Mercedes-Benz with hub caps?

unkel

Just saw an '01 E200 Kompressor with hub caps. There was me thinking cars in this class have come with alloys as standard for many years?

maidhc

I know it is a smaller class, but I have seen a good few 2006 A3s with hubcaps.

Wishbone Ash

Maybe it was a "Classic" spec?

unkel

Wishbone Ash wrote:

Maybe it was a "Classic" spec?

Yes it was

Still pretty poor to have to pay extra for alloys on a €50k car

Just checked on carzone.ie and the most basic E-class now has alloys as standard. Just to compare, the newest 5-series I have seen without alloys was an early 90s 518i E34

Wishbone Ash

I would imagine that if I were spending €50k I go the extra bit and get a higher spec level or add them afterwards.

MercMad

Just checked on carzone.ie and the most basic E-class now has alloys as standard. Just to compare, the newest 5-series I have seen without alloys was an early 90s 518i E34

........not true, they only became standard on the 5 series in 2000 !

Even then they were scabby looking, as are the E-Class "Classic" ones, but thats where they make their money by selling you an upgrade !

unkel

MercMad wrote:

........not true, they only became standard on the 5 series in 2000 !

Is that right? Well I believe you anyway. Pretty much all owners must have upgraded to alloys then, or what I suspect, BMW threw them in as standard policy when finalising the deal

Has anyone ever seen an Irish reg '96-'99 E39 5-series on steel rims with hub caps?

Executive cars without alloys just don't look right, although the majority of all new cars, even low end ones, seem to come with alloys these days

spockety

About 30% of the new 3 series I've seen have got hub caps on them.. all 318's or 318d's.

Couldn't believe it when I saw the first one.

unkel

spockety wrote:

About 30% of the new 3 series I've seen have got hub caps on them.. all 318's or 318d's

Yeah, that's a completely different segment with people stretching to get a base 316i for €36k. The cheapest alloys would be another €800 too far

maidhc

unkel wrote:

Yeah, that's a completely different segment with people stretching to get a base 316i for €36k. The cheapest alloys would be another €800 too far

Although for 36k one would think BMW could afford to fit them as standard!

BrianD3

I've seen lots of pre facelift E39s with steel wheels and hub caps. There are less of them about now as 2nd and subsequent owners often fit alloys.

The post facelift (angel eyes) ones I'm not so sure about, I know of a few that look like they have steel wheels but they might just be a very plain looking alloy.

unkel

MercMad wrote:

........not true, they only became standard on the 5 series in 2000 !

Just checked on a Dutch website (until a few years ago BMWs in Ireland and the Netherlands were of similar poverty spec because of VRT) and face-lift alloys were a €1000 option and they are standard since the face-lift, so you were spot on!

MercMad

Has anyone ever seen an Irish reg '96-'99 E39 5-series on steel rims with hub caps?

...........actually those black wheels with the holes drilled in them, under the hubcaps are actually alloy !!

The standard wheel from 2000 > where 15" that did a fine impression of a hub cap !!

commited

My old mans €40k Rover 75 came with a cassette player. The €15000 Fiat Punto my neighbour bought the year before came with a CD player. Go figure.

Wishbone Ash

commited wrote:

My old mans €40k Rover 75 came with a cassette player. The €15000 Fiat Punto my neighbour bought the year before came with a CD player. Go figure.

Rover 75 = Old man's car

Old man less likely to own any CDs

lomb

amazing how penny pinching the manufacturers are even when they are charging top whack. what do u guys reakon it would have cost merc to fit alloys instead of steel? maybe its not about what they would cost ( nearly nothing) but what they charge for upgrading steel to alloy. just shows if people will pay then...

mike65

Are you sure the CD was'nt in the boot? Mine is and I have a cassette which by the way is a good thing. I like to make my own tapes of "best stuff".

Mike.

colm_mcm

Base model 3 series didn't have rear electric windows either, but that doesn't really matter, it's a BMW, the ultimate driving machine*





*unless you get a 316, in which case you will be overtaken by pedestrians

unkel

colm_mcm wrote:

*unless you get a 316, in which case you will be overtaken by pedestrians

It is slow and ultimate driving machines do not have 4 pot engines. However a 1.6 BMW 316 is still a good bit faster than a 1.6 Toyota Avensis

colm_mcm

It certainly is a lot faster than a 1.6 Avensis (If you mean 1.1 seconds faster to 60mph and 5bhp more)

That's before you get into the fact that that the 316i is €11,000 (or 44%) more expensive than the Avensis......

The Avensis never claimed to be the ultimate driving machine, Toyota do, however claim to make "The best built cars in the world", which is a lot more plausable than the BMW's claim

unkel

colm_mcm wrote:

The Avensis never claimed to be the ultimate driving machine, Toyota do, however claim to make "The best built cars in the world", which is a lot more plausable than the BMW's claim

The Avensis is extremely reliable but not such a nice place to be in, let alone drive it. The BMW is reliable and a great drivers car. Obviously the BMW is nearly 50% more expensive

Then again, I would not recommend anyone to buy a BMW 316. I can't really see the point. Best stick to something cheap & cheerful & Japanese for a bit longer until one can afford a better car

That said, the vast majority of people in Ireland don't want a good car, they just want a reliable means of A-B transport. Hence Toyota's popularity in this country

I take it business is good, Colm?

colm_mcm

business pretty brisk unkel.

