Volvo V40 1.8 Estate or Merc C180 ?

Dub_Gunner

Hi All,

Looking for some advice please,

I recently bought a Mercedes C180 sport Automatic
Year 2000
Lovely car and really nice to drive, However yesterday when I got into it to go to work the computerised Key wouldn’t turn in the ignition, I could hear the key been recognised but just wouldn’t turn,

I rang the guy I bought it from who came down to me to have a look, We spent a few hours trying to figure it out without luck, we then rang a few Mercedes garages who all told us the key and ignition would need to be replaced and this would cost in the region of €700 to €800

As a last resort I took the car battery out and put a new one in it, when I did this I was able to start the car as the key then worked, however once I turned the car off and tried again the problem returned, I then disconnected the battery for 30 mins and reconnected it and again was able to start the car. This would suggest the issue is not with the key itself or the ignition but some kind of electricity fault,

The guy I bought it from Gave me a lend of a Volvo v40 Estate 1.8 year 2000 to use to get to work and the offered me that instead of the merc if I want,
I have heard that the Volvos can give a lot of problems both electric wise and engine wise, and that the timing belt is a major issue with them.

What do you recommend or should I say which do you recommend and what advice can you give?

Please bear in mind due to financial issues these 2 are my only choices at the moment so I need to pick one of these 2 cars for now.

MuffinsDa

Well, the Merc doesn't seem to be a runner does it? So it's a simple choice.

I had a 1999 V40 for a year, it was a great car and never gave any trouble.

And she sacrificed herself for me when I drove it into a pole :-(

ShadowHearth

emmmmm, a bit off topic, but fair play to your man there.

i would go for volvo.

Leonard Hofstadter

As long as it has the Volvo engine as opposed to the GDI engine, the V40 is unlikely to give any mechanical trouble provided it has a decent service history. Belts are done every 6 years or 80,000 miles in the Volvo engines, so if it's a 00 check when was it last done.

They can give some electrical trouble alright, but nothing major.

Dub_Gunner

Thanks for the reply's

@ MuffinsDa The merc is a runner still, its just an electrical fault it would appear and one which the guy i bought it from will fix.

@ captainspeed: i beleive it is the GDI engine which i understand not to be a great engine,

Driving the volvo only fault i have noticed is with the wipers not working correctly which i put down to an electrical fault, And it is lacking power for a 1.8 engine has no kick to it at all really.

Leonard Hofstadter

Dub_Gunner wrote: »

Thanks for the replies

@ MuffinsDa The merc is a runner still, its just an electrical fault it would appear and one which the guy i bought it from will fix.

@ captainspeed: i beleive it is the GDI engine which i understand not to be a great engine,

Driving the Volvo only fault i have noticed is with the wipers not working correctly which i put down to an electrical fault, And it is lacking power for a 1.8 engine has no kick to it at all really.

Avoid the GDI engine at all costs unless you have proof that the engine has been de-coked in recent times. They suffer from carbon build up if they're driven around town a lot. They also suffer other kinds of problems as well, but that is the most significant.