SWMBO took out the XC90 this morning. (Oh how I wish that was true!). What I mean is, she went out in it with the kids and came back saying that she might after all take it off me.
This would leave me with the 2.5 year old A150 which is fine and dandy, but has no SatNav. Having had navigation on board for over three years I would not be without it for work - it is much quicker and safer than holding an A-Z and I am not sure if I want a stick on TomTom device?
So lets say I have a budget of £10,000 to buy a car (new or second hand up to two years old), I want a small four door automatic, with built in Sat Nav and Bluetooth. Any suggestions?
|
Oh dear, you really aren't getting on with that Volvo are you Espada? I never for one moment would have thought of suggesting one of these until I had one given to me but my Qashqai diesel auto 4x4 is actually very very good. Have a go in one you might be surprised......I was. Don't want an old Mondeo estate do you ? No nav, no bluetooth, manual.........??? ( Good brakes though...)
;-)
|
|
I was going to suggest swapping the Volvo for the Qashqai but that won't work. Interesting idea though about the Nissan. I had thought of a Note - which I have always liked.
|
Strange isn't it when we buy a car we think we'll really like and when it becomes reality just can't stand the thing.
The one that sticks out in reasonably recent time frame was a Pug 306 XLDT, handled well pulled like a train (tweaked the fuelling screw a tad) from very low revs, did everything i expected of it and i hated the thing.
Can't think of anything interesting to suggest apart from a recent Forester, bit smaller than the Legacy but probably as roomy and has everything going for it.
|
|
Well we have a Forester in the family - my old car which Dad now drives. It lacks the SatNav though, although I reckon I can get one with it as standard quite cheaply. Reinstall the Parrot and I am away. Great Idea!
|
OK then time for the selling job. Tell Espadrille that one of your friends from work whom she has never met has just called you ask if your Volvo had been stolen as he's just seen it being driven by a real hotty. Tell her that your "friend" thought she looked great in it and.......well you get the picture. You could be back in a Scooby by the weekend if you play it right.......
;-)
|
|
I know asking prices are just that, but the asking prices for quite ordinary Foresters are remarkably high. Makes my Volvo look like a bargain.
|
>> Strange isn't it when we buy a car we think we'll really like and when
>> it becomes reality just can't stand the thing.
>>
I know where you are coming from - I feel the same way, so I fully sympathise with the OP.
However unlike him I don't have any money so I am stuck with it - and I won't take out finance.
A PLEA TO THE OP
Please give the TomTom-type device a chance. They often work much better than the factory fitted ones, and even my mid-range one has integral bluetooth as well.
|
Buying new, satnav adds a ridiculous amount to the cost of the car - except if I remember right on SEATs and (recently) Renaults.
Maybe better to look for an upmarket newish car like an Audi A3, or another A- or B-class, whose first owner has thrown money at the options list. If you go to a main dealer for the make it costs more but the advantage is that the first owner may have traded the car in for another - i.e. they liked the first one.
Is there a chance you might find a Subaru with satnav fitted? If not, maybe someone more knowledgeable than I am can say how easy it is to retro-fit integral satnav.
PS - great psychology by Humph there - I like it!
Last edited by: Avant on Sun 7 Mar 10 at 15:13
|
>>
>> PS - great psychology by Humph there - I like it!
>>
Me too, craftier than a cartload of monkeys...you wouldn't want to have to do too much business with him though, i have a feeling od's could feature frequently on the next bank balance otherwise..;)
|
My reply got delayed. Fully aware of cost of Satnav and will only buy second hand cars with it fitted as standard. There are Foresters out there with Sat Nav, but high prices for an out of date car. Have looked online and there are some good value A-classes with COMAND.
It all depends on whether she says to me she is keeping the Volvo. I can't force her, otherwise the cat is out of the bag.
|
My TomTom is mounted on a "permanent" bracket down by the radio. Google "Brodit" clips for model specific gizmos.
Only a suggestion but why not just try/suggest a week of swopping cars? Buy a cheap nav for the Merc and see how you both get on. With any luck Espadrille won't want to part with the Volvo and you can then decide what is best to do with the Merc.
( aka work on chopping it for a Scooby )
;-)
|
>> If not maybe
>> someone more knowledgeable than I am can say how easy it is to retro-fit integral
>> satnav.
>>
In no way shape or form would I pretend to be more knowledgable than you, Avant, but I do know that you can retro-fit COMAND sat-nav to an A-class.
Not cheap (about £1,000) but probably less than the loss Espada would realise in depreciation if he part-exed and got something new, and also cheaper than having COMAND as an option on a new A-class (comparing like with like). A retro-fit won't have bluetooth, but that is a lot simpler to tackle.
|
|
you can retrofit satnav to a golf as well.
|
Son has just bought a S/H new shape, SLK with COMAND and ALL the extras listed ( except AMG kit/wheels). I have been trawling re all things SLK and did see quite a few S/H COMAND units for sale.
