Need to buy one for the missus. Anyone recommend getting one? I'm looking at the 190 or 160. Apparently the 190 does 60 in about 8.5 secs?

Cheers

Jay

 

you can get a shopping trolley for a quid, at most places, these days!!

you can also fit more in it.

BB

 

We've got an A160 elegance as a family mobile, got it from mercedesdirect who get all the Merc lease returns & are good on price. Mrs Dunk is v pleased with it, but the ride is quite harsh, ins was under £200 f/comp & it averages 30 mpg around town. Let me know if you need any more info.
Edited to say Elegance gets aircon as std, avantgarde got half leather (actually quite crap) & a full length sunroof & no aircon.


[Edited by Dunk - 11/20/2002 4:35:08 PM]

 

Dunk,

Thanks mate. How harsh are we talking here? Can that be fixed by uprating the springs and dampers?

Cheers

Jay

p.s. I've seen a Y plate 190 Avantgarde for 8k with 35k on the clock. Is that good value?

 

Uprated dampers do you want to feel each of your vertebrae ? They come with 3 different transmissions Manual, Auto & ACS (clutchless manual shift) which is a bit quirky & isn't good for resale. I didn't see the point of the A190 as ours is used for short journeys, & also didn't want the added ins / fuel costs. £8k sounds cheap just check it's got air & isn't ACS, best of all go drive one & see !
Here's where we got ours http://www.directmercedes.co.uk.

Edited to say be picky there are plenty about & avoid the white, jungle green & african violet - they are truly hideous !

Dunk

[Edited by Dunk - 11/20/2002 5:20:59 PM]

 

Downrating the springs and dampers would work better on an A-class, as the ride is firm to start with. Or look to get the long-wheelbase version, which does ride slightly better and has acres of room in the rear seats.

The 1.9 is a bit noisy when extended and the 1.4 is underpowered, so the 1.6 strikes the right balance between performance and economy.

As for where to start looking, as previously said, Mercedes Direct should be your first call along with the local dealers. Mercedes are unusual in the fact that often people outside the dealer network value them higher than the official dealers just because of the three point star. Plus you'll get all the warranty benefits from a dealer. Beware though, that the major supply of lower mileage year old cars will probably be ex Easyrentacar vehicles.

 

Had a 1.6 as courtesy car while my E was being serviced:

Dissappointing to say the least, auto box struggled with the small engine, noisy, harsh, poor ride, plasticky interior, no fun handling....

.....if you can do without the badge and the image there's so much better to be had for less cash.

 

What other alternatives then?

I think as a package the car is A+ and depreciation proof if you get a car 2/3 years old.

 

I have spent a lot of time in a Mettallic purple (And yes I am straight) A190 Auto.

I quite liked it, quick ish but didnt sound very nice when thrashed, comfy, versatile but cost about 20k new and is now worth about 9, 3 years later. A pillar is a big problem on these, right in your line of sight.

A 140 makes more sense in these as the handling isnt particularly fun and doesent make you want to use the performance of the 190's
125 bhp, save the difference and buy a MK2 Golf GTI 8 valve.