can anyone help please

Road_Hog

elantan wrote: »

as we like to go camping hillwalking etc

Ah, camping, you need a large boot, a roof box and a trailer then.

elantan wrote: »

the car we have just now is a megane the size is ok, the amount of mpg is ok the tax and insurance is ok ... its fixing the darned thing ... we spend approx between £1,500 and £2,00 a year fixing it ( not including regular services etc ... we get them done as well) ... and have done since we bought it 7 years ago ... it seems to be one thing after another ... we just spent £500 in November last year and i fear we may be a good few hundred tomorrow ... then something else goes ... and we fix that ... it is becoming an ever decreasing circle of us spending money fixing things and then trying to get our moneys worth out of fixing it

That's French (and Italian) cars for you. Another option is a Honda Accord or most Japanese cars, if reliability is high on your list.

elantan

we do use a roof box yes its amazing how much rubbish you just "must" have when you go camping lol

we did look at a kia proceed ecodynamic the other week it was 11k ( we were going to have to take on credit for it ) if we put 4k down (they were giving us 1k for ours ... we had 1.5 so were going to borrow 1.5 from the bank of mum and dad) it was £194 a month for 3 years 0% apr ... but we shyed away from it as

a) whilst we thought the car was ok ... we didnt love it and it was alot of money to pay for something we didnt love
b) it was going into debt and we really dont want to do that

we had decided to go either for asian cars or German cars as they have a much more reliable reputation ... i think that was something that made me think the merc couldve been a good option

i liked the seat leon but oh struggled getting in and out

we both like the seat exeo and have decided that if we were ever to get into debt it would be for a car we loved and that is one we both love

how high a milage should i go? is say 100,000 miles classed as high milage for a honda civic ? we are currently sitting at 106,000 miles ... and had nothing but problems since it was 10,000 miles but i know other cars last longer



have just friend on the phone saying look i know you dont have the finances etc so we will give you the car for £1,300 ... really need to get that sorted soon ... just cant think what to say :o:o

fivetide

I would recommend a Civic Aerodeck

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2001-HONDA-CIVIC-AERODECK-VTEC-SE-BLUE-/110828693307?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item19cde7a73b

should do all you need and at a 1.6 shouldn't bust the bank on fuel.

5t.

elantan

thats a year younger than the merc and 26,000 miles more ... but it is (i am sure) a much better car than the merc a class and in my budget thanks

cruger

Road_Hog wrote: »

.
That's French (and Italian) cars for you. Another option is a Honda Accord or most Japanese cars, if reliability is high on your list.

Honda Accord are great cars but if buying a 04-05 diesel make sure the VSA (£1,800) Timing chain (£2,500) Manifold (£800) has been done there was a extended warranty on these issues so most saloon's tourer's should have been done if not expect big bills. The petrol 04-05 seem to be OK.

Road_Hog

cruger wrote: »

Honda Accord are great cars but if buying a 04-05 diesel make sure the VSA (£1,800) Timing chain (£2,500) Manifold (£800) has been done there was a extended warranty on these issues so most saloon's tourer's should have been done if not expect big bills. The petrol 04-05 seem to be OK.

I've had plenty of Accords. Used to work for Honda, had a new company car every 3 months, every two months at one stage (they wanted them back with no more than 8,000 to 10,000 miles on them).

Always used to have petrols. They asked me to have a diesel once (they used to let you choose which car you wanted ((Accord, CRV etc.)), colour, transmission and fuel type), offered the top spec as an incentive to take it.

So I had one, within a month I managed to put petrol in it and drive off (got about half a mile away) and realised exactly what I had done as soon as the engine started to cough.

elantan

friend has phoned again .... i am waiting till oh get's in so we can figure out what to say ... mmmm ... i have a feeling this may not end well at all in some respects

vikingaero

The original A-Class was by far the worst car that Mercedes ever produced. I would concur that you should not buy it and I speak from personal experience as my Dad and I shared one.

The A-Class will be a money pit. Common faults and problems:

- Suspension springs break - especially the rears
- If the starter motor fails it is an engine subframe out job to replace because of the way the engine is canted. Instead of £200 for a new starter motor on a normal car it will cost around £6-800 mainly because of labour costs.
- The valve body in the autobox will burn out and fail. Also for some unfathomable reason the autobox contains an ECU that will fail. Most manufacturers locate an ECU inside the car away from heat and vibration - not Mercedes! The valve body will cost £1,500 minimum to replace.
- More Mercedes specialists have access to computers that can interrogate faults - but a lot of garages will turn away work that is electrical although most will happily service them. If there are faults then the only remedy is to take the car to a Mercedes dealership - my local Merc dealership charges around £190 per hour for labour.
- Other common faults are the accelerator, air mass meter etc etc.

Get my drift?

elantan

thanks viking ... its deff off the table now ... i think i would rather stick with the car i have than have that one ... it seems to be more trouble than it is worth ...

it's just for me ( a no nothing about cars type person) i have been told asian or german merc is german it had low milage etc so i thought hey it should be ok for a year or two till we save up enough to buy a better car

but no it is not an option now

now i just need to work out
a) how to tell them
b) what car to get instead

i'm thinking a honda, skoda, hyundai etc .... in the mean time we will get ours fixed yet again tomorrow pay the money out yet again and try and save for a new car whilst looking for one to replace ours as soon as is practical

thanks everyone for the input so far it is much appreciated

please feel free to give more advice ... knowledge is power after all

cruger

Road_Hog wrote: »

I've had plenty of Accords. Used to work for Honda, had a new company car every 3 months, every two months at one stage (they wanted them back with no more than 8,000 to 10,000 miles on them).

Always used to have petrols. They asked me to have a diesel once (they used to let you choose which car you wanted ((Accord, CRV etc.)), colour, transmission and fuel type), offered the top spec as an incentive to take it.

So I had one, within a month I managed to put petrol in it and drive off (got about half a mile away) and realised exactly what I had done as soon as the engine started to cough.

You wouldn't be the first mate.;)
Out of interest what is the CRV and FRV like. I know the petrol can be thirsty but they do look comfy. I had a W reg Honda Shuttle best car I have owned, never went wrong in the 6 years I owned it and past MOT first time every year. I did have it serviced regularly by the Honda dealer they were really cheap which surprised me.