruise control, puddle lights, etc - probably accounts for the price difference.

Any experience of LR3s?

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Eco: New SMART ForTwo, 107/Aygo diesel, Jazz?

Why such dull or in the case of the Smart ForTwo such a nasty to drive eco car? You could have an eco friendly car which is a real drivers car as well..............the MINI Cooper Diesel. Expensive to buy, but MINI residuals are cast iron and once again have come out top of the Lex leasing annual depreciation survey and 5 years BMW servicing is just £150 with their TLC. On top of being greener than all of its rivals, 118g CO2 emissions puts the Cooper D in the ultra-low band B for road tax (it costs £35 a year) also for Londoners its likely to be exempt from the C-charge next year, with a 64mpg combined fuel economy figure and its still an absolute hoot to drive like all Minis. The diesel also manages 0-62mph in 9.9 seconds and tops out at 121mph.

I did look into the Cooper D but thought it's purchase price quite expensive - although of course residual strength and service package is second to none. Maybe I should reconsider...

 

[Martin]

I did look into the Cooper D but thought it's purchase price quite expensive - although of course residual strength and service package is second to none. Maybe I should reconsider...

Take the Cooper on a long test drive including a twisty winding road preferably without the salesman in the passenger seat!

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

If I remember right there was a bit of a kerfuffle over the original Mini diesel not being anywhere near as frugal as the manufacturers claim suggested. Hopefully this is not true of the replacement.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Had a go in an IS220d SE with bodykit and upgraded alloys tonight.

Engine was what I would have hoped for as a minimum - but nothing more.

Quality through was superb - which is what I would have expected.

Switchgear was very Toyota - same clock as my 1996 MR2 had, start button taken from the Auris, etc. None the worse for it though.

There were three things that really stood out where they went the extra mile:

(1) When starting the engine, the speedo and rev counter needles illuminate in a very white light with zero backlighting, sweep through to their end point and back again, before the rest of the binnacle lights up. Very, very sexy. Sort of like one of those white glove puppet shows if that makes sense!!??

(2) Steering wheel leather was incredible - it seemed to feel even better than nappa, and better than the standard AMG wheel. Touch points are so important, and Lexus appear to understand it big time.

(3) Centre storage bin between the seats appears to hinge upwards W203 style. It in fact slides backwards in a beautiful smooth a fluid motion before reaching the end of it's travel, at which point it hinges. A wonderful piece of engineering on a mundane item. Superb.*

The salesman said if the storage bin impressed me in the IS then I should see it is the LS - apparently it hinges at the same time as doing the clever slidey thing creating an arc effect. Nice.

The search continues...

 

[Apial]

If I remember right there was a bit of a kerfuffle over the original Mini diesel not being anywhere near as frugal as the manufacturers claim suggested. Hopefully this is not true of the replacement.

My brother managed 715 miles on one tankful in the old ONE D, and no it wasn't on the back of a breakdown truck! The tank hold 50 liters.

I regularly get 55 mpg in mixed traffic 20 mile runs, and the residuals are awesome. 3 year old cars are still around the £10k mark that cost £13.5K new.

The new Cooper D is much more frugal, and it has the option as standard to switch the engine off automatically and restart it again in stop go traffic. Also it has a regenerative power system from braking to save more fuel. On the gov CO2 website it is listed as the second least polluting diesel available on the market.

The only gripe about the MINI is the small boot space and rather tight rear seating for teenagers upwards. Now that my kids are getting bigger I will be ordering a Clubman version which can be a 4 or 5 seater with a larger boot.

 

[Dieselman]

The old engine was a Toyota Yaris engine, the new one is a Puegeot HDi iirc.

I would have thought they would both be economical, the Yaris engine is known to be punchy for it's size.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

The old engine was a Toyota Yaris engine, the new one is a Puegeot HDi iirc.

My understanding too.

 

[C240Sport97]

I find their interiors a bit of a no man's land .. not mass market per Toyota but not quite premium either. The quality is there but it just doesn't gel.

Had a go in an IS220d SE with bodykit and upgraded alloys tonight.

Engine was what I would have hoped for as a minimum - but nothing more.

