Audi vs BMW vs Mercedes

psd99

psd99

psd99

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7 Sep 2008
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Hi guys,

Budget = £10,000

out of the three cars there types of models

1. Audi : A4

2. BMW: 320/330

3. Mercedes: E220/C220/possible CLK220

which make gets your approval out of these?
which car would you buy 1,2 or 3?
 
The Merc is not that great - new C is a brilliant car, old C not so. This said, it's the most prestigious choice. The BMW is the best car there and the Audi is what you chose if you hate BMW's, but is the most bland choice.

I can't think of a single reason to chose an A4 over a 330i - the 330i is a brilliant car, the A4 3.0 is.. not.
 
Clio

EDIT: As a serious answer I would take the Audi proably not the best car there but its the one I would be happy to own.

Aero
 
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Lol, will every "spec me" thread for the forseeable future come back to that clio?

None of those choices are going to be bad cars at that budget, so it mostly comes down to your preference. Although as Fox said, the old C isnt that great.

I assume it would be the 3.0 (ish) versions of each? My personal preference would be the A4, although thats not because I hate BMWs - the 3 series is a fine car, I've just always had a thing for Audis. There's a few little bits about the 3 that bothers me, like the unecessarily skinny steering wheel.

Have you considered any other alternatives, Volvo etc?

Neither will see you wrong though, both will be very good cars so get out there and have a poke about and drive each of them. Feel free to come back if you've made your mind up to double check what you've found :)
 
Well I would be more inclined for 2.0 than 3.0 because of petrol consumption


now when you say old C class what year we talking? I've seen C class cars from 2006 onwards if that helps.

Nah not thought about alternatives, volvo? lol no way only other make would be Lexus.


I see a lot of you say BMW the thing is their dash board looks so plain and boring compared to the Merc and Audi don't you think? Don't know much about cars anymore but can dash boards be changed with body kits etc?
 
BMW is the best drivers car by some distance with the best engine by some way too. Previous C Class was, in context of the brand and image, a dog and the A4 is not a great drive with engines that don't stand well against the BMW equivalents.

BMW out of the three above then.
 
psd99 said:
Well I would be more inclined for 2.0 than 3.0 because of petrol consumption


now when you say old C class what year we talking? I've seen C class cars from 2006 onwards if that helps.

Nah not thought about alternatives, volvo? lol no way only other make would be Lexus.


I see a lot of you say BMW the thing is their dash board looks so plain and boring compared to the Merc and Audi don't you think? Don't know much about cars anymore but can dash boards be changed with body kits etc?
Click to expand...

What if petrol consumption isn't a big issue? As for the dash, have you looked at an audi dash recently?
 
Why do i get the feeling you are going to ruin whatever you will end up buying?
kits for dashboards!!

anyway. 330.
 
The A4 is FWD and not a hot hatch, thus less of a drivers car than the 330i. If you want to JUST cruise about, get an E Class or a 5 Series. If you want to cruise, have the odd blat about or B road hoon, get the 330 - it is simply a better car than the A4. Bills on both will be similar, particularly if you go to the dealers but you don't spend £10k on a 2nd hand Audi/Merc/BMW to expect the odd bill of £100 at the most.

Whatever you do, don't buy any of the cars listed in a boggo spec - go 6m older/10k more miles if you have to. If you end up with a bog standard A4, selling it on will be a nightmare and you are punishing yourself when you drive it for a bit of plate snobbery or lack of patience.

BMW all the way for me.
 
psd99 said:
Well I would be more inclined for 2.0 than 3.0 because of petrol consumption


now when you say old C class what year we talking? I've seen C class cars from 2006 onwards if that helps.

Nah not thought about alternatives, volvo? lol no way only other make would be Lexus.


I see a lot of you say BMW the thing is their dash board looks so plain and boring compared to the Merc and Audi don't you think? Don't know much about cars anymore but can dash boards be changed with body kits etc?
Click to expand...

The inferior C Class model that they're referring to was the one which was offered from 2000-2007. Post facelift (54 plate onwards) C Class' aren't bad cars as such, fitted with a nicer interior and dash, new headlamps/rear light cluster, new side skirts and bumpers. In Avantgarde and "Sport" guise, they do look quite nice as well and the included kit is usually what you'd expect in such a car. The engines are reliable and build quality is said to be fine after the facelift. The Audi isn't a bad car either and the A4 also got a fresher looking interior after it's facelift.

If you're interested in all three, I see no harm in finding tidy looking examples of them and taking them out for test drives to see what suits you best. If you want a car with a fair amount of poke, you'll have better luck with BMW as there are quite a fair amount of bigger engined petrol and diesel 3 series available used, while you'll find that the vast majority of Merc C's at around £10k are C180/C200 petrols or the C220 diesel. Same goes with Auto vs Manual, as the majority of fairly spec'd C's will be auto boxes.

I haven't owned or driven any of these cars so I couldn't really make a recommendation worth listening to, but I would be leaning towards a well spec'd 330i/330d Sport.
 
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