Merc A140 for the wife?
Discussion
MODS - i've also posted this in the merc section but it's a little quiet and i'm going to see this tonight. If you have to can you leave this one and delete the other.
Good morning all.
In my never ending search for a car for the wife she has finally seen a little A class that she likes the look of.
The ad reads:
Mercedes Benz A140 2003 reg.
51000.
Mot 6 mnths.
Tax 6 mnths .
Full Service History
Mercedes Engine 1397 Model A140 classic
Mileage 52,000
Colour Silver
Transmission Manual
Body 5 Door Hatchback
Fuel Type Petrol
Registered 2003
Mercedes Benz A140, 1.4 engine (economical), MOT 6 mnths, Tax 6 mnths , Air Conditioning, ,Sony Cd player, alloys, FULL SERVICE HISTORY, All original manuals, Original Mercedes Mats and keyring, Central Locking
Really Nice To Drive, Interior pristine, bodywork fantastic, any inspection welcome
Good morning all.
In my never ending search for a car for the wife she has finally seen a little A class that she likes the look of.
The ad reads:
Mercedes Benz A140 2003 reg.
51000.
Mot 6 mnths.
Tax 6 mnths .
Full Service History
Mercedes Engine 1397 Model A140 classic
Mileage 52,000
Colour Silver
Transmission Manual
Body 5 Door Hatchback
Fuel Type Petrol
Registered 2003
Mercedes Benz A140, 1.4 engine (economical), MOT 6 mnths, Tax 6 mnths , Air Conditioning, ,Sony Cd player, alloys, FULL SERVICE HISTORY, All original manuals, Original Mercedes Mats and keyring, Central Locking
Really Nice To Drive, Interior pristine, bodywork fantastic, any inspection welcome
I know they tend to divide opinion. My parents have had 2 - a MK1 and then a Mk2. Your experience may vary - but we found:
+ves (applies to both Mk1 and Mk2)
Good visibility, though if you are short then the front right pillar can block vision
Great around town, easy to park
Good loading space and can get a surprising amount in with seats down
Reliable
Not too thirsty
Very safe - lots of Merc safety features
-ves
Hard ride, esp in back
Parts expensive, find a good Merc Indy
Not the most relaxing on a long run - though that might be my aged fathers driving!
Avoid the selectronic model (semi auto /manual box but clutchless)
+ves (applies to both Mk1 and Mk2)
Good visibility, though if you are short then the front right pillar can block vision
Great around town, easy to park
Good loading space and can get a surprising amount in with seats down
Reliable
Not too thirsty
Very safe - lots of Merc safety features
-ves
Hard ride, esp in back
Parts expensive, find a good Merc Indy
Not the most relaxing on a long run - though that might be my aged fathers driving!
Avoid the selectronic model (semi auto /manual box but clutchless)
Due to the arrival of a baby, I had to stop buying 80's tat and get something more useful to drive.
Have now got a 2003, manual A140.
In all honesty, I quite like it. Now on 40k miles, took it out to Switzerland last summer and it coped with the continental journey with no problems. It is perfectly happy to sit at 90 all day long (600 miles in under 9 hours inc lots of small breaks for pregnant missus).
It is ideal around town, more than nippy enough to cope with aggressive London traffic and can be thrown about with abandon. I'm moving out to Hertfordshire next week and on open flowing A roads it does ok...could do with more power when overtaking but again considering it is only a 1.4 - goes well enough. It is never going to set the road alight, but I do quite look forward to driving it on my own.
MPG is excellent, mid 30's to mid 40's depending on who is driving and location.
With the seats out (very easy) can get an alarming amount of stuff in the back, has a really excellent flat loading area.
Whatever you do, get a manual. Also, considering the values are all pretty much even, I'd look for an A210. Will then come with all the toys and have some extra poke for when you drive it.
Have now got a 2003, manual A140.
In all honesty, I quite like it. Now on 40k miles, took it out to Switzerland last summer and it coped with the continental journey with no problems. It is perfectly happy to sit at 90 all day long (600 miles in under 9 hours inc lots of small breaks for pregnant missus).
It is ideal around town, more than nippy enough to cope with aggressive London traffic and can be thrown about with abandon. I'm moving out to Hertfordshire next week and on open flowing A roads it does ok...could do with more power when overtaking but again considering it is only a 1.4 - goes well enough. It is never going to set the road alight, but I do quite look forward to driving it on my own.
MPG is excellent, mid 30's to mid 40's depending on who is driving and location.
With the seats out (very easy) can get an alarming amount of stuff in the back, has a really excellent flat loading area.
Whatever you do, get a manual. Also, considering the values are all pretty much even, I'd look for an A210. Will then come with all the toys and have some extra poke for when you drive it.
Not sure about values at all, mine was a gift.
Make sure you get one with A/C or a sunroof. Ours was spec'd with neither and does get hot in the summer. I'd also probably look for a LWB version if you ever intend to carry adult passengers for any length in the back. Ours is fine for the baby seat, but not the most comfortable for adults.
