merc e220 cdi - what else to consider

C

chris g

Active member
 Blackpool
Hi All
Am looking to possibly replace my trusty old discovery v8 - 7 v happy years and the family would keep it forever

but 15 - 20 mpg and a new life of driving to Ice dancing competitions (the wife and daughter - not me I hasten to add) means my appetite for petrol is coming to an end

so what to replace it with?

big / frugal / safe -- possibly 4x4, 7 seats ideally, can pull caravan or horse box (2 tons ish) and a budget of £20k ish

I considered

vw passat estate awd (good - but cant find them at 20k now )
volvo v70 awd (in budget a for a couple of years old .... )
merc r 280 (the facelift is just in range - but i hear they are heavy and thirsty)

and i have ended up thinking that a merc e220 cdi estate could be the answer, found a 220 cdi amg sport in a nice girlie blue (it it for the missus) with bluetooth and a few nice touches. It has the occasional extra row of seats and can tow 1900kgs which is probably OK and the missus loves it.

any comments / ideas / alternatives / experiences from owners out there
 
Buying a car, any car, is possibly the worst investment we ever make whatever the circumstances. For most of us it is a hugely disproportionate investment for what we actually get out of it. We have other justifications to do so other than pure utility. e.g. I like it and I want one is often enough for job done.

In your case £20K buys a lot of petrol, maintenance and insurance so reasons for buying something else, if you love what you have got, need to be a bit more than a bit of extra mileage.

I had a Merc E500 AMG 2005 fully loaded, in mint condition extremely low miles about 40K. It was thirsty luxurious and blindingly quick if you wanted. Sold mine for £6000 a few months back and broke my heart as it was like new. The change from £20K as above buys a lot of what you need to run it for years on the drip feed. Cars like that will run for ever and go dirt cheap for what they are.

People tend to think 'it guzzles' so not a sensible buy, forgetting the huge amount of outlay they save to own one. Those savings can be drip fed over the lifetime of the car to run it and enjoy luxury at the same time.

Just a thought.
 
that has been the business case (if there is one for a 4.0 v8) so far

but £600 a month is the current petrol bill, and thats actually not a huge amount of miles (200 -250 miles on a tank isnt uncommon and its a £100 tank)

and i think im not far off being able to buy and run a car on that
 
chris g said:
that has been the business case (if there is one for a 4.0 v8) so far

but £600 a month is the current petrol bill, and thats actually not a huge amount of miles (200 -250 miles on a tank isnt uncommon and its a £100 tank)

and i think im not far off being able to buy and run a car on that
Click to expand...

Indeed in those circumstances just based on your current usage there is a clear case for something more economical :!:
 
I had a 520d tourer in similar circumstances after i struggled with the 12mpg my 4.8 X5 was giving me but I can honestly say that 4 pot diesels are great for economy but they are a hateful powerplant in my experience & I would push to get a 6 cylinder diesel as the real world economy difference is negligible but the engine is so much more smooth & more refined.
 
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