1.8L Mercedes - thoughts? Am I mad?

desbrook · 27-04-2013 8:53pm #1

Hi guys - thinking of purchasing my first Mercedes. Must be a 1.8 . Budget of about 5k so that should get me an 04ish right? What are the pros and cons? E or C class or even SLK?

ba_barabus · 27-04-2013 8:54pm

desbrook wrote: »

Am I mad? ?

Possibly but that's nothing to do with Mercedes

pedigree · 27-04-2013 8:58pm

Yes

Celly Smunt · 27-04-2013 9:07pm

If your budget is stretched at 5 grand,i'd advise against it.If you have 5 grand and you can put another 1 aside for a problem that may arise,then i'd say go for it if it makes you happy.

desbrook · 27-04-2013 9:12pm

pmcmahon wrote: »

If your budget is stretched at 5 grand,i'd advise against it.If you have 5 grand and you can put another 1 aside for a problem that may arise,then i'd say go for it if it makes you happy.

Ok - but are you saying that the extra grand is more necessary with a 9 year old Merc than say a Nissan ?

miller77 · 27-04-2013 9:15pm

Just bought a 06 C180 classic sport, 63,000 miles, full leather, 2 owners, FSH for €7,000. Average MPG on the car is 34. I get the feel good factor everytime I get into it. Unreal value out there at the moment on petrol cars. Road tax €600 odd. Would highly recommend one.

Celly Smunt · 27-04-2013 9:24pm

desbrook wrote: »

Ok - but are you saying that the extra grand is more necessary with a 9 year old Merc than say a Nissan ?

Just the price of the parts and work more sojust in case anything did go wrong it would be a lot more expensive than say a nissan.Not because the car isn't well built or anything.

MuppetCheck · 27-04-2013 9:27pm

You need to decide a model before going any further to be honest.

desbrook · 27-04-2013 9:28pm

pmcmahon wrote: »

Just the price of the parts and work more sojust in case anything did go wrong it would be a lot more expensive than say a nissan.Not because the car isn't well built or anything.

Grand - I understand there's a premium to be paid in terms of parts alright and would be able to fund something unexpected happening ... within reason of course!

MuppetCheck · 27-04-2013 9:33pm

desbrook wrote: »

I'm open to suggestions / opinions. That's why I'm here.

There's a world of difference between an slk and an e-class.

If you can get away with a two seater or are looking for something a little more sporty looking compared to the e-class or indeed c-class a CLK might be worth looking at maybe?

desbrook · 27-04-2013 9:37pm

MuppetCheck wrote: »

There's a world of difference between an slk and an e-class.

If you can get away with a two seater or are looking for something a little more sporty looking compared to the e-class or indeed c-class a CLK might be worth looking at maybe?

2 seater a nono and to be honest the c class is most probably where I'm headed .

miller77 · 27-04-2013 9:41pm

Look for a low mileage 04/05 C180, you should have no problem finding one for €5,000. If you buy high mileage it'll cost you more in the long run. E200 only doing around 30 MPG and will cost you more to buy. Auto in the C180 is a nicer car to drive than the manual.

Idbatterim · 29-04-2013 2:14pm

its a 1.8L car that costs 5k, what exactly is mad that Im missing?

Tommyboy40 · 01-05-2013 3:04pm

pmcmahon wrote: »

Just the price of the parts and work more sojust in case anything did go wrong it would be a lot more expensive than say a nissan.Not because the car isn't well built or anything.

Nonsense! I've 2 larger Mercs and find parts quite reasonable. Mercedes dealer and nissan dealer hourly rates aren't that different. Find a good indy to look after it for you and you'll never regret owning one

valerossi · 01-05-2013 3:45pm

If you no your cars and your way round the engine bay go for it but your stone mad fella sure what would you want it for you can only do 60mph on the national roads anyway ha;-) and sure some animal is just gona hop their car door off it the second you run into tesco for a drop of milk and a slice pan:-) but honestly some parts on a car that age could be close to end of life and their not a cheap fix so be prepared to drop some cash on it and as stated have a good look round because their going for fair prices especially petrol 1.8's

Albert E. Arkwright · 01-05-2013 5:28pm

Idbatterim wrote: »

its a 1.8L car that costs 5k, what exactly is mad that Im missing?

Its not diesaaaaaal so it doesn't comply with groupthink

Albert E. Arkwright · 01-05-2013 5:31pm

desbrook wrote: »

1.8L Mercedes - thoughts? Am I mad?

Unless you're doing a lot over 20,000 miles per year, or are into speed, it's not mad, no. It's quite sane.

Mycroft H · 01-05-2013 5:39pm

Albert E. Arkwright wrote: »

Unless you're doing a lot over 20,000 miles per year, or are into speed, it's not mad, no. It's quite sane.

In a petrol merc you would only need to be doing 10,000-12,000 miles before a diesel starts to make sense fuel wise.

If it's no concern, go for the petrol, better value

kona · 01-05-2013 5:45pm

Albert E. Arkwright wrote: »

Unless you're doing a lot over 20,000 miles per year, or are into speed, it's not mad, no. It's quite sane.

How fast is a 1.8 merc??

Albert E. Arkwright · 01-05-2013 5:54pm

BX 19 wrote: »

In a petrol merc you would only need to be doing 10,000-12,000 miles before a diesel starts to make sense fuel wise.

