Upgrade car

Scot22

Two years ago bought 2011 Merc A Class classic manual petrol.  Immaculate condition.  A Class in short supply so couldn't get Avant-garde which I would have preferred.
Perhaps money saving not buying newer car any ways to improve classic, e.g headlights, seat comfort.  Ideas appreciated.

AdrianC

Sell it and buy what you want. There's plenty of similar age/value A-classes of the spec you want on Autotrader.

Scot22

Usually look within 50 miles.  Just checked on 100 miles distance.  Only one similar age and mileage. 95 miles away.   Would cost, at least, £2,500, plus px my car.  Not ready to lose that much.
Thanks for your reply but availability not that good.

AdrianC

The nice thing about buying cars is that they're very easily portable.

If you do modify your current car, don't forget to tell your insurer.

tacpot12

Buying new seats from a scrap yard might give you some better comfort, and you might even find that the wiring for options such as heated seats is already installed, so you might just need the seats and the switches for the this. But really the best way to save money is to live with the car as it is, and save hard, so that the next car you buy can be more the spec you want. 

Trying to trade up is a very risky approach; you are as likely to buy a lemon as you are a better car than what you have.  

Scot22

Thanks tacpot12 for the helpful post.  Yes, the car I have came one owner with full merc service history.  The problem was availability rather than price. Buy from away and any problem can be difficult to resolve.  Don't really want a car newer than 2012.  I think now too many extras to cause problems.  Suspect motorists being used as guinea pigs for fully automated cars. When I change looking towards first gen well maintained Auris, another discussion 😊

DrEskimo

Set up alerts on the various car buying sites.

Whilst there may not be the car you want at the price you want today, it may come up in next month or year. If you out the research time in you will learn to recognise a good deal when it comes along. 

Scot22

Really helpful.  I'll do that.
If I say so myself I do a lot of research.  Sometimes to obsessive levels !!

Grumpy_chap

For specifically the Avant-Garde trim, Autotrader only returns one result right now:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009153748392

FWIW - Trying to change the car you have into the car you want by doing upgrades will be expensive, not achieve the desired result and be good money after bad, IMO.

Best to keep this car for as long as it serves your needs, and then seek the car you desire (which may not be the Mercedes by then as this type will be getting ever-older).

AdrianC

Grumpy_chap said:

For specifically the Avant-Garde trim, Autotrader only returns one result right now:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009153748392

I'm seeing 5 AvantGarde, and 72 AvantGarde SE among the nearly 8,000 A-classes nationally.
Filter down to just petrols, and there's 3 AG and 37 AG SE.
Filter down to just manuals, and there's 1 AG and 15 AG SE.
All are 2012 or earlier, presumably because that badging ceased to be used on the W176 launched in 2013.
They range in price from £700 to £5,000.

Grumpy_chap

That's odd.  I did a national search for Mercedes A-Class up to 2013 with key-word "Avant-Garde". Maybe some listings don't have the hyphen, or other spelling difference?

Just re-ran my search with the key-word "avantgarde" and it returns 82 cars.  I copied the key word from the OP, so maybe if they adjust the search criteria slightly, more choice of exactly what they want will be available.