Mercedes A140 or Others... Replacing Fiat, Yes Fiat.

HungryJoey · 31-05-2005 9:19pm #1

So my mother has decided to scrap buying fiats, Finally after her lst 3 fiats head gaskets had blowen, she decided no more. She isn't into big cars or big money on them either so she's looking fro a small- mid sized car for around 14.5k -15 K MAX. My dad is the 1 who spends the money on the car's. He's got a pretty Nice Mercedes at the moment and with no engine troubles with that for the last while or any of them he has had my mother i think she has mind picked on a A140 ...Around a 02' mark , 03 tops , but still under the 15K mark, there are a few on Autotrader but i think there willb e better else where,

Anyway, apart from the A-140 is there anything else like this car you's can recomend me as i don't think the A140 is the nicest looking car but i think it would be strong , and reliable for her ... I reall don't know, I also was leading her to getting a 02' laguna for about 14K , sport model with all nice extra's as my dad had 1 and it was great, but i think she thinks its too big , But any cars you guys recommend ? Is the A-140 any good or anything i should watch out for in it or too look for. She will be buying during summer some time.

BTW...Is it right for a Fiat punto 03' head gasket to blow ? Because her last 2 punto's have ... And yesterday it went so she is pretty pissed right now.

Cheers,
Hj.

bazz26 · 31-05-2005 10:28pm

Saturnine · 31-05-2005 10:34pm

All Fiats are scrap new or old piles of ****e.If your thinking of a small car the best you can get is a Ford Fiesta the engines are indestructible.

HungryJoey · 31-05-2005 10:47pm

Cheers for the tips guys...But say my mam was to go for the A140, is there anything unreliable about them ? Or are they fairly good cars ?

BTW cheers for the carzone Site..Gonna have a look aorund that.

bazz26 · 31-05-2005 10:58pm

Well I don't know of any reliability issues but servicing and spare parts could be expensive. Check out http://www.honestjohn.co.uk for any known issues.

Also a couple of years ago this car had issues with stability where the car flipped over on it's side rather easily in a test. I don't know the exact details but I think it made MB recall the car and add stability control.

bazz26 · 31-05-2005 11:00pm

If she is after something like the A-Class she might want to check out the Audi A2 which I think is a way better car. It is also available in 1.4 TDi which would be my choice if I had to buy one of these type cars.

Guy:Incognito · 01-06-2005 12:02am

the missus has a 01 A140 and I have to say I really like it. Not really into hatchbacks myself but I really took to this car. The fact that the rear seat can be completely taken out to create a flatbed came in handy when delivering a few tvs from work

. Incidentally shes selling it if your mother fancies an 01. Ive managed to steer her round to wanting a saloon, but in fairness she does need a larger car as the big buggy we have takes up most of her boot.

Guy:Incognito · 01-06-2005 12:07am

bazz26 wrote:

Well I don't know of any reliability issues but servicing and spare parts could be expensive. Check out http://www.honestjohn.co.uk for any known issues.

Also a couple of years ago this car had issues with stability where the car flipped over on it's side rather easily in a test. I don't know the exact details but I think it made MB recall the car and add stability control.

I believ that was in the very beginning (98 i think) and was sorted pretty much straight away. But in fairness, nobody should be cornering quick enough to flip any car.

unkel · 01-06-2005 1:08am

Stekelly wrote:

I believ that was in the very beginning (98 i think) and was sorted pretty much straight away. But in fairness, nobody should be cornering quick enough to flip any car.

Exactly. After the embarassment of the flip-over test, all production cars were fitted with sophisticated suspension systems at a huge cost to MB

The car is fine, if a bit boring imho. It is not really up to the same standard build quality as other MB cars, although there seems to be a significant QC issue with MB cars of the last few years

Was driving a A160CDI a few months ago and found it dull. POS Diesel engine tbh :rolleyes:

The only truely remarkable bit was that I had the LWB version and feck, the rear leg room was about the same, if not more, than in my 7-series :eek:

How did they manage to do that in such a small car?

greglo23 · 01-06-2005 1:37am

there are issues with the rear arm bearings, front anti-roll bar links and steering racks. my brother had an A170 CDI and it was very hard and rigid on the road. they made the suspension much harder after the infamous moose test flipover and the ride is fairly rough for the standard of car it`s supposed to be. i`ve seen them with fairly low mileage and the rear arms were moving at least 2 inches from side to side !! i dont know if they supply an upgraded bush for same but it does`nt say much for the car ! the steering mechanism is very odd as they use a left hand drive rack with a long convoluted linkage that runs over the engine to the steering-wheel. too many links for my liking.

whippet · 01-06-2005 10:43am

the missus had a 99, it was a terrible car. The build quality was poor, interior cheap, plastic and rattled like crazy. The aformentioned suspension 'upgrade' lets you feel every pebble on the road and is very uncomfortable. It was thirsty enough and developed a good number of faults which required repair from the dealer. I wouldn't recommend the MK1 version at all.

On another note, I quite like the MK2, a friend bought a new A150 and it is the total opposite, nice interior, great handling, feels better built .. Actually I quite like it !!

HungryJoey · 01-06-2005 11:41am

Yeh i will admit it is VERY dull and plasticy inside but she still wants it. But I amno't too keen on her getting it. But i will know if i ever get a test ride in 1, wether she likes it or not. I was talking to her about a Citreon Picasso..My uncles drive's 1 at the moment , a 2L HDi version and apart from the oridinary speeds from it , it feels nice n comfotorble and verry roomy and large inside and high up. What you's think of them cars ? They go pretty cheap fro 02-01 versions and aren't too bad to the eye to look at.

Ok so looks like i wont be pushing her to get a A140, Any more ideas out there ?

Cheers,
Hj.

BTW, cheers for all the suggestions, its hard to pick what car and its easier with tips from you guys : :rolleyes:

HungryJoey · 01-06-2005 9:18pm

Ok... What do you guys think of Peugeot 307's ? thats a car i have in mind and they look pretty hot IMO. Or she also has her other eye on a Citreon C3 but i dont think ill let her go for a C3.

Waht you's think ? But the A140 is still a very liable Probably...

ds20prefecture · 02-06-2005 12:19am

HungryJoey wrote:

Ok... What do you guys think of Peugeot 307's ? thats a car i have in mind and they look pretty hot IMO. Or she also has her other eye on a Citreon C3 but i dont think ill let her go for a C3.

Waht you's think ? But the A140 is still a very liable Probably...

How about a Fiat Panda 1.3 Multijet? Oh no, I just spotted the title....

Mercedes A140 or Others... Replacing Fiat, Yes Fiat.

Comments