2014 E220 Convertible, Yay or Nay?
Discussion
All,
Due to change car in January and looking at getting the aforementioned and was wondering if I could have peoples thoughts. The personal contract hire deals just now are fantastic and it seems like a lot of car for the money.
1.) 26 and male, is it acceptable to drive a convertible?
2.) General opinions on car and engine box etc.
3.) booking test drive this week but how bad is road noise realistically?
4.) How bad can I expect it to be in the winter without winter tyres, having never owned a rear wheel drive car previously. By that I mean this car specifically not rear wheel drive cars in general.
5.) Any options I should go for and should avoid when speccing?
Any help appreciated.
Due to change car in January and looking at getting the aforementioned and was wondering if I could have peoples thoughts. The personal contract hire deals just now are fantastic and it seems like a lot of car for the money.
1.) 26 and male, is it acceptable to drive a convertible?
2.) General opinions on car and engine box etc.
3.) booking test drive this week but how bad is road noise realistically?
4.) How bad can I expect it to be in the winter without winter tyres, having never owned a rear wheel drive car previously. By that I mean this car specifically not rear wheel drive cars in general.
5.) Any options I should go for and should avoid when speccing?
Any help appreciated.
1.) 26 and male, is it acceptable to drive a convertible? - stupid question.
2.) General opinions on car and engine box etc. - great to both. They do the diesel too, which is silly cheap to run.
3.) booking test drive this week but how bad is road noise realistically? - there won't be any that you'll notice.
4.) How bad can I expect it to be in the winter without winter tyres, having never owned a rear wheel drive car previously. By that I mean this car specifically not rear wheel drive cars in general. - it will be shockingly bad (eg, totally immobilised on a flat surface in an inch of snow (really).
5.) Any options I should go for and should avoid when speccing? - personal lease you need to be careful, as anything you specifiy will often not count toward any residuals, and you'll simply pay the price of the extra over the term of the lease.
I don't know if it is the same, but if it takes the Becker MapPilot module then these are brilliant. However don't buy from MB, I got mine from eBay in Germany and got the exact same unit for £225, not the £500 that Merc want.
Dog Star said:
1.) 26 and male, is it acceptable to drive a convertible? - stupid question.
2.) General opinions on car and engine box etc. - great to both. They do the diesel too, which is silly cheap to run.
3.) booking test drive this week but how bad is road noise realistically? - there won't be any that you'll notice.
4.) How bad can I expect it to be in the winter without winter tyres, having never owned a rear wheel drive car previously. By that I mean this car specifically not rear wheel drive cars in general. - it will be shockingly bad (eg, totally immobilised on a flat surface in an inch of snow (really).
5.) Any options I should go for and should avoid when speccing? - personal lease you need to be careful, as anything you specifiy will often not count toward any residuals, and you'll simply pay the price of the extra over the term of the lease.
I don't know if it is the same, but if it takes the Becker MapPilot module then these are brilliant. However don't buy from MB, I got mine from eBay in Germany and got the exact same unit for £225, not the £500 that Merc want.
Haha thanks for reply!2.) General opinions on car and engine box etc. - great to both. They do the diesel too, which is silly cheap to run.
3.) booking test drive this week but how bad is road noise realistically? - there won't be any that you'll notice.
4.) How bad can I expect it to be in the winter without winter tyres, having never owned a rear wheel drive car previously. By that I mean this car specifically not rear wheel drive cars in general. - it will be shockingly bad (eg, totally immobilised on a flat surface in an inch of snow (really).
5.) Any options I should go for and should avoid when speccing? - personal lease you need to be careful, as anything you specifiy will often not count toward any residuals, and you'll simply pay the price of the extra over the term of the lease.
I don't know if it is the same, but if it takes the Becker MapPilot module then these are brilliant. However don't buy from MB, I got mine from eBay in Germany and got the exact same unit for £225, not the £500 that Merc want.
Only concern from any of that is the being unable to move at all come winter. Given my location in sunny Scotland, winter tyres be a decent investment?
Yes - we put them on our E class last winter and it acted like it had 4 wheel drive, especially impressive given it could not get off our (level) drive without much sliding and slipping in the previous winter with a light sprinkle of snow. Got a new set this year for the CLS which will also be going on in the next week or two. Having experienced Mercs on summer tyres in winter, never again will I have one and not swap it onto winter tyres about now.
FordMan1 said:
All,
Due to change car in January and looking at getting the aforementioned and was wondering if I could have peoples thoughts. The personal contract hire deals just now are fantastic and it seems like a lot of car for the money.
1.) 26 and male, is it acceptable to drive a convertible?
Any help appreciated.
To be honest, if you are insecure enough need to to seek approval from anonymous people on the internet then you are probably better off giving it a miss...Due to change car in January and looking at getting the aforementioned and was wondering if I could have peoples thoughts. The personal contract hire deals just now are fantastic and it seems like a lot of car for the money.
1.) 26 and male, is it acceptable to drive a convertible?
Any help appreciated.
FordMan1 said:
All,
1.) 26 and male, is it acceptable to drive a convertible?
49 and got it so I can take the kids out otherwise wouldn't touch one
2.) General opinions on car and engine box etc.
