CLK, A4 Cab or Alfa GT - which one?
Discussion
I'm in desperate need of a new car, as i've managed to sell on my ageing BMW (520i E34). I'm 24 years old, cover around 10-15k miles a year and will only use my car for work, occasional long trips and also only minimal weekend use, i suppose what i'm trying to say is i don't do any track days or anything like that.
I want a coupe or 2dr car, but it must have 4 seats. I've always liked these three cars since they were launched and they all now, conviently, fall within my budget of 4k (maximum). I'm not afraid of high mileages, FWD, diesels, automatics etc. and i have enough to run any of them. MPG not a priority and insurance is fine for all of them :
2004 Alfa Romeo GT 1.9 JTDm 150 Coupe - Don't want the JTS and can't run the V6, plus this is said to be the best all-rounder of the range.
2002 Audi A4 Convertible 2.4 V6 - I used to drive an old A4, i really like the whole package and don't really care that it won't be that great to drive. Is the multi-tronic best avoided? Only cabrio here so would be good in summer and easy to sell on when i come to sell.
2002 Mercedes-Benz CLK 320 (C209) Avantgarde Coupe - Highish miles for the budget, but is it likely to be unreliable?
I don't need mega performance or razor sharp handling, just want a nice 'cruiser-type' useable car that i can own for a few years until i get into 911s and Caterhams!
I've dismissed most other cars and really don't want an older car like a 944 or old M3 for example for the reason said above.
Just looking to hear others opinions on the cars and what they would take given the choice. Obviously owners experiences would be great too!
Thanks
I want a coupe or 2dr car, but it must have 4 seats. I've always liked these three cars since they were launched and they all now, conviently, fall within my budget of 4k (maximum). I'm not afraid of high mileages, FWD, diesels, automatics etc. and i have enough to run any of them. MPG not a priority and insurance is fine for all of them :
2004 Alfa Romeo GT 1.9 JTDm 150 Coupe - Don't want the JTS and can't run the V6, plus this is said to be the best all-rounder of the range.
2002 Audi A4 Convertible 2.4 V6 - I used to drive an old A4, i really like the whole package and don't really care that it won't be that great to drive. Is the multi-tronic best avoided? Only cabrio here so would be good in summer and easy to sell on when i come to sell.
2002 Mercedes-Benz CLK 320 (C209) Avantgarde Coupe - Highish miles for the budget, but is it likely to be unreliable?
I don't need mega performance or razor sharp handling, just want a nice 'cruiser-type' useable car that i can own for a few years until i get into 911s and Caterhams!
I've dismissed most other cars and really don't want an older car like a 944 or old M3 for example for the reason said above.
Just looking to hear others opinions on the cars and what they would take given the choice. Obviously owners experiences would be great too!
Thanks
I had an Audi A4 Cabrio (two, in fact), and kept them longer than any other car I've had, they were brilliant!
Definitely that one out of those choices (out of any four seater cabrio in fact).
However you need to know:
AVOID MULTITRONIC!!!! Like the plague. Just do a search for Multitronic on here, they are a disaster!
Forget the 2.4. I've driven all of them, the 3.0 is ace but bit thirsty. The 1.8T goes very well for its size (still a 140mph car) and is incredibly economical on a run. The 2.4 cunningly combines the thirst of the 3.0 with the performance of the 1.8T. In fact it feels slower than the 1.8T as the turbo boosts torque at lower revs in the 1.8.
Do try and get the "sport spec". I had one non sport and one sport. Sport gives you 17 inch wheels (standard is 16, looks a bit small), much much better and more adjustable seats with electric lumber support (best seats I've ever sat in, bar none), and slightly firmer but much better damped suspension. The standard car is very wallowy.
Other than that, fantastic cars. Amazingly quiet with the hood up, surprisingly roomy (often had four adults in mine), big boot (the bit the soft top folds into can be concettaed flat to the boot roof when the hood is up, beautiful classy interior, and still look good today.
Here's mine (Sport spec).
Definitely that one out of those choices (out of any four seater cabrio in fact).
However you need to know:
AVOID MULTITRONIC!!!! Like the plague. Just do a search for Multitronic on here, they are a disaster!
