What car?

[Spinal]

So, after having found a more "stable" job, I've started thinking of my next car... I would rather not sell the W202 as I've grown so attached to it, so I was thinking of selling the monster (Chrystler Grand Voyager 3.3l Auto).

But that would leave me without a "travel" car, my manual C180 though great for the city isn't ideal for the 12-hour trips to Italy. This really is a ball-park sort of thing, and more of a dreamy/who-knows thing too...

I'm looking for:
-Cruise Control
-Manual/Auto (don't care really, tiptronic would be amazing- but I feel it wouldn't be in a car within my current budget)
-A/C (not so important, but nice)
-min 2.2l engine
-alloy wheels (not THAT important, I can always change them later, but definetly a plus )
-another small plus would be a sunroof
-ideas?

The car would mostly be for highway use, so a 6-litre beast wouldn't be TOTALLY out of the question My "absolute ideal" would be an older S-class (I fell in love with the s-classes after my father allowed me to drive his when I was over... <sigh> comfy....). Hence, I think it would be fair to say that comfort would be my number one concern...

I've been looking at:
-S-class
-Jaguar XJ6
-Alfa Romeo Spider (I know, I know... but its pretty )
-E-Class
-Land Rover 90/110 (again, I know... but its got character)
-maybe something from the dark side? (I've got a Z3 which is LUDICROUS fun to drive, but a)its not in England b)not on long journeys, c)not in this weather! but shhhh! no-one knows, and even more shhh! I'm paying roughly £10 fully comprehensive per year insurance at todays exchange rate!)

any ideas? My budget is 3k-5k; the cars you see should give you a rough idea of what I'm looking for; reliability would be a BIG BIG bonus, especially as once "the pit" under my garage is done, I might consider driving it to Banjul (apparently there is a new tarmac road across the desert! an ex-class friend of mine drove down and he was very impressed by the new road)

BIG BIG BIG DISCLAIMER: THIS IS JUST A CLOUD IN THE VAST EMPTYNESS OF MY BRAIN I'm not looking for a car! I don't want to offend anyone who has a car to sell, I'm just "thinking" (I seem to be able to think every now and then!) - and what better place to think that here?)

Michele

 

[Parrot of Doom]

Caterham.

 

[Will]

What about upgrading your W202 - they're cheap enough these days and you could get a larger engine/more toys etc for not a lot of cash

If you want a big cruiser, for £3-5K you could be looking at a reasonable W140 if you are keen on an S-class, or a late LS400 Lexus wouldn't be a silly bet (very reliable, nice on long journeys, has every extra on your list + many others)

All comes down to personal preference at the end of the day

As a way of guiding you towards your next car, what's guiding you away from what you have at the moment?

Will

 

[Spinal]

I thought about getting a second 202, maybe an estate... but I didn't think that they were that big... (not enginewise, bodywise) - thats also why I like the 202 in the city (picture this, my driving "growth" started on a 6litre V8 pickup truck, parallel parking meant having a space 3 times larger than the car )

I didn't think of Lexuses (Lexi? whats the plural of a Lexus?); I'll have a look at thos. The W140 is a car I drool over... it IS at the top end of my budget, but... <drool>...

Why don't I like the Vee-ger? (star trek reference, sorry ) because its:
-noisy (not enginewise, driving wise. When you are driving down a motorway at 60mph, the wnd makes an awefull racket)
-slow (a comfortable cruise is 60mph, 70mph starts feeling a little... light)
-Immanuverable (however thats spelt)(visibility is really horrid too)
-WAY too high for my tastes, at that height I want 4-wheel-drive!
-and maybe more importantly, I'm getting tired of it (spoilt little brat I am...)

A second 202 might be the "smartest" idea though, even from a spare-parts and knowledge point of view... but a w140... ... ...

Michele

 

[SimonsMerc]

Look at an E38 7 series BMW. A nice one would be available within your budget, and personally I prefer them to the W140 S ;-) I'd take the E class over the E39 five series any day, and actually the new S over the new BMW 7, but the E38 is just so much more fun than the W140...

-simon

 

[Dieselman]

I'd go for an E-class diesel, but then I would, wouldn't I. Seriously the type of trips you are intending is exactly what this car was designed for.

Cross a couple of continents in peace and quiet, grab a snack in a cafe and then head back home. No back ache or issues.

 

[SimonsMerc]

I'd go for an E-class diesel, but then I would, wouldn't I. Seriously the type of trips you are intending is exactly what this car was designed for.

Cross a couple of continents in peace and quiet, grab a snack in a cafe and then head back home. No back ache or issues.

Thoroughly second this. We take the E class 320cdi to Poland and back, and it's like a dream to drive - comfortable (even with five and full boot and roof box) and eats up the miles.

-simon

 

[BonzoDog]

Thoroughly second this. We take the E class 320cdi to Poland and back, and it's like a dream to drive - comfortable (even with five and full boot and roof box) and eats up the miles.

-simon

Third that. We often tootle down to Italy and around Germany. The E class is a great tootler. We do the 1000kms to Italy in one day and one would find it difficult to think of another car that does it so easily.
Over Christmas it was fully loaded and tootled as good as when it is lightly loaded; quiet, comfortable, effortless and choose your speed.

 

[jeremytaylor]

Another vote for an E Diesel, especially for trips to Italy.

 

[SportsCoupeRich]

Lexus is300?