Quality through was superb - which is what I would have expected.

Switchgear was very Toyota - same clock as my 1996 MR2 had, start button taken from the Auris, etc. None the worse for it though.

There were three things that really stood out where they went the extra mile:

(1) When starting the engine, the speedo and rev counter needles illuminate in a very white light with zero backlighting, sweep through to their end point and back again, before the rest of the binnacle lights up. Very, very sexy. Sort of like one of those white glove puppet shows if that makes sense!!??

(2) Steering wheel leather was incredible - it seemed to feel even better than nappa, and better than the standard AMG wheel. Touch points are so important, and Lexus appear to understand it big time.

(3) Centre storage bin between the seats appears to hinge upwards W203 style. It in fact slides backwards in a beautiful smooth a fluid motion before reaching the end of it's travel, at which point it hinges. A wonderful piece of engineering on a mundane item. Superb.*

The salesman said if the storage bin impressed me in the IS then I should see it is the LS - apparently it hinges at the same time as doing the clever slidey thing creating an arc effect. Nice.

The search continues...

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I find their interiors a bit of a no man's land .. not mass market per Toyota but not quite premium either. The quality is there but it just doesn't gel.

I know exactly where you're coming from.

 

[SEM]

I've found the perfect item
http://paultan.org/archives/2007/09/11/brabus-ultimate-112-special-edition-smart-fortwo/

 

[petef]

Right folks, I take an age to decide when to change cars - partly because I make decisions all day which means that in my own time I like to avoid making decisions - and partly because I enjoy looking at, reading about, and talking about cars.

I'm already some way down the track, and still have a little further to go, and wondered whether you folks might like to come with me for the ride.

I'm toying with a few options:

#1 Sell both ML and C32 and swap for another SUV and an eco-friendly car

We both like the GL, and if we made the switch it seems like the right thing to do would be to get a smaller car for me. It would make sense financially and environmentally, as the GL would be more expensive to run than the ML we have now.

We also like the W164 ML - but as I'm looking at contract purchase, the cost between the ML280 and GL320 seems relatively small £5900 deposit plus 32x £399, or £8900 plus 32x £529. Given the larger size, larger engine, and higher-spec the difference seems reasonable - maybe.

I had a test drive in the new SMART to see if I could take to driving something like that daily, and although my head likes the idea, it's a world away from the AMG. That said most of my driving is an urban 21 mile round trip but occasionally I do 400+ miles in a day on business.

#2 Keep the ML and swap the C32 for something else

The ML has been great from a reliability point of view and we have a further year Service Plus, with an option of a further year. Seems like a shame to sell given how good it's been.

Could replace the C32 with anything - I like the BMW 335i and 335d touring for the sleeper look, but strong performance, but Mrs D is less keen (she likes MBs too much). An A4 cab seems like a nice idea too for a little wind in the grey hairs. Or maybe go eco-friendly now, making it easier to go for a GL later if we wanted to.

#3 Keep them both!!

They're both wonderful cars - each for their own reasons - but if I stick with them, then I may keep 'wanting' to change.

Over to you...

Do you have any thoughts on which cars, and which combinations to go for?

Have you spotted any great deals for cars that might fit the bill? Actual cost is less of an issue, but value for money is really important!!

Suggestions of sources for great deals would be useful too.

....Holy S'#/T.....I must be getting tight as I get older ....£529 a month....for repayment on a car ... ...I think I am realising why older people travel in Micras !!!! ...I would keep your existing car till it falls to bits ! Thats my philosophy these days. I love cars , love to talk about them but what gives me the greatest "feel good" factor is getting value from the tin cans !!!

 

[Dieselman]

....Holy S'#/T.....I must be getting tight as I get older ....£529 a month....for repayment on a car ... ...I think I am realising why older people travel in Micras !!!! ...I would keep your existing car till it falls to bits ! Thats my philosophy these days. I love cars , love to talk about them but what gives me the greatest "feel good" factor is getting value from the tin cans !!!

Ha ha. Isn't it amazing how those £529's add up after a short while...

If a car is reliable I say keep it for longer..