Forget the 2.4. I've driven all of them, the 3.0 is ace but bit thirsty. The 1.8T goes very well for its size (still a 140mph car) and is incredibly economical on a run. The 2.4 cunningly combines the thirst of the 3.0 with the performance of the 1.8T. In fact it feels slower than the 1.8T as the turbo boosts torque at lower revs in the 1.8.
Do try and get the "sport spec". I had one non sport and one sport. Sport gives you 17 inch wheels (standard is 16, looks a bit small), much much better and more adjustable seats with electric lumber support (best seats I've ever sat in, bar none), and slightly firmer but much better damped suspension. The standard car is very wallowy.
Other than that, fantastic cars. Amazingly quiet with the hood up, surprisingly roomy (often had four adults in mine), big boot (the bit the soft top folds into can be concettaed flat to the boot roof when the hood is up, beautiful classy interior, and still look good today.
Here's mine (Sport spec).
Edited by Ari on Friday 16th March 10:36
A4 all day long for me. If there is one thing that I think Audi do well it's convertibles.
They still look fresh even at 10 years old (unlike the CLK) and are a nice place to be. Would agree that the 1.8T/2.0T are the pick of the range for a combination of MPG/performance and will certainly be cheaper to run/fix than an Alfa or MB.
They still look fresh even at 10 years old (unlike the CLK) and are a nice place to be. Would agree that the 1.8T/2.0T are the pick of the range for a combination of MPG/performance and will certainly be cheaper to run/fix than an Alfa or MB.
I had the same shortlist on my last choice of car. I went for the Alfa.
The A4 was nice (my friend had one, so had a good test in advance), but it just seemed so dull. The Merc was nice, but was hampered by the auto box, and the base diesel engine was not as pleasant as the Alfa.
The Alfa just felt 'free' - it just zipped so nicely along. It didn't have any of the DPF bits to worry about either. And that interior! Such a nice place to be.
Another thing to note - the Alfa is really practical, because of the large rear hatch - you can get big bits of furniture in there, with little hassle. You can't do that with the Merc, that's for sure.
I miss mine badly:
The A4 was nice (my friend had one, so had a good test in advance), but it just seemed so dull. The Merc was nice, but was hampered by the auto box, and the base diesel engine was not as pleasant as the Alfa.
The Alfa just felt 'free' - it just zipped so nicely along. It didn't have any of the DPF bits to worry about either. And that interior! Such a nice place to be.
Another thing to note - the Alfa is really practical, because of the large rear hatch - you can get big bits of furniture in there, with little hassle. You can't do that with the Merc, that's for sure.
I miss mine badly:
44EB said:
I want a coupe or 2dr car, but it must have 4 seats. I've always liked these three cars since they were launched and they all now, conviently, fall within my budget of 4k (maximum). I'm not afraid of high mileages, FWD, diesels, automatics etc. and i have enough to run any of them. MPG not a priority and insurance is fine for all of them :
2004 Alfa Romeo GT 1.9 JTDm 150 Coupe - Don't want the JTS and can't run the V6, plus this is said to be the best all-rounder of the range.
2002 Audi A4 Convertible 2.4 V6 - I used to drive an old A4, i really like the whole package and don't really care that it won't be that great to drive. Is the multi-tronic best avoided? Only cabrio here so would be good in summer and easy to sell on when i come to sell.
2002 Mercedes-Benz CLK 320 (C209) Avantgarde Coupe - Highish miles for the budget, but is it likely to be unreliable?
I don't understand. You can run a 2.4 V6 Audi or a 3.2(?) V6 Merc, but not a 3.2V6 Alfa?2004 Alfa Romeo GT 1.9 JTDm 150 Coupe - Don't want the JTS and can't run the V6, plus this is said to be the best all-rounder of the range.
2002 Audi A4 Convertible 2.4 V6 - I used to drive an old A4, i really like the whole package and don't really care that it won't be that great to drive. Is the multi-tronic best avoided? Only cabrio here so would be good in summer and easy to sell on when i come to sell.
2002 Mercedes-Benz CLK 320 (C209) Avantgarde Coupe - Highish miles for the budget, but is it likely to be unreliable?
The JTDm is a rough, agricultural engine. Nippy enough, but loud and not particularly frugal compared to more modern diesels (40mpg average probably).
