...or, perhaps more accurately, the first part of that expression. In other words, after six months of teeth sucking, wet-finger waving and advice seeking here, today I pressed the button on the Beests' next family bus.
My hand was guided by an unexpected call yesterday from a dealer I'd dealt with last month. He had a car I liked, with all the important stuff and a couple of unusual nice-to-haves; we'd parted amicably but about £1,000 apart on price. Yesterday's call changed all that: the gap was down to £500 or so - only his new price was below what I'd previously offered.
I didn't waste no time about it,
I put on my coat and shoes,
I packed up my old rocking chair and...
...went over to see him.
The car was just as I remembered, or perhaps a little cleaner having had time for the full Approved Used valeting. We took it for a 40-minute run on a familiar route to check that all was still well. It was. Satisfied with the deal on offer, I paid my deposit and signed the order sheet. It'll be ready on Friday.
Now, anyone want a Toyota Verso?
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Congratulations, WdB. I hope that you enjoy your new Volvo. :-)
(Goodness! There seems to be a higher than usual number of people getting new cars just lately. Makes a bloke envious)
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I packed my rocking chair>:) And got there on crutches>:).Good luck with your new car.
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>> (Goodness! There seems to be a higher than usual number of people getting new cars
>> just lately. Makes a bloke envious)
I am in that boat. My Ford Ka fell to pieces and was scrapped, leaving me with £150 for the pleasure. About 150,000 miles, original clutch, original exhaust, but expensive to maintain in its last year or two.
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>> I am in that boat. My Ford Ka fell to pieces and was scrapped, leaving
>> me with £150 for the pleasure. About 150,000 miles, original clutch, original exhaust, but expensive
>> to maintain in its last year or two.
Hi Leif - nice to see you back.
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I'm guessing it's the German taxi - that was I think the most recent one that impressed you. E250 estate?
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If thats what was chosen, nice car, enjoy it.
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Those German taxis are quite nippy. I daren't tell you how little time it took to do 180 miles between "ahem-ville" and "cough-town" last night...
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Is this another Stu style 'guess the car' WDB?
Well, I'll hedge my bets and say Skoda Superb/Volvo V60, S80/Merc E class.
:)
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Oh, did I forget to say what it is?
Well, I'm hardly in Stu's league at setting guessing games; after all, I've mentioned everything I've tried or been interested in as I've gone along, and I've already told you this wasn't a complete change of direction. It was my first attempt to buy this car that generated the Build Date thread, if that helps.
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...It was my first attempt to buy this car that generated the Build Date thread, if that helps...
Look, if you can't remember what you've bought, try looking on the invoice, it's probably written on there.
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He is so ashamed of it, he won't tell us what it is.
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Rio? Kia? Shi'a? Clyno? Wino? Volvo? Hispano?
Just trying to help. Look, try to remember where you last had it in your hand. That often helps.
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"It was my first attempt to buy this car that generated the Build Date thread, if that helps."
Wasn't that before you started looking at Mercedes? It's sounding more like a V70 (hinted at also by not being a complete change in direction....no, it couldn't be a Toyota Avensis....), except that, if I remember right, Mrs Beest didn't like it, and there wasn't much room for little Gnus behind their tall father.
On verra.
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Avant, you've evidently been paying close attention. Time to come clean. It isn't...
...a V70. I was tempted by reports that the 2012 manual models have both a footrest and an auto-hold handbrake, which would have answered two of our criticisms of the 2011 car we tried, but it still suffers from vague steering and relative lack of space. We will have another Volvo, but not yet.
...an A6. This one never got off the ground because we couldn't find a suitable car to try. In the back of my mind remains the suspicion that even an SE on 17-inch wheels would ride like, well, an Audi, and the ride quality is what irks us most about the unloved Verso.
...a Passat or an Avensis. Come on! If we want a coffin on wheels we'll buy the box set of Last of the Summer Wine.
...a Superb. Yes, we liked it, fussy instruments aside. Yes, it has all the space we could wish for. And no, the badge is no obstacle. But it would have had to be the top model to get the interior we liked and the fully-adjustable seats we need, and those fetch astronomical prices on the nearly-new market, perhaps because Skoda does its best to constrain supply. It may come up again; I gather there's a facelift coming, which may make it even more appealing.
...a new, S212 E. The special-offer 'Executive SE' model (no badge with that on, fortunately) generated so many new sales that they've all gone, and the contributions from MB Finance are far less generous on the regular catalogue models. Despite being longer overall, it doesn't have noticeably more space than the S211 E, so what might have been compelling reasons to go new did not materialize.
......any of the left-field contenders - Citroën DS5, Peugeot 508, BMW 520d. All would have had to be new, and it's hard to make a case for any of them.
