how much does owning a Mercedes A Class do?

use

hello!

I want to buy a used Mercedes A Class automatic with around 60-80k miles

But I am afraid of the possible cost of owning such a premium brand car, although it belongs in the small category as a car

Do I get taxed about owning a Mercedes?
How much do service costs?
How about parts? Are they expensive?
What else should I consider before buying a Mercedes?

thanks!

IamNotAllowedToUseMyName

use wrote: »

hello!

I want to buy a used Mercedes A Class automatic with around 60-80k miles

But I am afraid of the possible cost of owning such a premium brand car, although it belongs in the small category as a car

Do I get taxed about owning a Mercedes?
How much do service costs?
How about parts? Are they expensive?
What else should I consider before buying a Mercedes?

thanks!

Is that the old boxy one or is it the new Audi A3 shaped one? Avoid the old boxy one.

Mercedes do not attract extra tax, what attracts tax is the emissions, so you need to compare, but Mercs are generally fairly clean for their class so no particular tax concerns.

Any dealer servicing is expensive it seems, but Mercedes will tend towards the top end of the market, along with the other premium brands. You can go to an independent.

Parts do tend to be expensive, but you do have the option of fitting equivalent parts, many of which may actually be the same but unbranded.

Where you may gain is that the Audi Merc and BMW will tend to have a better build quality than some (e.g. Citroen) so on an older car you might both find that it looks better as it ages than some of its competitors and is more reliable, but it is not a given that they will cost you less than other brands to run because of this.

If you want a premium car, then Merc, Audi and BMW will fit the bill. The new A Class does have a certain cachet as it is the new kid on the block, but it is not necessarily the best car - but it is not a bad car. Beware of What Car? reviews who seem to have an anti-Merc pro-BMW slant.

It really depends what you are after, Honda Civic is a decent car, for example, but depends what you want to do with it - you can't have that smug feeling of owning a Merc or a BMW with a Honda (even though Mercs and BMWs are pretty common-place in reality).

use

it is a 2006 SE, should I go for it?

BeenThroughItAll

A Class automatics are well known for problems with the gearboxes, so I'd do plenty of research before committing to one.

bod1467

Off-topic ...

"how much does owning a Mercedes A Class do?"

What sort of linguistic mangling is that?

atrixblue.-MFR-.

bod1467 wrote: »

Off-topic ...

"how much does owning a Mercedes A Class do?"

What sort of linguistic mangling is that?

perhaps English is a second language.


OP, they a pain in the backside to own, BIL father had one immobilizer issues, engine problems gearbox issues (especially auto boxes).


a car to avoid rather than love!.

use

which one diesel should I go for:

Fiat Punto 2007
VW Polo 2004
Mazda 2 2008

forgotmyname

If your worried about servicing costs then buy something from the 1990's and only check the tyres and brakes and fluid levels. If it needs oil throw the cheapest supermarket oil in and ignore any strange noises unless it stops the thing from moving. Servicing costs = nil. sorted.

londonTiger

it's the old boxy one then, it uses a french engine, that tells you all you need to know.

also they were so cheap that easycar brought tonnes of them into their fleet back when they first came out.

they're a cheap car with a high end badge, so worst of both worlds, crap car with expensive service and repair.

avoid.

harveybobbles

use wrote: »

hello!


What else should I consider before buying a Mercedes?

thanks!

Something else.

IamNotAllowedToUseMyName

londonTiger wrote: »

it's the old boxy one then, it uses a french engine, that tells you all you need to know.

also they were so cheap that easycar brought tonnes of them into their fleet back when they first came out.

they're a cheap car with a high end badge, so worst of both worlds, crap car with expensive service and repair.

avoid.

I contracted at a factory on the south coast in Kent (near the failed 70s Channel Tunnel entrance) who made components for the gear box. The part they made had to have a circlip fitted which was then covered in grease. The workers were on piece rate and worked out that you could not see whether the circlip was fitted or not. THAT tells you all you need to know!

Actually, I wonder if the more rounded Mk II is more reliable and suffering from the rep of the original.