Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2017 12:40:49 GMT
One would have thought that with the huge LHD market in Europe, there would be a 'glut' of second hand cars compared to the more limited RHD market in the UK and Ireland.
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Sept 11, 2017 22:06:08 GMT
One for the andromathematicians - which ought to be all of us.
Going to see the 2016 CLS SB on Friday. That's being offered for about £30,000 and I'd hope to get it for a little less. But...
...a bit of nosing on the Carwow site today showed me with 'deposit contributions', diesel trade-in allowances, plain old discounting and cheap money, a new CLS 350d SB in my choice if colour (red, please) and spec could be mine for not vastly more that and certainly sub-£40,000. And there'd be cash flow, if not long-term cash, advantages to buying that way.
And if a new CLS is in play, with its attendant hefty VED, then a new 530i has to become a serious contender too. And part of me does have misgivings about the prudence of sinking a big wedge into a big diesel in the current climate. An efficient turbo-petrol on the drive, joined by an e-Golf (I seriously want one of those now) seems somehow more zeitgeistlich.
Is this just my script for pushing down the price of the 2016 CLS, or...?
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Post by Hofmeister on Sept 11, 2017 22:15:46 GMT
One for the andromathematicians - which ought to be all of us. Going to see the 2016 CLS SB on Friday. That's being offered for about £30,000 and I'd hope to get it for a little less. But... . . Is this just my script for pushing down the price of the 2016 CLS, or...? Absolutely, slap mr salesman around the face with a DTD quote and 5 carwow quotes for new ones, and mention the fact that shedloads of new BM and Merc diesels are stacking up unsold, and the price of second hand ones are heading south big time. Had I opted for a 3 litre diesel 5 series I was looking at even bigger discounts than the one i got for the petroliumumum one |
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Sept 12, 2017 1:32:08 GMT
When I got the Audi A3 in 2014 the petrol vs diesel argument (and BIK) was in my mind. Replacement is another 1.4TSI petrol auto.
I might not be impacted when I have the next car for emissions in town etc. But consciously aware of the reduction in NOx and other emissions.
I'd explore the new option too WDB for the BMW or MB CLS plus an e-Golf. I was VERY impressed by a Passat GTE. I'd have one soon but charging is an issue at home for me.
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Post by Humph on Sept 12, 2017 13:56:28 GMT
If you can afford / justify / or simply really want one WDB, then why not? That red colour is pretty damn gorgeous.
Sometimes we all find that occasionally we have to do things we probably shouldn't, and can get great pleasure from doing so. We're all only here once eh?
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Sept 20, 2017 19:17:02 GMT
I opened discussions this morning with my most local BMW dealer, a branch of the one from which I bought the 325, about a 530i. Mediterranean Blue, with Canberra Beige 'Comfort' seats (there are also Sports seats and, presumably, Discomfort seats) and a couple of other options. He volunteered that he'd like to do a deal by the end of the quarter.
We've not yet got beyond list prices but I don't doubt we will. Further discussions fixed for later in the week.
Of course, this is the moment a couple of interesting-looking, but older CLS350s come up on the MB Approved site. Trouble with an open mind is that too much can blow into it.
Incidentally, I revisited my specific power calculations and was astonished to see that a 530i is lighter than a CLS350d by 295kg. That's about the weight of my family - or of the three that aren't me plus the bikes and their carrier. Both have 250ish PS, so a laden 530 would weigh the same as a CLS with only me aboard.
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Post by tyrednexited on Sept 20, 2017 21:23:26 GMT
...the X1 is Med Blue (with Oyster Leather, which is not hugely dissimilar). The colour was on one of the few "in-stock" cars that met my requirements, and, given the discount I got, not an issue. In fact, I like it, and the interior combination, but it does (both parts) need to be kept clean for best appearance.
I've had a couple of weeks where I've begun to believe that customer service is entirely dead across the board, with interminable time spent with call-centres, websites failing, no call-back as promised, etc. but at least one of those has eventually resolved itself favourably.
The X1 has blotted its copybook by one of its diamond-cut alloys "going off". I had almost three full sets under warranty on the previous Sportage, and these may be going the same way. At least (when I finally got properly attended to) there is no question on replacement, though they want the car for a day, as it has (as yet unspecified, but definitely to be specified before it is done!) software upgrades outstanding.
(Given the history with the Sportage, I'm paranoid about the wheels, and they are cleaned only with a soft cloth!).
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Sept 20, 2017 21:48:52 GMT
Yes, Oyster is what I have in the Le Mans Blue 325. It's intermediate between Canberra and Ivory. Canberra comes with light carpets too, rather than black as with Ivory and my Oyster (but, mercifully, not a beige steering wheel) but can't be had with plain Sports seats hence the Comfort option. Comfort gets me Memory as well, but I have half a concern that the seat may be bulkier and steal space from those behind. We'll find out at the weekend.
The showroom 530i saloon has a Cognac interior, which ought to be a rich mid-brown and a serious contender - except that under showroom lighting at least, it looks orange. Probably too orange, even for me.
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Sept 22, 2017 11:09:27 GMT
Head still spinning on this. Part of it regrets the CLS I let go, which ticks all my boxes except memory and - arguably - value for money. It's still showing on the MB Approved listing, so perhaps it'll come back. There's also this one, which has been hanging around in Leeds for quite a while. Pre-facelift, a bit milesy - not that that's a concern for one of these - and the frumpier (and dropped) SE version, but in a nice rich blue and with an interior that might grow on me, even with the brown wood. www.stratstone.com/search/vehicledetails/used-car-mercedes_benz-cls--automatic-diesel-blue-estate-ya14msu/Possibly worth an end-of-quarter punt at the right price? Let me own up to something. I've been given licence to plan some adventures for next year in honour of a significant birthday. One thing I fancy is a continental road trip taking in this place: www.zeppelin-museum.deI have a mental image of the car we travel in parked beside Lake Constance with one of the modern airships that fly from Friedrichshafen today in the background. And somehow a CLS fits into that picture better than a 530i - even if the BMW might be the more sensible choice. Meanwhile the focus is back to BMW and whatever is put in front of me tomorrow morning. My sensible, technocrat side favours a 5, especially since I discovered the 300kg weight saving; my inner lounge lizard says everyone has a BMW and wouldn't a CLS be more fun? I'd mentioned the CLS to a stylish female friend, then told her this week that I was considering a 5 instead and she expressed great disappointment. My inner lizard was listening carefully. |
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Post by tyrednexited on Sept 22, 2017 14:15:52 GMT
....I think we'd all be much more impressed if you were planning a trip to the Mercedes-Benz museum in a Zeppelin..........
On the wider issue, you've got yourself into a pickle now haven't you?
You've turned down a car you really wanted because you didn't think you were offered a good enough discount - quite an acceptable decision if you come to terms with it, but maybe you haven't? The reality is that car dealers have a great many different drivers (no pun intended) and it's no good asking them to perform what is for them an "unnatural act".
It appears that you're now looking at second-best (the further link is probably fine, but isn't as nice a car as the original (and IMO, though I have a dark metallic blue car, I don't think the colour suits the CLS!))
Also, IMO, the 530i is an altogether more sensible option (I'd rather have one anyway, though I do get your M-B points).
So.........
....put in another (slightly-improved to cut the dealer some slack) offer on the original (you've nothing to lose) or (/and if they say no) pursue the 530i.
....you can get up off the couch now, that will be 50 guineas please....
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Sept 22, 2017 15:14:35 GMT
Fair points - especially about the Zeppelin.
And I've not even mentioned trying to secure a scrappage allowance for the E. Best bet for that still seems to be swapping it for an eGolf and letting the 325 go towards the new wagon. Although I've not tried anything electric yet, short of last year's Tesla.
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Sept 23, 2017 16:19:42 GMT
Spent this morning with my BMW dealer. Had a decently long drive in a 530i saloon, which was predictably impressive. Also satisfied myself (in a Touring) that the Comfort front seats do not steal space from those in the back; there's still room for four of me. Tried a variety of interior colours and decided I like Ivory White, which is much less scarily white than it appears in the configurator, and is a pretty close replica of the Oyster-and-black inside of my 325. Priced up a 530i Touring with all my optons and got to a number beginning with 3, which is good.
Slightly mixed feelings. I think the CLS I liked has been sold elsewhere. Too bad; best to forget about that. There isn't a car I like as much in the current MB Used listings. The 530i is hugely capable, quiet, smooth and comfortable. Comparably fast in a straight line to the CLS350, although possibly not quite as effortlessly quick to pick up pace from behind-a-cyclist speed - although I imagine a little manual intervention would fix even that. If I have a criticism, it's that the engine lacks the character of my straight-six diesel, or even the Mercedes V6 one. Even that feeling, I suspect, may be a product of the time since I last drove a moderately powerful petrol engine.
So I have a deal on offer featuring some short-term (or long-term if I choose) money at a rate lower than my mortgage, Comfort seats with memory, an electric towbar and a modest audio upgrade, none of which featured in 'my' CLS. The 5 also has a neat 40:20:40 seat fold, with a bag for long items that I can see us using on long four-up trips.
The deal seems good, but it is still a very expensive car. And it doesn't have the not-many-about factor - or the frameless windows - of the CLS. But it might be more comfortable and useful to us for longer. Decisions, decisions.
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Post by dixinormus on Sept 24, 2017 1:28:29 GMT
Have what you really want WdB. And you know it's the Merc.
Wait a week and keep checking the listings - there must be a reasonable churn of stock in the UK. Unlike here in NZ....
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Post by Hofmeister on Sept 24, 2017 16:24:37 GMT
So I have a deal on offer featuring some short-term (or long-term if I choose) money at a rate lower than my mortgage, Comfort seats with memory, an electric towbar and a modest audio upgrade, I note the absence of the Variable Damper control option, you may wish to consider adding that. Let me rephrase that, you will regret not including that. |
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Avant
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Post by Avant on Sept 24, 2017 17:06:55 GMT
As you're prepared to buy either new or nearly-new, have you considered a nearly-new 540i Touring? That would give you the six cylinders that you really deserve if you're spending that sort of money.
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