Car Buying Dilemma
Discussion
Seeking some collective wisdom on whether I should change my car?
Currently I have a 2024 Octavia VRS with about 9k on the clock & aside from a few glitches with the infotainment system it's been great, brilliant all rounder but maybe a little dull, but my head has been turned by a 2018 Mercedes E400 Coupe that's only done 11k fully specced interior,V6 twin turbo, awd, 9 speed auto, air suspension etc you get the idea!
It's only going to be a couple of grand to swap, but am I mad to change for something 6 years older?
Any opinions gratefully received
Currently I have a 2024 Octavia VRS with about 9k on the clock & aside from a few glitches with the infotainment system it's been great, brilliant all rounder but maybe a little dull, but my head has been turned by a 2018 Mercedes E400 Coupe that's only done 11k fully specced interior,V6 twin turbo, awd, 9 speed auto, air suspension etc you get the idea!
It's only going to be a couple of grand to swap, but am I mad to change for something 6 years older?
Any opinions gratefully received
Personally I'd stick with the VRS, especially as you like it.
Test drive the Mercedes and that will give you a steer, although it is 6-7 years old and you won't know how its been driven / owned, whereas presumably you've had your VRS from new.
Unless its a particular car you've been after I'd stick, but just my opinion.
Good luck
Test drive the Mercedes and that will give you a steer, although it is 6-7 years old and you won't know how its been driven / owned, whereas presumably you've had your VRS from new.
Unless its a particular car you've been after I'd stick, but just my opinion.
Good luck
Your money to spend as you wish. In 5 years time the Skoda will still be a relatively young car while the Merc will be aging and bigger bills will be part of living with it.
If you want the Merc after a test drive and are happy with both the cost to change and likely higher medium to long term running costs then go for it.
If you want the Merc after a test drive and are happy with both the cost to change and likely higher medium to long term running costs then go for it.
Test drive the Merc. 2018 is hardly that old, I see plenty of cars on the road 8 or even 10 yes older than that.
Yes it will cost more to turn, and you should put aside a grand or 2 in case, but the Merc is further along the depreciation curve, so that might find the bork fund on paper?
I went from a 2021 car to a 2013 car at the end of last year and don't mind the age difference at all.
Yes it will cost more to turn, and you should put aside a grand or 2 in case, but the Merc is further along the depreciation curve, so that might find the bork fund on paper?
I went from a 2021 car to a 2013 car at the end of last year and don't mind the age difference at all.
Thanks for all the advice & opinions, decided the only way to make my mind up was to go & see the Mercedes so had a little roadtrip yesterday.
I really liked it, the interior was really nice, it drove well once I had put the suspension in sports mode (too soft in comfort) & I was very tempted, but cosmetically it wasn't prepped yet a kerbed alloy, stone chips on bonnet, various light scratches & slightly dull paint & some lovely green grud around the panoramic roof seals kind of put me off, yes the dealer was going to sort all that & I'm sure with some TLC from me it would look great but I couldn't get past that, although it was a very low mileage 1 owner car it hadn't been fussed over like I have the Octavia .
So I suppose that common sense has kicked in & I'm sticking with the Octavia for now, if I was trading down to an older car to put some money in the bank it would be a no brainer but I think I'm doing the sensible thing.
It has made me realise what I don't like about the Skoda & it's the interior, it's comfortable enough but obviously it's been built down to a price & some of the materials particularly the seats feel a bit cheap, so a more premium interior when I do change it but newer, will have to raid the piggy bank!
I really liked it, the interior was really nice, it drove well once I had put the suspension in sports mode (too soft in comfort) & I was very tempted, but cosmetically it wasn't prepped yet a kerbed alloy, stone chips on bonnet, various light scratches & slightly dull paint & some lovely green grud around the panoramic roof seals kind of put me off, yes the dealer was going to sort all that & I'm sure with some TLC from me it would look great but I couldn't get past that, although it was a very low mileage 1 owner car it hadn't been fussed over like I have the Octavia .
So I suppose that common sense has kicked in & I'm sticking with the Octavia for now, if I was trading down to an older car to put some money in the bank it would be a no brainer but I think I'm doing the sensible thing.
It has made me realise what I don't like about the Skoda & it's the interior, it's comfortable enough but obviously it's been built down to a price & some of the materials particularly the seats feel a bit cheap, so a more premium interior when I do change it but newer, will have to raid the piggy bank!
It does beg the question of: if you went and saw it again after preparation and you thought it was OK, is it more about the narrative you allow yourself to believe?
As in, if you've seen the messy version they've later masked, you can't pretend it was always well cared for, but - like most dealer cars - if you've only ever seen the tarted-up one, you can. But they're actually the same condition.
I get the sentiment but I think in a world of leased cars with an arms-length approach to ownership, "fussed over" is very much an outlier and you'd be better served by thinking in terms of how good a condition you could return it to with a little work.
As in, if you've seen the messy version they've later masked, you can't pretend it was always well cared for, but - like most dealer cars - if you've only ever seen the tarted-up one, you can. But they're actually the same condition.
I get the sentiment but I think in a world of leased cars with an arms-length approach to ownership, "fussed over" is very much an outlier and you'd be better served by thinking in terms of how good a condition you could return it to with a little work.
Tom4398cc said:
If the Merc is a diesel, I’d be nervous of the low mileage. Which suggests more likely short journeys. I’d want to know it had had its oil changed at least every 2 years (ideally annually).
Personally, I’d look for a petrol Mercedes
This was a petrol version, personally I wouldn't touch a diesel as my daily commute is only a few miles which I know wouldn't be right for a dieselPersonally, I’d look for a petrol Mercedes
We went from a 2023 Cupra Formentor (bought at 5 months old) to a 2018 Macan with 55k miles with FPSH and came with Porsche Warranty until July 2027.
It was my wife’s car but is our “daily” runaround (although it sits in the garage probably 3-4 days per week).
The main reasons for changing were the Cupra although a good looking car just didn’t feel like it would stand the test of time with a hateful infotainment system where everything is done through the touchscreen (like most new cars these days unfortunately) and leather seats that wrinkled after around 2 months (recovered under warranty but they’d go again I’m sure).
So far no problems but pleased we have the extended warranty.
It was my wife’s car but is our “daily” runaround (although it sits in the garage probably 3-4 days per week).
The main reasons for changing were the Cupra although a good looking car just didn’t feel like it would stand the test of time with a hateful infotainment system where everything is done through the touchscreen (like most new cars these days unfortunately) and leather seats that wrinkled after around 2 months (recovered under warranty but they’d go again I’m sure).
So far no problems but pleased we have the extended warranty.
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