My C200 drove through a big puddle on Renown Rd in North Rocks, flooding the engine and requiring a tow truck. GIO assessed the damage and declared it a write off. As a result, I'm now looking for another car. <> = Criteria = The criteria are much the same again: * Auto transmission, Kat needs to drive it * Hatchback or wagon is nice, if it's not fugly * Features like bluetooth and satnav would be nice * Cruise control and the like is mandatory * Parking distance sensors are 95% mandatory * Not expecting to drive heavily, maybe 100km every week or two, plus the odd long holiday/photoshoot trip * Higher running costs are okay with me The insurance payout is $14,269, meaning I've got a budget of about $15-20k. I'm willing to stretch to the higher end if it has the nice things that I wanted to add anyway. Examples of some things I would've paid to add to the C200 as aftermarket: * Fat wheels * Bluetooth/newer entertainment system * USB ports up the wazoo * Fold-down wing mirrors to aid parallel parking (good view of gutter) * Flappy paddle gears, because I'm a bad person = Really good features = I loved a great many things about my C200, and it turns out that many of the features that I took for granted in my 10yo car **aren't standard** nowadays on lesser vehicles. * Speed limiter for effortless driving at the speed limit * Climate control, vs. abstract fan speeds * Vanity mirrors * Automatic headlights * Automatic wipers * Heated mirrors, not as important here but nice = What's new and shiny = We went and had a squiz at some dealerships, there's some nice offerings these days. A new car is mostly out of my budget, but a newish model that's a couple of years old will probably have most of the nice modern tech. * Mazda3 is still a bloody solid car, but the SP25 class is where it's at. * Trims are SP25, SP25 GT, SP25 Astina. Only the Astina has leather seats * The cheapest GT/Astina with less than 100,000km on the clock is $27k * Cheapest base-level SP25 is $16k * They have all the bells and whistles, at least in recent incarnations * Hyundai i30 is better than it has any right to be, it's a solid competitor to the Mazda3 * Get a 2nd gen model, they're 2011 or 2012 onwards. GD model code, vs the older FD * The Estate/Tourer is apparently pretty good * Trim level names changed between generations: * Active * Elite / SR / Active X: add alloys, auto headlights, auto wipers, satnav * Premium / SR Premium: adds 17" alloys, leather, folding mirrors, fold-flat rear seats, reverse camera * Can be had for about $16-17k * Suzuki Swift is not bad, but I would say only in the Swift Sport incarnation * Tight, lively to drive, well styled * Still says "I'm a student" to me * They just knocked $930 off this one, now asking $18,945 with 20,000km on the clock: http://www.carsales.com.au/dealer/details/_/OAG-AD-12154782 * Good power-to-weight ratio, modern 7-speed CVT transmission, premium 98 petrol but fairly frugal * Toyota: neither of us are in love with the Corolla * Subaru: haven't looked at, an Impreza is probably the competitor in this class = Mercs = I've taken a good sample from Carsales and whittled down to a few good examples. * A 2-door coupe with very low mileage, 2006 model, $17,900 asking price. The fitout is on the bland side (small wheels, no hood ornament), but 50,000km on the clock should be worth a couple grand in saved servicing costs. * http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/_/SSE-AD-583625 * Sporty steering wheel and pedals, sporty Merc rims of normal 16" size * A sported-up sedan with 100,000km on the clock, 2006 model, $17,950 negotiable. * http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/_/SSE-AD-3779782 * Flappy paddle gears, sport everything, classic W203 body shape, nice hood ornament even though it's labelled as Avantgarde * Sporty sedan, 2007 model, 79,000km, new W204 body shape, $19,990 negotiable for moving overseas * http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/_/SSE-AD-3490780 * Very fat AMG wheels, no hood ornament, interior plastics might be a bit worn * A few years older 2-door coupe, a beast of a thing, CLK500, $19,500 with no mention of negotiability, listing hasn't been touched since 2015-12-23, suggesting they might take a hit on price * http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/_/SSE-AD-2826100 * Sports wheels and suspension * Airbags only for front row (not sure if they were available for back row) * Leather trim and woodgrain everywhere (wood looks very light in colour), electric seats, has satnav? * Claims to be Elegance trim, but has no hood ornament * Redbook suggests value of $14,900-17,900: http://www.redbook.com.au/cars/research/used/details/2004-mercedes-benz-clk500-elegance-auto/SPOT-ITM-254494 == Valuations == I got some valuation on three cars via Glass's Guide, PDF here: http://www.mycarprice.com.au/Certificate.aspx?trns=GCV0028782&email=1 * CLK500 - good value if it's in good shape * Below Average: $19,000 * Average: $22,000 * Above Average: $27,200 * C200 Avantgarde 2006 - they're asking a lot, but it **is** riced up * Below Average: $9,900 * Average: $11,300 * Above Average: $15,100 * C200 Elegance 2007 (new W204 series) - seems like quite good value, and low mileage * Personal Buy Sell: $23,600 == Adan's advice == Had a chat with Adan from Maag & Stucki, he mentioned a few things: * The W204 is a solid, sensible choice for the money * CLK350 has a history of some more complex problems, which could be costlier to fix * The CLK500 that I sent him would be a better choice before the CLK350 == Riced up components == Waving my hands, how much do I think the extras are worth? Assuming I wanted to do it myself after buying. * Fat wheels: $2000 * Better entertainment/navigation unit: $500-1000 * Sporty transmission etc: ? == B-class == How about that B-class? Apparently they're practical, but not that pretty. Eg. http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/Mercedes-Benz-B180-2010/SSE-AD-3343388/?Cr=3 This 2010 model just dropped $1000 to $17,950, probably closer to fair value for it. * 104,000km on it, but it should have some decent go in it. * Redbook suggests a price more like $18,900-21,400: http://www.redbook.com.au/cars/research/used/details/2010-mercedes-benz-b200-turbo-auto-my10/SPOT-ITM-253428 = Colours = Kat would prefer a white car: http://www.carsales.com.au/cars/results?cpw=1&sortby=~Price&limit=12&q=%28%28%28%28%28%28%28Service%3D%5BCarsales%5D%26SiloType%3D%5BPrivate+seller+cars%5D%29%26Postcode%3Dpoi%5B2000x50km%5D%29%26Price%3Drange%5B0..20000%5D%29%26Colour%3D%5BWhite%5D%29%26Make%3D%5BMercedes-Benz%5D%29%26%28%28%28BodyStyle%3D%5BSedan%5D%7CBodyStyle%3D%5BCoupe%5D%29%7CBodyStyle%3D%5BHatch%5D%29%7CBodyStyle%3D%5BConvertible%5D%29%29%26Year%3Drange%5B2004..%5D%29 = Honda Civic = Generations: * 8th gen: 2005-2011 (FD sedan, FN hatch) * 9th gen: 2011-2015 (FB chassis) * 10th gen: 2015-current (FC chassis) Current trim levels are: * VTi (15" wheels) * VTi-S (chrome handles, auto wipers+lights, climate control, keyless entry+start, leather wheel, more speakers, 16" wheels) * VTi-L (folding mirrors, foglights, leather seat trim, reverse sensors) * Sport (bigger engine, paddle shifters, LED mirror blinkers, sunroof, power seats, satnav, 17" wheels) 8th gen is probably best, 9th-gen is apparently very ho-hum. 10th-gen is practically brand new. Kat likes the 10th-gen look. Examples: (these are all VTi-S) * http://www.carsales.com.au/dealer/details/Honda-Civic-2013/OAG-AD-12225112/ * http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/Honda-Civic-2013/SSE-AD-3788974/ * http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/Honda-Civic-2014/SSE-AD-3756838/ = Alfa Romeo Giulietta = * Cheap to buy, pretty cheap to own, close to a Swift Sport, not as cheap as an i30 * Alfa have had a very long standing history of atrocious reliability. Like really bad, everyone will tell you to run a mile. It's been a long time coming, but reliability seems ''okay'' over the last 4-5 years (anecdotally), but not quite up there with other brands. == Running costs == Assuming driving 10,000km/yr, for 5 years: * $3,000 petrol * $1,584 rego * $2,529 CTP * $5,256 comprehensive insurance with GIO * $7,500 servicing? (wild guess) == Background == * 2012 Feb to 2012 Aug: Dealer demo * 2012 Aug to 2015 Dec: Business (company car?) * 2015 Dec to present: On market for sale == Find out == * Background check lists it as a sedan, it's a hatchback * Check the VIN and engine numbers * Discrepancy in weight figures, check document quotes 1259kg Tare, carsales shows 1284kg Tare * Service history? * Single owner? * What's the driveaway price? * How many keys? * Full manuals and paperwork? * Any remaining warranty? == Notes == * Will come with mandatory 3 month warranty, the usual Form 4 * What trim level is this exactly? == Servicing costs == A place in Victoria, should be representative enough: http://www.alfamen.com.au/service-schedules/alfa-giulietta/ || '000 km || Months || Maj/Min || Cost || || 15 || ? || Minor || 210 || || 30 || 24 || Major || 350 || || 45 || ? || Minor || 210 || || 60 || 48 || Major || 480 || || 75 || ? || Minor || 210 || || 90 || 72 || Major || 350 || || 105 || ? || Minor || 210 || || 120 || 96 || Major || 1155 || || 135 || ? || Minor || 210 || In 5yrs I can expect to hit four services by the book, which would be $1,250. Double that because we're pessimistic. == Potential sore spots == * MultiAir issues (turbocharger) * Creaky interior bits