Fair enough the Avensis isn't a drivers car, I'm only making the comparison with the 3 series as a reply to a comment about the 316i being "a good bit faster" than an Avensis 1.6 ! (which it isn't)

Reliability on 3 series is only average IMHO

unkel

colm_mcm wrote:

Fair enough the Avensis isn't a drivers car, I'm only making the comparison with the 3 series as a reply to a comment about the 316i being "a good bit faster" than an Avensis 1.6

Erm, I was only making the comparison, before you, between the 316 and the Avensis because you stated that a 316 would be overtaken by pedestrians. I guess an Avensis would be overtaken by snails then

colm_mcm

Yes, but the Avensis isn't biilled as the "ultimate driving machine!"

Whoop-dee-doo it's rear wheel drive!

galwaytt

unkel wrote:

Then again, I would not recommend anyone to buy a BMW 316. I can't really see the point. Best stick to something cheap & cheerful & Japanese for a bit longer until one can afford a better car

...you're saying on one hand that the Toyota 'is the best built car in the world' and then they're 'cheap and cheerful'. The truth is, they're both: cheap - (well, compared to BMW money anyway), cheerful (if you buy a nice one, not std basic jobbies) AND whatever the germans think, Jap cars are the best built. This isn't measured by how heavy the door is, or how swank the cowhide - it's a function of reliability, performance, economy and price. And like you said, a basic 3-series is none of those !! And it costs extra!!

That said, the vast majority of people in Ireland don't want a good car, they just want a reliable means of A-B transport. Hence Toyota's popularity in this country

...er, a reliable car IS a good car. And a 3-series couldn't exactly be said to be anything like as reliable as a Toyota/Mazda/etc.

As for the 'ultimate driving machine thing'........personally, I think the 3-series drives like a frickin' truck. Too heavy, asthmatic engine, poor space inside, appalling spec (cloth seats and manual rear winders in my mate's 01 320D !), and on the coupe's, very rattly doors after 3-4 years........., prone to oil leaks and lubrication problems as they get older (subsequent owners using cheaper oil), and wear out bottom suspension links every 40k miles.

OTH, my 1990 MX-5 (Jap import), which I've had for 8 years iirc...., is light, drives like a go-cart, yes, needs more bhp, but outside of that, it has gone through 3 NCT's since I got it, and I've never had to fix it. I've had two TT's, and they fr'instance, had weird electrics, MAF sensor failures, worn suspension at 43k miles, and had new rear suspension - twice - under recall. I'll admit though, that both the TT and 3-series coupe's (in the right spec/colour/wheels), do look fab, and that's where Japanese cars fall down somewhat.

And, when Porsche were haemhorraging money in the early '90's, and needed help to stop going under, who did they hire to help (better) build the new generation 996's and Boxsters??........Toyota.....so, even the Germans know a good thing when they see it.

unkel

galwaytt wrote:

er, a reliable car IS a good car

For most people. My expectations are just a little bit higher

BTW your MX-5 is a great car. Mazda solely managed to re-introduce that segment of small sporty convertibles to the market. Respect!

What's the story about Toyota helping Porsche to build better cars? New to me. Any links?

MercMad

Yeah I never heard about Toyato & Porsche either !

The thing is,I would love a true Italian drivers car, like an Alfa Romeo, or a teutonic solid German saloon, and I would forgive the odd problem rather than drive ANY Jap car !

Its not always about the gadgets or the acceleration, its about the overall feel ! The feeling of pleasure when you sit into one, or step out after a couple of hours inside !

No Jap car comes close to a BMW for that !

As far as the hubcaps/alloys go, there isn't much that an E-Clas, or C-Class for the matter, doesn't have as standard so there has to be options !

My SIL was buying a new car and looked around for a car that specifically DID NOT have alloys ! She didn't want them stolen and was afraid she'd scratch them ! Trying to get an average car that has everything else but no alloys is hard !

mike65

Jasus Colm, stop pimping Toyota. Anyone would think you work for them!

Mike.

maidhc

MercMad wrote:

As far as the hubcaps/alloys go, there isn't much that an E-Clas, or C-Class for the matter, doesn't have as standard so there has to be options !

Meh. The C-class didn't have aircon standard in 2003.

colm_mcm

mike65 wrote:

Jasus Colm, stop pimping Toyota. Anyone would think you work for them!

Mike.

sorry. but there's something very pleasant about not having customers give out to me about stuff going wrong on their cars!

bazz26

colm_mcm wrote:

sorry. but there's something very pleasant about not having customers give out to me about stuff going wrong on their cars!

touche!