If it's no concern, go for the petrol, better value

His question was "am I mad". If he was doing between 12-25,000 he still would not be mad.

The Pontiac · 01-05-2013 5:56pm

kona wrote: »

How fast is a 1.8 merc??

0-60 in 9.4 secs. 143 bhp supercharged engine.

Not too bad really. Would do most drivers. 37 mpg too.

ofcork · 01-05-2013 6:09pm

Be aware that mercs need their timing chain changed around 80k or so,i would get a mechanic to look at any car you spot.

lomb · 01-05-2013 6:46pm

The Pontiac wrote: »

0-60 in 9.4 secs. 143 bhp supercharged engine.

Not too bad really. Would do most drivers. 37 mpg too.

37 mpg isnt bad at all, is that on the manual though?

Remember a c180 was nearly twice the price of a base golf, so its always going to be a better car than most. Its just the market not valuing used cars that they are cheap.

The Pontiac · 01-05-2013 7:50pm

lomb wrote: »

37 mpg isnt bad at all, is that on the manual though?

Remember a c180 was nearly twice the price of a base golf, so its always going to be a better car than most. Its just the market not valuing used cars that they are cheap.

Yes manual box. 34 mpg for the auto.

I agree petrol saloon mercs are great value.

Dord · 01-05-2013 8:22pm

Watch out for rust. I speak from experience as Merc owner.

maidhc · 01-05-2013 8:35pm

Im getting 33mpg from an auto c180 on mixed driving. It is also the older 2.0 engine which is less economical than the 1.8 Kompressor.

short_of_cash · 01-05-2013 8:48pm

I've owned a few mercs in my time and they were all very different.

Best was CLS..5.5 v8....lovely car with 4 doors but coupe styling and rocket power.
.
.
.
the only thing is maintenance..airmatic suspension gives problems...prone to NCT failure

C class obviously don't have these issues,,,,

My advice is to test drive, see what u think,

kona · 01-05-2013 9:31pm

The Pontiac wrote: »

0-60 in 9.4 secs. 143 bhp supercharged engine.

Not too bad really. Would do most drivers. 37 mpg too.

So around ten secs 0-60!? A diesel passat would kick that out quicker I'd guess?

desbrook · 02-05-2013 11:04am

maidhc wrote: »

Im getting 33mpg from an auto c180 on mixed driving. It is also the older 2.0 engine which is less economical than the 1.8 Kompressor.

I suppose the "mad bit" refers to the sneaking suspicion that there's a obvious catch I'm missing . As other have said there's great value in the Merc's now , I just wanted to know is it real .
In terms of what I'm looking for its a mixed bag - Reliabilty and comfort are tops I suppose . Expecting a balance between performance and economy . Mid thirty's mpg is fine and happy to pay 600ish tax . Want a reasonable amount of "poke" more than a 1.4 but not expecting a racing car . My mileage is on the lower side of average - 8 to 10 k a year .

Tommyboy40 · 02-05-2013 11:20am

desbrook wrote: »

I suppose the "mad bit" refers to the sneaking suspicion that there's a obvious catch I'm missing . As other have said there's great value in the Merc's now , I just wanted to know is it real .
In terms of what I'm looking for its a mixed bag - Reliabilty and comfort are tops I suppose . Expecting a balance between performance and economy . Mid thirty's mpg is fine and happy to pay 600ish tax . Want a reasonable amount of "poke" more than a 1.4 but not expecting a racing car . My mileage is on the lower side of average - 8 to 10 k a year .

Perfect car for you then, make sure to look around and get a well specced one, not a paddy one with cloth and no electrics. i.8 is going to be a bit gutless in a heavy car but will be fine for normal driving. If you're prepared to pay slightly more tax you should go for a larger engine, less strain on it and larger engines are even cheaper and paradoxically not that thirstier. The 3.2 version of my SL does 1 - 2 mpg more than the 5l V8

lomb · 02-05-2013 12:26pm

short_of_cash wrote: »

I've owned a few mercs in my time and they were all very different.

Best was CLS..5.5 v8....lovely car with 4 doors but coupe styling and rocket power.
.
.
.
the only thing is maintenance..airmatic suspension gives problems...prone to NCT failure

C class obviously don't have these issues,,,,

My advice is to test drive, see what u think,

Short of cash, no wonder if you had a 5.5v8 cls you were short of cash...

Idbatterim · 02-05-2013 1:28pm

I suppose the "mad bit" refers to the sneaking suspicion that there's a obvious catch I'm missing . As other have said there's great value in the Merc's now , I just wanted to know is it real .
In terms of what I'm looking for its a mixed bag - Reliabilty and comfort are tops I suppose . Expecting a balance between performance and economy . Mid thirty's mpg is fine and happy to pay 600ish tax . Want a reasonable amount of "poke" more than a 1.4 but not expecting a racing car . My mileage is on the lower side of average - 8 to 10 k a year .

the alternative would be a 3 series coupe, they come in minimum 2L engine though.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/4646885
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/4946741
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/4964348

desbrook · 02-05-2013 1:41pm

Idbatterim wrote: »

the alternative would be a 3 series coupe, they come in minimum 2L engine though.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/4646885
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/4946741
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/4964348

Lovely cars :cool:- thanks for selecting .

Still interested in other's thoughts on the pro's and cons of the Mercedes though !

1.8L Mercedes - thoughts? Am I mad?

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