Bin men smashed my car up - What Car?

[anonymous-user]

So I was abruptly awoken this morning by the sound of a large bang. The bin men backed his lorry down our lane and smashed into the rear of my 03 C class. The damage doesn't look the worst however I feel like it may be a write off seeing it's value when bought was only £2500.

Now for the more exciting bit! I may now need a new car within the coming days, however my mind has now gone blank of every car I know, not sure if that's because I'm still hungover. My basic requirements are:

- Manual
- Engaging drive
- Returns around the 30mpg mark on a steady run
- Top of budget of 4k

I'm also a fan of saloons and not so much a fan of hatchbacks so that's something to bare in mind.

Any suggestions would greatly help; after owning the Mercedes I want something that's a bit more engaging but not so raw that I'm going to dread the 4am commute in the mornings over winter

[anonymous-user]

hornetrider said:

Noice.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

Nice but they look some what meh? Maybe it's just me but I see way too many of them around. Heard the engines a peach though

[anonymous-user]

andy-xr said:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Volvo-S60-2-4-auto-2005M...

Check that auto box though, they can be a bit troublesome. Easy enough to spot, move from park to drive and see if it takes a while to engage

I was considering one, my friend has the 2.5 petrol turbo, it's an 02 and they look lovely inside. They handle well for a big old lump? Any concerning problems with them?

[anonymous-user]

aka_kerrly said:

What is this obsession with snow and getting RWD cars stuck all about??

According to the OP's profile he lives in Bristol, I live a few miles north and in the last 15 years there have been only a handful of occasions in which there has been enough snow to make me think twice about driving.

Ice on the other hand is more likely at 4am and from my understanding of ice it doesn't matter which wheels or how many are receiving drive once you start skidding!

Thanks for noticing! Yeah snow is not so much of an issue to be honest. Think I haven't been able to drive due to snow 8 times since I was 18? I'm 23 by the way. Volvo sounds nice for a gap filler but I was hoping to get a Subaru Impreza WRX by the end of next year. Maybe this is a sign?

[anonymous-user]

lostkiwi said:

Whats with the current PH obsession with Saabs?

I'm getting rid of mine!

This. What I've read they sound like vamped up vectras?

[anonymous-user]

aka_kerrly said:

Bold parts, you are 23 and have already been considering a Impreza WRX - if this insurance isn't an issue then DO IT get one now, there will be plenty of time in the future for you to buy a boring as hell Volvo or Saab when you have to worry about children/car seats an other guff like that where as there will be no more "proper" Impreza WRXs.

Your budget should get you into a 2003> "blobeye"

I've been dying for one, however I put getting a house priority, got 13k already so realistically I could start saving for one end of next year. However I feel this could be a great opportunity to get one now. It's only 1k a year of insurance so it's not that bad, and blobeye all the way

Any idea what price and mileage I should be looking @ for a blobeye?

[anonymous-user]

gizlaroc said:

Sabb, Volvo, Jetta, FFS??!!!

All of those are seriously crap choices, I have had a Sabb 95 for 2 months and it was a good motorway crusier and...no...nothing else, oh, seats wear nice.
S60? Extremely wallowy and that was coming from a 210 E Class. It was fine but no way engaging at all.
Jetta? Seriously?!! I don't even no where to start.


The problem you have is the C Class is actually not bad at all, it is softer than the BMW, but 100x better than the Audi A4 and it is RWD. I liked the Sabb, but it was not engaging to drive, and the torque steer was nasty, I was very glad when it went.


Someone offered an E91 325i above, that is an absolute peach of a car, I would enquire about that.

Having said all that, after messing around in a V70 for a couple of weeks and then an A4 2.0T S-Line, I have gone back to a C Class, a 206 C320 Sport estate, so, so much better than the pre facelift btw for build and overall feel. For me it is the perfect compromise of comfort, practicality and actually pretty fun when pressing on.
I also tried a C350 V6 coupe, preferred the engine but wanted an estate, this came up after I bought my diesel...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

I know you said you didn't like hatches, but maybe an estate?

Yeah that looks like a real treat! But I just want to steer away from an Auto box for this car, and as we know Mercedes are not renown for there manuals. But yes I would be open to estates if the right one came up.

[anonymous-user]

CGJJ said:

Stop your messing around.
Better think of your future.

Oh yes, however I'd be looking for a nice blob eye

[anonymous-user]

Slow said:

Buy back your merc and use it still? If he reversed into it, won't exactly be a dangerous amount of damage?

Waiting to hear back from there insurance company. My insurance said they would put me through to a third party company who they use, and said they'd sort it out all for me and charge their insurer. Is it worth waiting to see what the other insurer says or just go straight for the 3rd party company who will sort it?

[anonymous-user]

RicksAlfas said:

hornetrider said:

The obvious answer is the best 3 series you can afford.

With heated seats!

AB57 said:

4am commute in the mornings over winter

and heated wheel and screen