Mines 5.5 and the engine and box are the best bits
3.) booking test drive this week but how bad is road noise realistically?
Very very refined
4.) How bad can I expect it to be in the winter without winter tyres, having never owned a rear wheel drive car previously. By that I mean this car specifically not rear wheel drive cars in general.
I decided to get a cheap 4*4 but only because of my kids, just me - wouldn't be arsed
5.) Any options I should go for and should avoid when speccing?
Dab radio is a must, I like the HK audio, nowt else needed - the air scarf is lovely, the windscreen pop up aero foil doesn't work for me
1.) 26 and male, is it acceptable to drive a convertible?
49 and got it so I can take the kids out otherwise wouldn't touch one
2.) General opinions on car and engine box etc.
Mines 5.5 and the engine and box are the best bits
3.) booking test drive this week but how bad is road noise realistically?
Very very refined
4.) How bad can I expect it to be in the winter without winter tyres, having never owned a rear wheel drive car previously. By that I mean this car specifically not rear wheel drive cars in general.
I decided to get a cheap 4*4 but only because of my kids, just me - wouldn't be arsed
5.) Any options I should go for and should avoid when speccing?
Dab radio is a must, I like the HK audio, nowt else needed - the air scarf is lovely, the windscreen pop up aero foil doesn't work for me
26 and male, in a 220CDI.
With all due respect, wonderful car though it is, hood down action with a Massey Ferguson under the bonnet will fail to induce any kind of smile. Tunnels through Italy will not sound with joy, and power delivery that is akin to taxi driver on a mission will fail to impress any company you have in the car.
At 26, still needing some prudent insurance, think about another brand, or second hand, or two seats.
Don't get me wrong, the cars are very elegant, and you won't be abusing your Shell card thanks to the D word, but you can do all that when you're 76, not 26.
With all due respect, wonderful car though it is, hood down action with a Massey Ferguson under the bonnet will fail to induce any kind of smile. Tunnels through Italy will not sound with joy, and power delivery that is akin to taxi driver on a mission will fail to impress any company you have in the car.
At 26, still needing some prudent insurance, think about another brand, or second hand, or two seats.
Don't get me wrong, the cars are very elegant, and you won't be abusing your Shell card thanks to the D word, but you can do all that when you're 76, not 26.
A friend of mine leased one. Looked the part with little AMG logos here there and everywhere. A really nice car for people who don't particularly like cars, but very little to love about the agricultural 4 pot oil burner if you like cars with proper engines. It's the sort of thing that will impress other people much more than it will probably impress you, once the novelty has worn off. I tend to go about things in the opposite way and end up driving cars that most people wouldn't want! 
slippery said:
A friend of mine leased one. Looked the part with little AMG logos here there and everywhere. A really nice car for people who don't particularly like cars, but very little to love about the agricultural 4 pot oil burner if you like cars with proper engines. It's the sort of thing that will impress other people much more than it will probably impress you, once the novelty has worn off. I tend to go about things in the opposite way and end up driving cars that most people wouldn't want!
Just looked at your user profile.....a very impressive list of cars you have owned! Assuming you don't keep them for long, or you must have a massive driveway!RBrown said:
Just looked at your user profile.....a very impressive list of cars you have owned! Assuming you don't keep them for long, or you must have a massive driveway!
Thanks. 
A lot of them are classics now, but at the time they were either very common or often overlooked. I only ever had up to three at a time.
DSLiverpool said:
Ah Slippery slight thread hijack I had a Scirocco turbo technics conversion in 1984 it was a 1.6 and one of the first conversions (1982 car) I hope your Corrado was more refined!
It was flawless. 188 BHP, beautifully balanced and drove like it left the factory that way. Even had adjustable boost via a very OEM looking switch on the dash. OK, back on topic. OP, I think the danger with this car is it will have massive showroom appeal. Do yourself a favour and see if you can get a look and better still a ride in one that's 'lived in' and has lost that new car feeling. It needs to be a bit dirty, with an empty drinks can rolling around in the footwell and door pockets full of crap. If you still really like it then and it's not just 'seduction by bright lights and tiled floors, go for it!
slippery said:
OK, back on topic. OP, I think the danger with this car is it will have massive showroom appeal. Do yourself a favour and see if you can get a look and better still a ride in one that's 'lived in' and has lost that new car feeling. It needs to be a bit dirty, with an empty drinks can rolling around in the footwell and door pockets full of crap. If you still really like it then and it's not just 'seduction by bright lights and tiled floors, go for it!
Very valid point. I'm taking a car allowance through work and hency why I have been looking at personal lease options. Should have bit the bullet a week ago as the prices this month have increased dramatically. If you are going to get a merc, you may want to remember that their financial year end is 31 December.
As a result, they always have good offers on near the end of December. The best day to walk into a garage and get a cracking finance agreement is 23 or 24 December.
It worked for me as they are desperate to shift stock and get their figures up.
Good luck!
As a result, they always have good offers on near the end of December. The best day to walk into a garage and get a cracking finance agreement is 23 or 24 December.
It worked for me as they are desperate to shift stock and get their figures up.
Good luck!
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