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Merc A class any good?
the_devil_made_me_do_it
Posts: 5,567 Forumite
in Motoring
I'm considering buying a used A class and was wondering whether they are any good or not? They do seem good value price wise, but I know that's not everything. Any advice/opinions would be welcome 
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Comments
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Not a proper merc buy a Yaris insted!0
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Watch the full auto gear selectors - not a cheap fix.
Had a 170CDi for 1000 miles and found on 1 occasion it became unbalanced and the ESP was slow to kick in.Praying at the church of MSE should be compulsory!
There are three types of people in the world, those who can add up and those who can't.0 -
If it's the old A-Class then avoid like Syphilis!
My dad had one and it was really really bad. He bought it new and suffered countless problems with it. Judging by other owners experiences a lot of faults were common to all cars.
Major problems:
(1) Automatic gearbox will eventually fail and run in "F" fault mode. You are left driving it in 2nd gear as limp home mode. Normally the valve body burns out. Merc dealers won't replace it but quote for a new gearbox @ c.£5k. An automatic specialist replaced ours for £1,600.
(2) Rear springs aren't pigtailed and will snap usually out of warranty which is also an MOT failure. Merc ran a goodwill fix for a long time but I think they've stopped this.
(3) Starter motor will fail. On normal cars you can whack the starter with a broom to get you going. On the A-Class with it's canted engine it's a subframe/engine out exercise. I think it cost my dad around £600-700 at a Merc main dealer.
(4) ECU's and electrics are pi$$ poor and dodgy. We spent over £1k on replacing various ECUs and air mass meters.
(5) Ride is awful on Avantgarde models with sports suspension. Bearable in the Classic and Elegance models.
(6) Plastics are really bad. Drivers seat height handle loves to break off and we had a collection of plastic parts from the interior of the car (couldn't work out where they came from or what they covered) and some underbody trays parts that love to fall off. In the end we just ripped them off.
I really want to like the A-Class. The concept and space and seating is fab especially on the LWB models. But the car is a real stinker reliability wise. It costs a hell of a lot to maintain because 99% of indies have no access to Merc codes and computers and therefore you often have to pay main dealer rates.......... £150-£200 per hour.The man without a signature.0 -
vikingaero wrote: »If it's the old A-Class then avoid like Syphilis!
My dad had one and it was really really bad. He bought it new and suffered countless problems with it. Judging by other owners experiences a lot of faults were common to all cars.
Major problems:
(1) Automatic gearbox will eventually fail and run in "F" fault mode. You are left driving it in 2nd gear as limp home mode. Normally the valve body burns out. Merc dealers won't replace it but quote for a new gearbox @ c.£5k. An automatic specialist replaced ours for £1,600.
(2) Rear springs aren't pigtailed and will snap usually out of warranty which is also an MOT failure. Merc ran a goodwill fix for a long time but I think they've stopped this.
(3) Starter motor will fail. On normal cars you can whack the starter with a broom to get you going. On the A-Class with it's canted engine it's a subframe/engine out exercise. I think it cost my dad around £600-700 at a Merc main dealer.
(4) ECU's and electrics are pi$$ poor and dodgy. We spent over £1k on replacing various ECUs and air mass meters.
(5) Ride is awful on Avantgarde models with sports suspension. Bearable in the Classic and Elegance models.
(6) Plastics are really bad. Drivers seat height handle loves to break off and we had a collection of plastic parts from the interior of the car (couldn't work out where they came from or what they covered) and some underbody trays parts that love to fall off. In the end we just ripped them off.
I really want to like the A-Class. The concept and space and seating is fab especially on the LWB models. But the car is a real stinker reliability wise. It costs a hell of a lot to maintain because 99% of indies have no access to Merc codes and computers and therefore you often have to pay main dealer rates.......... £150-£200 per hour.
What reg do the old ones end?0 -
98 - 04 were the first series - though there was a revison in 2001.
Also remembered - watch out for ex easycar rentals.Praying at the church of MSE should be compulsory!
There are three types of people in the world, those who can add up and those who can't.0 -
So, a 2001 up over would be ok? But avoid below that age?0
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the_devil_made_me_do_it wrote: »So, a 2001 up over would be ok? But avoid below that age?
2001+ was a cosmetic facelift of the older version. It was still the same car with a new dashboard and light and I would seriously avoid them.
The current A class is "acceptable".The man without a signature.0 -
vikingaero wrote: »
It costs a hell of a lot to maintain because 99% of indies have no access to Merc codes and computers and therefore you often have to pay main dealer rates.......... £150-£200 per hour.
this should be your main worry op, regardless of it being new or old shape, you will inevitable need to visit a dealer at some point, its not a nice experience going to a merc dealer.
find something cheaper to run and more reliable like the yaris as has been already mentioned....work permit granted!0 -
here are a few reviews, should be enough to change your mind!
http://www.carsurvey.org/reviews/mercedes-benz/a-class/0
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