His has a small display in the centre of the dials ahead of the steering wheel. Is this normal on all MBs?
IIRC the regular price for the latest Sat Nav maps update is £90 ish.
One important omission, to him, ( due to the age of the car ) is an Ipod connection integrated with steering wheel buttons. He has a quote to fit it for £800 but has found another source in Zeros neck of the woods.
As a life time driver of Fords, to me MB prices are in another world.
|
>> His has a small display in the centre of the dials ahead of the steering
>> wheel. Is this normal on all MBs?
>> One important omission to him ( due to the age of the car ) is
>> an Ipod connection integrated with steering wheel buttons. He has a quote to fit it
>> for £800 but has found another source in Zeros neck of the woods.
>>
Yes, most modern Mercs have the small display between the dials that can show all sorts of things (including iPod tracks). £800 is way too much for the iPod connector. I had a Merc dealer fit one to my E-class for 'only' £250. It is a very neat install, with tracks accessible via the steering wheel buttons (although nothing displayed on the COMAND screen itself).
It's funny how sat-navs tend to polarise opinions. I've tried Tom Toms and just don't get on with them. I find factory installations are far better value (when buying second-hand!), even when they don't have a full post-code input (like most Merc COMANDS).
|
Boxsterboy.
Thanks for the info and your cost of installation.
I have only driven it once and hated the brakes. They stopped ok but the bite point was just short of the boards.
I am still on a steep learning curve re its "features"
Not sure how much he is paying for the Ipod connection. I will enquire later.
|
Wow. Spending £10k just because you don't want a TomTom stuck to the window?
That's impressive commitment!
There are other alternatives. There are many different dash mount systems out there which make a TomTom much more convenient to use, much less intrusive for your external view, and much less visible to ne'er-do-wells. Might that be an option which saves you several grand?
I have one on my Alfa which places it perfectly, and securely (no falling off the window every time you hit a bump) just above the centre console, without interrupting the windscreen view at all. I also have a mini-USB port hardwired from behind the lighter socket, so no dodgy connections from that either.
|
|
I'm not spending £10,000 just to avoid a Tom Tom. If I trade in the A-class and put say £2K towards a new car I get to £10K. I'm not THAT stoopid!
|
Espada, its an automatic reaction to come at this from the cost viewpoint but so far you bought the Volvo as you had the occasional use for 7 seats? And now hate it?
So why go and change another car that is only lacking in sat nav and bluetooth, when you could get both for £300 or so (I am thinking Parrot and TomTom).
If you have the surplus money then thats fair enough but it just seems to me that you are doing knee-jerk reactions to small issues that you are going to keep getting bitten with?
And if you do go down the new car with integrated sat nav, have a close look at the cost of map updates as I have heard that some of the integrated units are extremely expensive for updates.
|
Volvo charge about £150 for map updates, from my experience.
I tend to side with Espada here though. Built-in sat-nav is the way to go.
It is simply unfortunate how much it adds to the price of a new car, second hand, why not?
Unless speed camera data is really important to you, you can't beat the convenience of a system integrated to the car, always ready to go and doesn't need packing/unpacking on every journey. TMC is usually standard on integrated systems and tends to work very well.
|
|
Funny, I've always felt exactly the opposite about it - built in satnav = built in obsolescence.
|
>> Funny I've always felt exactly the opposite about it - built in satnav = built
>> in obsolescence.
>>
Does sat nav change that often? No, so the only real issue is the data, and even out of date data isn't that much of a big deal.
IME, portable sat nav units seem to last 2-3 years before breaking. That's £100-150 every 2-3 years for a good system.
Give me a built-in system with a new disc for £150 every 3 years instead and I'm happy.
|
Well, it may slow down somewhat now we have established systems, but I would have to say that Yes - Satnav does change very quickly.
Maps are changed in their entirety every 12 months. They are also updated organically and constantly if you have a system which allows you to update on the web.
The operating systems are constantly being upgraded, becoming more user friendly, faster, and having more features.
Find a car which is 3 or 4 years old with built in sat nav. Does it have half the features a new standalone has? I'll bet not. Does it have as detailed a screen, I'd bet not again. Did it cost at least 10 times the amount a standalone costs when it was specified on the new car? You betcha. Has the manufacturer stopped supporting it, and thereby made replacement maps incredibly hard to get hold of? I wouldn't be surprised.
Also the advantages of being able to routeplan in the comfort of your house, and download routes, locations and the like from the internet are worth considering.
Had I planned my 3000 mile sojourn around Europe on a built-in satnav, I'd have spent almost as much time sitting in the car in the driveway as I did on the road!
Last edited by: Bazzabear on Mon 8 Mar 10 at 15:41
|
>>) I want a small four door automatic
>> with built in Sat Nav and Bluetooth. Any suggestions?
