E200 CGI petrol? Any good, any pitfalls?

[st4]

Given my driving ban is up quite soon I am looking at cars.

My top end budget is £14k and really could do with spending less than that. I don't want some 8yr 90k miles shed either. I reasonably newish younger car is my preference. I also happen to want a large car, not a C class/3 series sized car, too small and uncomfortable. I don't want a 4 clyinder diesel, too noisy and I don't do the miles. a 5 or 6 cylinder diesel is fine but probably over budget

I had narrowed the search to the following models.

Volvo S80 D3 Geartronic, a 3yo 40k miles one appears around £14k

Honda Accord 2.0 i Vtec, well under budget for a 3yo 25k miles car, ideal. Years of life and cheaper running costs. Bit of a come down from a Merc, but I'd live.

Toyota Avensis 1.8 V Matic, as above, but I'd live.

However, realising I only do 12k miles per year I could look at a posh make Petrol. Remember I have a DD40 so an E500 E350 petrol is out, as is a diesel E350cdi (budget vs age) and I do not want a 4pot diesel I thought one of these would do.

E200 CGI W212.

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

It is top end budget, and a manual but its a sensible age/condition and I can change gear myself, given my dislike of 7g its a plus.

Am I mad, are there many pitfalls with this model or should I get one of the previous 3 as I know all of these are reliable and having been a passanger in them I know they'd be fine.

Are these M274's money pits or are they ok?

[st4]

yellowbentines said:

Dont do it!

Or at least drive one first, as the figures on paper are misleading.

I had a 2012 E200 CGI auto estate for a year, it was slow, sluggish and thirsty. It felt like it had zero torque for the size/weight of the car and I never saw more than 35mpg, 30mpg average over 13k miles.

I now have the same car in E220 cdi guise, on paper acceleration and bhp are similar, but you need the torque of the diesel (or a bigger petrol engine) to make driving pleasant in that size of car.

Good to see you on here, local to me too.

I've been researching since posting, its based on the chain snapping m271 model. I'll avoid it, no wonder the car I found was cheap. The stats say combined 38mpg, and I would hope it would get figure on long gentle runs.

I'll end up in the Volvo or Honda/Toyota probably and the Japanese petrol engines don't self destruct and actually do hit around 35mpg in mixed use.

[st4]

chiefski26 said:

Purchase a c63 amg w204, we know how much love you have for them from your days on Mbclub.co.uk prior to your ban.


Lol!

Purchase a C63???

No, too small, too noisy and too uncomfortable.

[st4]

SFO said:

£14k will buy you a good CLS55!!!

hello Mr T

my blue baby says hello

How are you doing? Seems ages since the last "tour".

A CLS55 is a little pricey to run (I haven't had a car for the last two years and looking over how much I spent running them I am so much better off). Given the youngest is knocking on for 10yo it will need more maintiance than I am prepared to spend my money and time on. Plus insuring one with a DD40 won't be fun.

I still want a nice car, and not a diesel 4pot so an E220cdi is out but its got to be hassle free motoring. Lexus GS250 is out of budget but would be perfect for my needs.

[st4]

Palmball said:

Jesus, WTF happened to you!?

Anyway, I had an E200 CGI loan car once and it was nicer than I expected it to be (in the context of another 4 cylinder petrol or diesel). I get not wanting a 4 cylinder diesel as I'd do all I could go avoid one if I had to. No idea about reliability but the Merc was pleasant enough.

Unlike an Avensis rental car I had last year (a brand new one at that). I can't fathom why anyone would buy one of those nondescript things when there's so many other much nicer cars like Lada's and Dacias. Awful. The kind of Honda Acoord you're talking about is much better (we had one as a pool car at work a few years ago) but I'd still rather have an older (and potentially riskier) Merc - the ambience, refinement, comfort and just the little details are in a different league (consider their relevant prices when new).

It also means you have to return to MB Club....and WTF happened there too? Did you upset someone?

I am banned from all Merc forums...this isn't the place to discuss it.

I am even banned from driving for another few months...

http://www.pistonheads.com/gAssing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

To be honest I am after a no nononse, spacious and reliable 5dr car large saloon.

I am a risk adverse person and really after a long spell off the road just want a car that works with no surprises or hassle thats comfortable and refined.

The Accord, S80 and Avensis tick the box.I don't want a C class, I found it a bit too small and a little uncomfortable with its hard ride. I also felt the cost of running and buying it, for what was a nondescript car mechanically a little galling.

It has to be insurance friendly, an E500, would be lovely, but really for a DD40 a bit pricey to insure, and I can insure the Volvo for £600pa and the Honda for £450pa.

All the car will be used for is 1 big holiday per year to Europe, trips from Glasgow upto the west coast and highlands, and a run down the Motorway to see mates down south. I cannot even find an E500 or E350 petrol 212 in my budget, and I don't want some 100k miles car but a young car (under 5y0 and under 50k miles).

I'll test the Honda, if its as quiet as my 204 on the move, and quieter at iddle (not hard, the merc was a 4pot diesel) I'd take it

Edited by st4 on Saturday 7th March 11:51

Edited by st4 on Saturday 7th March 11:54

[st4]

Aquanaut said:

Use some of the 14k as a deposit and go pcp on new or nearly new?

