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Posted

.....but it's not a berlingo! :(

 

I was all set to go for the berlingo, we'd looked at all sorts from zafira's and touran's to kangoo's and doblo's, the berlingo was the best choice and biggest boot for camping gear etc.

 

Nothing could touch it on price... till a friend of mine started work this week as a Mercedes salesman.

 

He had a vaneo on the forecourt, loaded up with leccy everything, alloys, ESP, only done 16k..... £17000 new, and he could let it go for well into four figures... I couldn't resist, pick it up sunday.

 

Umm, sorry... :blink:

Posted

At least the depreciation sounds like it will match Citroens about 75% after 16k miles or close to £440 per 1,000 miles :blink:

 

How will the running costs compare (insurance, servicing, MPG etc)?

 

 

Ian

Black 55 VTR+

Posted

Insurance is £40 more... MPG is similar to the cit 1.6, maybe a touch better (is a slippery thing it has to be said).. servicing is included in the two year warranty deal I got with it.

 

That initial depreciation is huge, I feel sorry for whoever bought it new! :blink: I'm paying 8k for it, so it's lost nearly 53%!

Posted

Well I've only had a test drive so far, but basically very quiet and a very "positive" feel to the controls... very stiff (almost sports) suspension with soft seats. Sat at the lights and all you can hear is the fan.... knock the fan off and you just can't hear the engine. Sound insulation is very very good.

 

Steering is quite low geared, really "connected" and direct, where the berlingo feels nimble and light footed, ther vaneo feels heavy but darting, if that makes sense.

 

A berlingo has a few creaks, not creaky, but you feel movement and flex, whereas the vaneo feels rigid. The plastics are definately a step up from Citroen's, and I am a sucker for the nice soft leather wheel and gearshift.

 

Switches have very little movement, "click" rather than the push and click of Citroen (or even my skoda).

 

I love Citroens (have owned two) and often heard complaining that as they have improved build quality they have lost character. The Vaneo is almost the evolution of that thinking, fantastically built, but absolutely zero character. My ZX rattled and clanged and squeaked n creaked, but was fantastic fun. The vaneo is very much a "tool for the job" and I can't imagine getting attached to it.

 

We shall see.... :unsure:

Posted

Just be careful. I know a few people that have had brand new mercs and they had a lot of warranty work done to them.

 

1 even refused his car due to the problems that the dealers just couldnt get rid off.

 

Spoke to a lot of people who all had the same thing to say a merc built 10 years ago is better put together than the new ones.

Posted

I agree, merc's are not built like they used to be, and have a lot more to go wrong. However they are still built better than many.

 

I have a friend with an E-class that has had a few trips to the dealer, but whereas 10years ago you only visited the dealer when it wouldn't run, this is due to faults with the heated electric seats. Don't have those on the vaneo so not too worried!

 

The engine is actually quite "old fashioned" - little 8v 1.6 with peak torque down at 2500rpm... I have a two year warranty roadside assist thrown in with it, so if it has too many issues in it's first year I shall just sell it with a years warranty left.

 

I'll stick around and keep you updated if you don't mind - there are not many "little van" forums! :unsure:

Posted

Yup, already done on the service record...or just had new wiper blades courtesy of mercedes lol, as has a redesigned trailing arm suspension cup and front droplinks.

 

It's nice when someone does a recall and get's it dealt with. The saxo had a known issue with synchromesh on second, and seeping oil gaskets between engine and gearbox - forums were full of them. Citroen of course denied the issue and had tobe rectified at owners cost.

 

I prefer things fixed at someone else's cost :unsure:

Posted

Well it has now has pride of place on my drive... bye bye 220+bhp, hello 82, gulp...

 

Chuffed to bits with it, 85mile trip home from the dealer, is so silent, kids that normally go straight to sleep in the car sit wide-eyed at the scenery they can now see!

 

Quality piece of kit, feels *very* well screwed together. Have absorbed the manual and played with a few things. The sony head unit has more buttons than I'd like (anyone else always find Sony a bit "fussy?") but does produce some nice sounds in early tests...

 

Off to work on the train tomorrow, not due to drive again till I go to Leeds on Wednesday, but looking forward to getting some more miles under it.

  • 1 month later...
Posted
saw a Mercedes Vaneo for the first time the other day. I overtook it on the motorway then had to slow down and let it go past so I could get a better look, wished I hadn't though as it pretty hideous up close. I hope it's a decent car to drive and own as the styling is awful!
Posted

lol, I think it's a lot smarter and less vanlike than, umm, a lot of it's competitors! :D

 

I thought it was somewhat perky for an 82, did some digging, and turns out it's a 102! Both versions are badged simply as "1.6" and the dealer had not advertised it correctly!

 

So far, loving it, just had the rear side and back windows tinted coming up for the summer, and have some screens ready to go in for the kids. It's getting somewhat better fuel economy than the octavia too.

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