I expected to hate it, having sold my 1989 Saab 900 T16 Aero when it arrived - but I don't. I quite admire it. It does its job very well, is cheap to run, safe, the missus likes driving it, I thrash it mercilessly everywhere and it just soaks it all up.
Make sure you get one with A/C or a sunroof. Ours was spec'd with neither and does get hot in the summer. I'd also probably look for a LWB version if you ever intend to carry adult passengers for any length in the back. Ours is fine for the baby seat, but not the most comfortable for adults.
I expected to hate it, having sold my 1989 Saab 900 T16 Aero when it arrived - but I don't. I quite admire it. It does its job very well, is cheap to run, safe, the missus likes driving it, I thrash it mercilessly everywhere and it just soaks it all up.
My sister bought one nearly new in 2002 and when she replaced it recently, the only car she wanted was another A class - we bought a new shape, 2005 car.
I've not had much to do with it but it was overall a good car. It began to suffer with rust (the 2002 car) towards the end, but aged well generally - she'd done 130k in it. Inside, while a little dirty, it aged well and wasn't showing anything more than the usual signs of aging.
One thing that they can suffer from, so I beleive, is intermittent starting. My sisters wasnt bad for it, but once or twice it just wouldnt start (not even turn over) but then would start fine 1/2 hr later. When she asked at MB, they suggested replaceing all sorts of electronics with no real rhyme nor reason. I would have replaced the fob battery first!
I understand MB had a patch where build quality wasnt what it could have been, but not sure when this was. I suspect its was 2003-4, but still, panels etc should all be a lovely fit and the paint should all be of good quality.
Good luck with your viewing.
I've not had much to do with it but it was overall a good car. It began to suffer with rust (the 2002 car) towards the end, but aged well generally - she'd done 130k in it. Inside, while a little dirty, it aged well and wasn't showing anything more than the usual signs of aging.
One thing that they can suffer from, so I beleive, is intermittent starting. My sisters wasnt bad for it, but once or twice it just wouldnt start (not even turn over) but then would start fine 1/2 hr later. When she asked at MB, they suggested replaceing all sorts of electronics with no real rhyme nor reason. I would have replaced the fob battery first!
I understand MB had a patch where build quality wasnt what it could have been, but not sure when this was. I suspect its was 2003-4, but still, panels etc should all be a lovely fit and the paint should all be of good quality.
Good luck with your viewing.
My partner has one, a 53 plate with 70k miles on it. I'd agree with the assesment of the other owners, although I'd say that I've not been particularly impressed with the fuel economy and it's downright scary on the motorway in the wind. Seems *VERY* sensitive to tyre choice for stability and is much improved on Toyo Proxes in comparison to the OEM fit.
Ours has bits of rust appearing in the middle of panels and all over the fuel filler flap, so the quality is typical for a Mercedes of that era. At 70k the suspension is getting a bit clonky too.
It's a reasonable little car, and an absolute tardis with the seats out - I cannot think of anything of this size that has anything like the internal space and flexibility, and certainly not a Jazz. It does sit at 90 quite happily, although it's noisy at that speed. Seats aren't very comfortable, and the lack of armrest is very tedious on a long run. Ride quality is quite poor, but it rolls much less than other cars of the type. I'd strongly advise looking at an A160 as it'd be a much more enjoyable car if it weren't so gutless. Headlights are good too.
Regards,
Dave
Ours has bits of rust appearing in the middle of panels and all over the fuel filler flap, so the quality is typical for a Mercedes of that era. At 70k the suspension is getting a bit clonky too.
It's a reasonable little car, and an absolute tardis with the seats out - I cannot think of anything of this size that has anything like the internal space and flexibility, and certainly not a Jazz. It does sit at 90 quite happily, although it's noisy at that speed. Seats aren't very comfortable, and the lack of armrest is very tedious on a long run. Ride quality is quite poor, but it rolls much less than other cars of the type. I'd strongly advise looking at an A160 as it'd be a much more enjoyable car if it weren't so gutless. Headlights are good too.
Regards,
Dave
I'd recommend looking at Bert Rowe's excellent pages on the A class. Loads of info on maintenance, common faults and fixes:
http://www.aclassinfo.co.uk/mypage.1.htm
http://www.aclassinfo.co.uk/mypage.1.htm
excel monkey said:
james_tigerwoods said:
I hate to say it, but have you considered a Honda Jazz
Much better in every way.
What I would say about Merc's generally, is find a good indie if you don't already have one lined up. Even if you intend to maintain it yourself, have one lined up as backup - you particularly might need access to the MB diagnosis tool, StarDiagnose, if you have any problems.
Jazz is very good (we had a 2003 one) but they have issues too as they get older (gearboxes and various a/c components, and the roof can start to leak). I think the older ones are overpriced now.
I also have a C Class so hang around on the Merc forums and you do see some right horror stories about A Class, especially from people who take them to franchised dealers for every repair.
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