Get the GT, but get a V6
I was looking at both the GT and A4 Cab in my recent search and found that A4's (around my way anyway) were all a bit ropey for 4k and quite high mileages.
The GT is a really nice car, inside and out, the gearbox didn't feel like it was very direct in the car I tested but I'm not sure if this was a car specific thing because I've driven Alfas before and not felt that. One thing to check on these would be up to date cambelt changes, I saw one for 4k last week that was on 69k miles (should be due one about then so would expect it done before buying) and it had had a cambelt done at 18k and a really peppered history which seemed a bit strange to me.
Good luck with the search, to me it's the most fun part!
The GT is a really nice car, inside and out, the gearbox didn't feel like it was very direct in the car I tested but I'm not sure if this was a car specific thing because I've driven Alfas before and not felt that. One thing to check on these would be up to date cambelt changes, I saw one for 4k last week that was on 69k miles (should be due one about then so would expect it done before buying) and it had had a cambelt done at 18k and a really peppered history which seemed a bit strange to me.
Good luck with the search, to me it's the most fun part!
Thanks so far for all comments. Head says A4, heart says Alfa and, well i don't know what part of my body wants the CLK!
As for the comment on not being able to run a V6 GT - should have been clearer - they are more expensive to buy for a good one (completely blowing my budget!) although i know they are coming down in price but the main point is the group 19 insurance which is at least 700-800 more expensive than the V6 Audi and Merc. But i see your point.
As for the comment on not being able to run a V6 GT - should have been clearer - they are more expensive to buy for a good one (completely blowing my budget!) although i know they are coming down in price but the main point is the group 19 insurance which is at least 700-800 more expensive than the V6 Audi and Merc. But i see your point.
pembo said:
I was looking at both the GT and A4 Cab in my recent search and found that A4's (around my way anyway) were all a bit ropey for 4k and quite high mileages.
Must admit, I did think 4K sounded cheap for an A4 Cab, even allowing for the fact that the first ones must be 10 years old now. So I could believe they'd be a bit ropey at that price level. DavidHM said:
Just FYI the C209 is the one that looks like this, in case it changes anyone's mind...
This one is a 53 plater with 90k, on at 4,200.
Didn't read the original post properly and assumed that the OP was after a convertible. (Although thinking about it now, I don't think you can get a 4 seater Alfa convertible apart from a recent one can you?)This one is a 53 plater with 90k, on at 4,200.
I had in my mind the previous shape CLK Cabrio, but if the OP doesn't need an opening roof then that newer shape one would make a very nice car. (But then why bother with an A4 Cab if don't need an opening roof..?)
Yes it's two coupes (CLK & GT) and one convertible A4. The A4 Cab was on list as thought the soft top was nice feature to have. I know the TT is a 4 seat coupe (just!) but i don't really like it, although i admit it fits most of my criteria! If there was an A4 Coupe then i would probably be looking at that instead TBH.
I know these three cars aren't comparing apples with apples as you've got a German automatic RWD coupe against a German FWD manual convertible and an Italian FWD manual hatch/coupe! That's what is making it hard to choose. I suppose the only thing in common is that they're all saloon based!
I know these three cars aren't comparing apples with apples as you've got a German automatic RWD coupe against a German FWD manual convertible and an Italian FWD manual hatch/coupe! That's what is making it hard to choose. I suppose the only thing in common is that they're all saloon based!
44EB said:
Yes it's two coupes (CLK & GT) and one convertible A4. The A4 Cab was on list as thought the soft top was nice feature to have. I know the TT is a 4 seat coupe (just!) but i don't really like it, although i admit it fits most of my criteria! If there was an A4 Coupe then i would probably be looking at that instead TBH.
I know these three cars aren't comparing apples with apples as you've got a German automatic RWD coupe against a German FWD manual convertible and an Italian FWD manual hatch/coupe! That's what is making it hard to choose. I suppose the only thing in common is that they're all saloon based!
One looks beautiful.I know these three cars aren't comparing apples with apples as you've got a German automatic RWD coupe against a German FWD manual convertible and an Italian FWD manual hatch/coupe! That's what is making it hard to choose. I suppose the only thing in common is that they're all saloon based!
Two look boring.
Decision made.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff