Buying a car

Once again, it is only fair to say that it is not just a Mini thing. Modern Mercs now have real plastic chrome heater controls for christs sake

 

Never considered buying a BMW. The list price means nothing, it's all what you'd consider as necessary, extras, like "wheels" that pushes the price up.

 

In the olden days, say up to the mid nineties, Mercedes was like that. The list price bought you engineering excellence (why not use six screws when one would be more than adequate!) and all the toys were yours to add, at a price! So the chavs would buy the better equiped Rollers, Bentleys and Bee Emms and we would be left with the more discerning customers. Nowadays they dumb down the Mercedes engineering integrity, load them up with toys and sell them to anyone who walks in off the street
Such is the way of the world but is it better?

 

Just had my front discs and pads replaced.
52 000, they were the originals.
£198 including a new pair of wiper blades.
Had the rear ones done a year ago.
Car now 6 yrs old.
Not bad for an old Ford.

 

Going to haggle a deal on Sat for my niece who craves an Audi TT.....continuing her Audi experience. It will remind me of when I had nothing but fun cars....sprites, midgets, spitfires, stags. All soft tops. Great times
The essential thing is to control the deal from start to finish and not let the salesman manipulate any part of it.

 

Maybe I'm lucky, but I've never seen a broken down Honda on the side of a motorway. I've had 20 years trouble-free motoring with the two I've had...so far.

 

You're a snob.

 

Thanks you lot! I’m definitely going to keep my old Astra for as long as possible!

We have Kevin’s grandads Toyota Corolla on a ‘R’ plate! He bought it new, kevs nan Drive it twice after he died, kevs dad then drove it for a short time, then he parked it on our drive & said either keep it or sell it will you....we kept it, I don’t know why .....anyway it’s a great car for its age & still has the ORIGINAL exhaust on it! It’s done a grand total of 68,000 miles! The old cars were the best! We have it MOT’d every year of course & would you believe the chap who sold the car to kevs grandad at Toyota now owns the local MOT centre, he gets all excited when he sees the car & every year we listen to the tale of grandad buying the car....it’s a little wearing now but so sweet that he remembers!

 

Yup! But in days gone by Mercedes ownership was a privilege that the dealer may, or may not, confer upon you. Nowadays it's like walking into Primark and the quality has gone exactly the same way. The aspiration still remains (and is reflected in the price) but it is a hollow aspiration now.

Keep it!
I have a 1952 Mercedes that I store for the owner. It was bought new by his Grandmother and has remained in the same family ever since. It's my task to drive it once a week as he doesn't like it sitting still.

 

Reputedly the safest cars Shiney