So what's left? Yes, it's the Überwagen, with equal contributions from head and heart. It's a silver E220 CDI estate, registered in early 2009 although the result of a cancelled order in 2008, so it's a little older than it looks. That put me off paying the original asking price, but once that came down by £2,500 I was persuaded. It has heated seats - would have been disappointed to settle for one without those - and a very nice sounding CD changer, which isn't in all of them. The real nice to have is full electric adjustment for the driver's seat, including the head restraint, with memory buttons, so no more cursing about having to reset everything when one's spouse has been driving the car.
It may not be the most spacious in the back or the cheapest to run, but at this price it should at least be reasonably cheap to own. And of all the cars we tried, this is the one we really liked. The Avantgarde suspension makes it smooth without being wallowy, but when I inadvertently entered a sharp motorway overpass 10mph too fast (it's very quiet in there) it hung on without a hint of drama. 20 years of barely even trying RWD cars and now I've gone and bought one!
Best of all, it has that sense of occasion that's so missing from the Verso. I think we'll enjoy travelling in this.
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>> So what's left? Yes, it's the Überwagen, with equal contributions from head and heart. It's
>> a silver E220 CDI estate, registered in early 2009 although the result of a cancelled
>> order in 2008, so it's a little older than it looks.
So... a 211?
Good choice!
Looking in the carpark at work, I can't help but think the 212 is already looking dated, due to the straight lines... were as the 211 still has it.... sleek, sweeping lines... looks like its ready to pounce as its just standing there....
(sorry 212 owners....)
Last edited by: swiss tony on Sun 22 Apr 12 at 09:30
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And cheap too. If you don't need the estate, look at this at the price!
www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201216465531477
add two grand for the estate.
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This would do me, for lugging the coal around and that.
www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C251906
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Wey Hey WDB ! Enjoy it, great choice !
:-)
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>> Wey Hey WDB ! Enjoy it, great choice !
And of course, when WDB checks the VIN plate, its got his name on it!
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Check the haggis score now ST...
:-)
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Did consider the addison lee ones - around 10K for a 220 with 100K on the clock looked an OK buy to me - sure they are good for double that
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>> Did consider the addison lee ones - around 10K for a 220 with 100K on
>> the clock looked an OK buy to me - sure they are good for double that
The private hire company i drove part time for in a previous life runs that model (two 212's now appeared), my indy maintains them properly from new, company usually parts with them at around 400k trouble free miles.
I too would consider AL's used but our next larger car must be an estate.
My DiL travels in them regularly to business flights, very comfortable and quiet, she spends most of the journeys asleep.
Good car choice for the OP.
Even my now old E class did a fine job of wrenching a decent tree stump out for me yesterday, i wonder if that was part of the design requirement..;)
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>> Even my now old E class did a fine job of wrenching a decent tree
>> stump out for me yesterday, i wonder if that was part of the design requirement..;)
Eh? What? Did I hear that correctly? You are using your beloved W124 coupe for stump pulling?
Obviously you don't treasure it as much as I thought :)
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It was either that or SWM's C2 and i have a feeling the tree might have bettered the DMF..;)
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He's neglected that car for years Corax. Had to get Stu to clean the seats because he'd got them so filthy. Then left it standing for months and the latest thing, no really, get this, is some cheap chinky chonk tyres. It's a tragedy really...
:-)
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is some cheap chinky chonk tyres. It's a tragedy really...
>>
hee bleedin hee, well recalled grasshopper, them there el cheapos have actually worked out better than i thought they might...no not quite as sharp in direction and i have provoked one wet wheelspin whereas the Toyo's never did, that single wheelspin was in kickdown off a roundabout slipping a slingshot in to nip past a couple of trucks, i suspect a slight fuel spillage, as only one wheel spun up and no oversteer sensation, nothing since.
however, road noise has now all but gone and the ride has improved x several.
i love that car despite you lot teasing, it just does all i ask without complaint, tough as pair of DeWalts workboots.
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...when WDB checks the VIN plate, its got his name on it!
I'd already noticed that - not that it influenced me, you understand. Vanity!
}:---)
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Lovely car- enjoy!
We have a 56 plate in silver. Did you get the COMAND? I'm quite jealous of the changer, but we do have a 3.5mm jack in the glovebox for iphones etc (you will undoubtedly have this too).
If you have the bluetooth phone arrangement, I can recommend the VISEOO thingy that fits to the hardware in the centre console- very effective.
Colour? I did want dark blue with cream leather, but I do like the silver/ black combo we have, kind of timeless.
Which wheels does yours have?
We have the 16" 11 spokers which look ok, but are very comfortable. Part of me would like the 18s, but never mind.
Alex.
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Used to drive the test cars for Adibis BP when one was available.Mercedes always the favorite lovely to drive solid like a ship.Good choice.Our friend has the dark blue Mercedes Estate auto.
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Off the pot... - Londoner