No!!!!!

[st4]

W124Bob said:

Buy the very best 190E 2lt you can find (around £5k) and use the surplus for petrol/maintenance.

I don't want an old car. A newish (under 4yo model is best for me).

I find this apt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWnAdB-vkXo

[st4]

SFO said:

am well.

doing this in May:http://www.petrolheadnirvana.com/driving-tours/highland-fling/

Fuel prices are low now, so V8s are cheap to run

seriously though, my CLS55 has not gone seriously wrong in the nearly 5 years and 43k miles that I have had it; apart from 2 parktronic sensors, 1 main battery, 1 small engine rocker gasket resealing. That's it. Everything else is routine maintenance.

I understand about the insurance issue though.

But please, not a Volvo.

I loved that car of yours, glad you've kept it.

I tested a V70 for my folks yonks ago, seemed really nice as a day to day car, quiet, well riding, spacious, well fitted, equal to the merc.

Other alternative is a Honda accord like this

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

I don't want to spend what I used to on motoring, out of the way of it now really

[st4]

SFO said:

V70 I like

S80 is so ugly

Honda Accord also not pretty.

Don't want an estate this time, I have a lot (now) of very expensive camera gear I'd rather have concealed in a separate compartment. An estate with a boot cover pulled accross just says "rob me" whereas a saloon doesn't.

Saloons are quieter too, a big deal for me. I quite like the look of both cars to be honest.

[st4]

ZX10R NIN said:

If you can get past the badge these are a good steer I use the company one every now & then it's a good car nigh on 240bhp & everything you want, the only thing that I don't like is the stereo which isn't as intuitive as the Mercedes ones but that's it

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

Edited by ZX10R NIN on Wednesday 11th March 08:14

I could drive that gladly. Are they reliable though. I was in one as a Taxi and thought ride/refinement was on a par with my old E220cdi from yonks back. ie good. Taxi was a diesel and he said it was strong and reliable

[st4]

yellowbentines said:

Good cars, but dont drop £14k on a 4yr old range-topping Ford with a petrol engine unless you plan to run it into the ground, as it'll drop value spectacularly.

I've been there with its 2.0 Ghia X stablemate at the time.

I'm going to make enquiries on this

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

Merc E class solid these. I love them having tried a V70. I know its a bit early but can lend it to my folks or a friend to use until my ban is up. I can stick L plates on it once got my provisional through until I get my extended test done.

[st4]

Dryce said:

Have you thought perhaps about a 4WD?

The reason I raise this is that you make trips to wild places with your camera gear.

One of the limiting aspects I find with a large saloon/coupe style car is the ground clearance that means in more out of the way places up the west and north west highlands it can sometimes be difficult to find decent spots to lay up the car withot risking grounding it.

I did, at length. But for the budget and age/miles I want I'd end up with a really basic uncouth car, or an older shed.

An XC60 would have been perfect, or even an X3/X5 but pushes the costs too far.

As it is I am about to own an S80 Volvo.

Cars can be left in laybies and I can walk a little. Its fine.

[st4]

The superb did tempt me but having been a passanger in one I felt it kicked up a lot of road noise and road harshly. VAG isn't the last word in reliability either, despite what they say.

Volvo S80 ordered. Decision made.

[st4]

V12 AMG said:

Did you ride in one with 16" wheels or larger? Must make a big difference. I found on 16s it was quiet and smooth inside. Easily surpassing a W204 for sure.

The S80 is great though. Not to my taste but it is a great place to be. Which motor did you opt for?

It was on 16s the superb, there was nothing superb about it. Nasty ride, lots of road noise, my head felt too close to the B posts. It just felt cheap.

The S80, doesn't. It surpresses noise much better (I drove a D5 V70 and tbh I had the 211 E class at the time and it felt better made, more spacious, more comfortable, just with duller handling). The handling is't a big deal given I have a DD40 so the Volvo wins.

Its 3yo, 36k miles, £13100 delivered with 2yr warranty and is a 2 litre D3 5clyinder diesel engine automatic with black leather heated seats, performance stereo, and 17inch alloys over gunmetal grey paint. Its a cracking big car comparible to a new shape E class for not much more than Mondeo money.

[st4]

V12 AMG said:

Your experience is very strange. Maybe the car had some tyre issues or something.
I am in the motor trade and drive an S class day to day so i'm no stranger to refinement.

I was in a Mondeo as a taxi and thought it great, the superb was poor. I spoke to a mate in the chauffeur trade and he reckoned as you, the superb was better. He put it down to tyre choices.

I still felt the Mondeo rode better than the superb and felt nicer inside. The again the Ford had 300k miles on it, the superb 150k but the Ford could have just been given new springs, shocks as it felt like split new, the Superb didn't but probably was on the same shocks it left the factory with.

Although the superbs are massive, I felt the seats were awfully close to the edges of the car and my head near the posts. In the Ford, Merc and Volvo you sit more inboard and it feels safer being further from the posts. Too many rate them so I know my view isn't the common one.

The latest just to be released superb looks great, and Im not a badge snob, image concious sort so will look at them again once this Volvo has had its time with me, but for now I am delighted with the model of car I've chosen. I've driven similar before and know I will find it perfect for my needs. 5pot character too.