 

[DieselE]

Thoroughly second this. We take the E class 320cdi to Poland and back, and it's like a dream to drive - comfortable (even with five and full boot and roof box) and eats up the miles.

-simon

Are the CDI's available within Michele's budget? Mind you I think the older engines are still pretty good.

My vote would be for the Lexus LS400.

 

[mb240]

So, after having found a more "stable" job, I've started thinking of my next car... I would rather not sell the W202 as I've grown so attached to it, so I was thinking of selling the monster (Chrystler Grand Voyager 3.3l Auto).

But that would leave me without a "travel" car, my manual C180 though great for the city isn't ideal for the 12-hour trips to Italy. This really is a ball-park sort of thing, and more of a dreamy/who-knows thing too...



Michele

I think the S's are very big. If the travel you are doing is motorway or in anyway long-distance, I would also recommend an E-class. I sometimes miss by W210....you basically would just cruise anywhere in it, incredible "long-distance" car IMHO. Of course, you aren't going to be throwing it around, but was a great one for touring.

 

[Spinal]

Quoting mb240; whats wrong with a BIG car for long-distance motorway travel? (not being ironic, funny or sarcastic, I am actually wondering... maybe there is something I missed).

Also, another point I forgot to add was, why not drive to Italy in the W202 instead of the monster? I did; and though it was a pleasant drive, and I didn't have any back pain, I did have an issue with the lack of cruise control. After 12ish hours with my foot on the pedal, when I got out my leg refused to return to its natural position without some pain shooting down my nerves...

I'm at work now, not much to do... <famous last words>... there is a contractor in playing with our ISA server, so I'm spending my time browsing eBay for car pictures

Michele

 

[mb240]

Quoting mb240; whats wrong with a BIG car for long-distance motorway travel? (not being ironic, funny or sarcastic, I am actually wondering... maybe there is something I missed).

Michele

Well, if I was being driven, I'd rather be in the back of an S, but if I was driving, I would get angry at navigating tiny italian streets in an autobahn machine. If it's purely long distance than an S sure. Depends on the S as well. A 320CDI > 320 V6 perhaps but a different story if S500 V8 is the choice.

Ss are just flipping huge. maybe it's just me, I was used to driving an E and have a smaller car now.

Of course, a CL would be the daddy for long distance cruising. NO need for parking, just stop anywhere and people will paint double yellows around it and open a corner shop.

 

[Spinal]

Wahey, back on topic - eons later So; I've gotten things "organised" and towards the end of August I will be looking to buy a....




wait for it....



Land Rover!


(sorry)



I still haven't decided on the model. The defenders (90/110) have the looks and the spares to do EXACTLY what I want (i.e. cross the desert) - but in my budget (6k-ish, has gone up a bit as you may see) I would be looking at a 90 - which means alot smaller than I would hope! On the other side, the Freelander/Discoverys are MUCH cheaper, and almost all have air-con - but finding extras for the desert would be a little harder.

So, I'm going to look around, and decide on the model later this summer! Thanks for all the help; and I'll be SURE to post pics when I get it (and the progress of the desert mods)

What mods you might ask? The plans right now are:
- Fans, lots of fans! (inside the passenger/driver area and in the engine bay)
- Snorkel
- Extra fuel tank (I'm planning for a 600-mile range in total)
- Roof rack, preferrably with tent (but CostCo's £200, 10 person, 3 room tent is so tempting!)
- Floodlights (as many as I can find/afford/fit)
- 4 spare tyres (for a total of 4 off-road tyres and 4 "road" tyres) with rims
- Spare battery, with some form of cut-off
- Some form of GPS... no clue what maps I would need - will look into that at a later date!
- TOOLKIT!

Why? The plan is to do a trial drive to Marocco in Easter; then a full drive to Gambia at a later date (but I've already said this somewhere else!)

So basically, I'm looking for an overland vehicle! The Tactica (see witham-sv) was VERY tempting, but I have a feeling that at 11-tons it would be a little hard to push out of the sand!

Michele

 

[MangoMan]

I know I'm going to get shot, but I had a close look at one of these on Friday, and I'm sorry, but I really liked it....

 

[Spinal]

Is that a Hearse? and does it say StarTrek on the back?

 

[splang]

I would recommend a e500 (well, I would, wouldn't I)....

Huge engine for effortless driving (70mph at 1700 rpm) Quiet, roomy, refined. Lovely air suspension etc..(don't know if in budget though).

I certainly view it as a car to cross continents in

 

[Spinal]

I would recommend a e500 (well, I would, wouldn't I)....

Huge engine for effortless driving (70mph at 1700 rpm) Quiet, roomy, refined. Lovely air suspension etc..(don't know if in budget though).

I certainly view it as a car to cross continents in

The e-class IS a nice car - but it requires one thing that I wont have - roads! I'm planning to do some off-roading in the desert, and I need suspensions which are a tad higher then the stock e-class

I'm very tempted by the freelander - the prices are really good (3/4k for a 2001 model with a/c) - which would leave me with enough money to start modifying it immediately...

Need to look at discoveries, but the freelanders seem to have a reputation on their reliability, so I just need to figure out what the engine codes mean! Any ideas? Td5, Td4, 300?? Whats what? and whats best?

Michele

 

[crockers]

I know I'm going to get shot, but I had a close look at one of these on Friday, and I'm sorry, but I really liked it....

Don't worry.......................someone has to......:bannana: