USED Mercedes-Benz A-Class MPV (98 - 05)

My car

My Merc is very pricey when I take it to the dealer.

They strongly encouraged me to bring the car in because the air-bag light was on for a FREE checkup. So I agreed and they wanted me to pay over £150. I didn't have my wallet with me so I told them I would come back another time but they wouldn't give me back my keys!

They didn't let me drive out of the dealer, so I had to ring my wife who had to give her credit card details etc so they would let me drive back.

The Merc overall isn't that bad, with good all-round visibility and the seats can be removed to fit three big bikes in the back. But the ride is terrible and the car is always shaking. The quality of the dash etc seems very cheap and plasticky but the gearbox is quite smooth.

The car has cost me over £600 in servicing. When I gave my Audi A6 in for a service I was given an Audi A2 1.4 TDI (the A140 CONTENDER). The car's build quality was as good as my A6 if not better and the doors weren't heavy like the A Class where you need 3 people just to open and close the door! And there was no plastic.

The A2 also drove better, although the dash went on and you didn't really know where it ended. The Merc also feels like it's about to snap in half when it goes over a hump and the alarm seems to be going off all the time for no reason at all!

My car

ALTHOUGH VERY RELIABLE, THE A-CLASS SEEMS TO HAVE A SUSPENSION PROBLEM.

THE RIDE IS VERY HARD, IT TENDS TO FIND EVERY BUMP AND CURVE ON THE ROAD.

THE BACK SPRINGS HAVE HAD TO BE REPLACED AFTER ONLY 20,000 MILES WHICH YOU WOULD NOT EXPECT FROM A CAR WHICH GENERALLY ONLY CARRIED 1 OR 2 PEOPLE AT MOST.

DURING COLD WEATHER, THIS CAR DOES NOT PERFORM WELL ON MPG.

I WOULD BUY ANOTHER ONE BUT WOULD GO FOR A 1.7 NEXT TIME. THE 1.4 CLASSIC WHICH I HAVE IS VERY BASIC.

My car

I have a 4-year old automatic A-140. It's very easy to drive and park, roomy for it's size and I like the elevated driving position.However, a few weeks ago the gearshift started behaving strangely and the engine cut out!

I took it to the garage only to be told that the Engine Control Unit is faulty and needs to be changed. Should this be happening to a 4-year old Merc, I ask myself! It also neede new rear suspension arms because the old ones were badly designed and let in water which led to corrosion of bearings.

Not surprisingly I am very disappointed. I thought I was buying a superior quality car and what I've ended up with is a £1000 bill. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone!

To add insult to injury, there is now an all new A-class with all the above faults sorted. I will be selling mine shortly, before anything else goes wrong.

My car

I need a van on weekdays and a family car at weekends. The little Merc does both with a versatility which defies belief.

I cover 35,000 miles a year and so far the A-class has coped with everything it has been asked to do with no costs other than normal servicing and tyres.

Services at a local garage have not yet exceeded £130. I think it's great and would definitely buy another!