>>
How about a Vectra C? You can pick them up for peanuts, 2.2 petrol, 2.8T petrol or 1.9 CDTI with auto boxes and sat nav was standard on quite a few models, including most Elites and a large proportion of SRis.
Bluetooth was an option and does appear quite often on second hand cars, especially Elite models.
|
>> How about a Vectra C?
I wouldn't have said the Vec-C was small. However, the Astra-H has Sat Nav in the higher spec models. ( it's the same system as the one in the Vec-C, a CD70)
|
Outback 3.0Rn, Legacy 3.0 specB.
Can get a specB auto weill under 15 grand that's less than 2 yrs old, or an 05/55 Outback under 10 grand that avoids the 'bonus' >225g/km car tax.
|
Some are discussing map updates - in the new year I got new maps for my TomTom. The roads won't have changed much but the new European map came with Greece and I'm off there twice this year and may drive. Bargain £44.95 I think.
If I were Espada, if the Volvo is to stay, I'd justify a new iPhone with TomTom and phone cradle for now at least and then maybe upgrade the car if I don't get on with TomTom on an iPhone.
|
All good ideas.
However just to recap, if the Volvo goes to my wife then I get the A-Class. Nice car, but manual and no SatNav. I know all the arguments about integrated SatNav, but having had it in the Outback and now the Volvo, I much prefer it to a TomTom type device. I cannot think of the times when the place I have gone to has not been on the system because it is out of date. The best think about the Volvo is the integrated traffic information on the SatNav. The system is very clunky and not being touch screen is so old fashioned compared to the Subaru, but traffic info is very useful.
Anyway, in terms of money, it is in some respects irrelevant. I can afford to change and as it is being used for business the SatNav is important, as I make full use of it every day. So simple question: - If I end up with the Merc and want something similarly sized but with SatNav and automatic and with a high spec, do I buy a newer more upmarket A-Class or something like Toyota iQ or just a three year old eurobox?
|
As a fellow surveyor, I know how important sat-nav is to your job. If you like the A-class, and don't want to retro-fit COMAND, why not another one of those?
The iQ prices are just silly but I think you would quickly get bored with a eurobox.
I used to have a Smart Brabus (which was great fun around town) and managed to get my telescopic surveying ladder and tool box in the boot.
|
Didn't realise there was another MRICS on board Boxterboy! The only other one I recall was mare, who like me had an autistic child - which was a weird coincidence :-)
What sort of work do you do? I don't carry ladders being a valuer and all! Just a laser tape and a camera, with a little penknife for when I see a timber window frame - rare these days.
|
>> What sort of work do you do?
>>
NW London-based, mostly resi, some Homebuyers (hence the need for a ladder) but mostly lease extension/enfranchisement work these days. No mortgage vals (much to the PI's relief!). We also manage a fair chunk of flats so there are always repairs, external decs, etc. to keep us busy during the quieter times!
|
I would go for an A- or B-Class with a petrol engine and automatic transmission. I believe the automatics on these models are CVTs which are a bit of an acquired taste, though seem to work better with petrol engines than with diesels. Alternatively a Golf or Golf Plus with DSG. The top end navigation system on the Golf is very good and the Mercs use the Command system.
Rather than the iQ you might as well go for a Smart. The iQ is not really a 4 seater unless you have Douglas Bader sitting in the back which therefore makes the extra length compared to a Smart rather pointless.
|
|
But - you can't get three children into a Smart and you can in an iQ.
|
>> But - you can't get three children into a Smart and you can in an iQ.
But one child needs very short legs in an IQ.
Last edited by: rtj70 on Mon 8 Mar 10 at 21:37
|
If I remember right, Espada, you're a chartered surveyor who has to meet clients from time to time in your car: a Golf, A3 or A- / B- class all have the required streed cred that a Smart perhaps lacks.
Or a Prius?
Actually my money's on you ending up with another Subaru. Always assuming that Espadrille and the Volvo get on. DP and Will de Beest on the HJ forum found that their respective spouses couldn't get on with S60s, never mind an XC90 - so we have to be hopeful....
|
Oh its all so complicated. I take clients so infrequently that as long as the car is reasonably tidy and has some basic cred its OK. I couldn't turn up in a three year old Vectra - that's a total no no.
I would love the Outback back, but its far too big if Espadrille takes the XC90. We would want something small & nippy that we could take into town for ease of parking when we go to theatre. I had thought of taking my old Forester off my father - he wouldn't mind - but somehow it seems a retrograde step.
A Prius is the sensible choice for my work. I suspect I am the perfect driver for it. Not too high miles, nice mix of urban, suburban and A road driving and lots of space in the cabin for clients, children to school without being too big. In fact the recently deceased Prius 2 would be a better size than the new one.
Anyway, at present there are no more signs of her wanting to swap so I will keep quiet for a bit and then surprise you all!
|
Volvo XC90 - Will she - won't she? - Runfer D'Hills
