GCZ, help me choose my first car!
- Thread starter Mr. M
- Start date
Mr. M
Tire Trailblazer
Good luck with with the car hunting anyway! I love your country a lot and its tax policy, just mind boggled with car ownership policy. I guess Singapore need it for traffic management and sustainability.
Thanks hazza79.
Mr. M
Tire Trailblazer
Ah yes, that one. Love how it looks as well.
Poverty
Oversteer Expert
Everyone said to me I would crash my first car. I laughed at them and thought naaaa not me. TBH and without sounding big headed im an extremly talented driver on the race track and on the roads. Then a couple weeks ago I had a slight incident in my ibiza. Completly wasnt expecting it especially as I was actually below the speed limit for once and being such a confident driver.
It had just rained for the first time in a long while and the roads were extremely greasy and slippery. I didnt have all that much respect for the road conditions, I was overly confident for me own good.
Without getting into too much detail I was on a roundabout with a downward slope and as I turned my steering wheel to go round it instead of my car turning in the front tyres lost grip and was understeering straight ahead. At first I thought nothing of it thinking I would soon regain control of the car, but that didnt happen. Now halfway heading towards a curb/kerb and lampost I started to get worried and pushed down on the brake harder. My ABS didnt kick in, infact I think the wheels might have locked and I was just sliding. I got a bit of grip back just before hitting the curb but not enough. I just about missed the lampost but I completely bent out most of my left front suspenion along with a badly kerbed alloy and flat front tyre. The car wouldnt drive anymore or steer the left front wheel. This little incident is costing me £1200.
Alot of people reckon it was just bad luck and that I must have hit a patch of oil as two other cars also spun out. Nevertheless I have had my first accident and luckily it wasnt too major. All I know now is that my elders where yet again correct, and that this incident has made me a better driver.
So my advice to you is to listen to what your parents, and those people that are more experienced than you say. Alot of people dont crash for a good couple years after getting their license, but then alot do.
Personally from my experiences of driving my little hatchback compared to my friends renault megance CC I prefer to drive my little car anyday. They are nice and nippy and are able to make bigger and more powerful vehicles look silly in the right conditions. Plus you would be able to get something newer for your money. SL would be a mad nice cruising machine though at your age, though prepare for people to hate on you and give you funny looks. I get that happening to me when I drive about in the renault convert!! One of my friends mums actually asked if the car was bought with drug money
Oh and one last thing, which is financial. Get something you can easily afford, as there will be some "stealth" costs you never included into your preliminary estimations. They can range from anything and are most of the time unexpected. Just because someone can afford a certain car doesnt mean they will be able to run it and still enjoy all their other luxurious, unless they are loaded!
Hope I have helped in one way or another and best of luck with whatever choices you make. Its all a learning experience anyway just keep safe and enjoy
It had just rained for the first time in a long while and the roads were extremely greasy and slippery. I didnt have all that much respect for the road conditions, I was overly confident for me own good.
Without getting into too much detail I was on a roundabout with a downward slope and as I turned my steering wheel to go round it instead of my car turning in the front tyres lost grip and was understeering straight ahead. At first I thought nothing of it thinking I would soon regain control of the car, but that didnt happen. Now halfway heading towards a curb/kerb and lampost I started to get worried and pushed down on the brake harder. My ABS didnt kick in, infact I think the wheels might have locked and I was just sliding. I got a bit of grip back just before hitting the curb but not enough. I just about missed the lampost but I completely bent out most of my left front suspenion along with a badly kerbed alloy and flat front tyre. The car wouldnt drive anymore or steer the left front wheel. This little incident is costing me £1200.
Alot of people reckon it was just bad luck and that I must have hit a patch of oil as two other cars also spun out. Nevertheless I have had my first accident and luckily it wasnt too major. All I know now is that my elders where yet again correct, and that this incident has made me a better driver.
So my advice to you is to listen to what your parents, and those people that are more experienced than you say. Alot of people dont crash for a good couple years after getting their license, but then alot do.
Personally from my experiences of driving my little hatchback compared to my friends renault megance CC I prefer to drive my little car anyday. They are nice and nippy and are able to make bigger and more powerful vehicles look silly in the right conditions. Plus you would be able to get something newer for your money. SL would be a mad nice cruising machine though at your age, though prepare for people to hate on you and give you funny looks. I get that happening to me when I drive about in the renault convert!! One of my friends mums actually asked if the car was bought with drug money
Oh and one last thing, which is financial. Get something you can easily afford, as there will be some "stealth" costs you never included into your preliminary estimations. They can range from anything and are most of the time unexpected. Just because someone can afford a certain car doesnt mean they will be able to run it and still enjoy all their other luxurious, unless they are loaded!
Hope I have helped in one way or another and best of luck with whatever choices you make. Its all a learning experience anyway just keep safe and enjoy
Mr. M
Tire Trailblazer
Very humbling advice Poverty, thanks for sharing your experience. I guess once in a while we all have to slip even though we're so well-versed in something. 
You have made a very good point about jealousy. I don't think I'm a person who is able to handle such attention and jibes... I'm inherently very conservative, and I don't forsee myself driving topless anytime soon (not literally, of course
).
I'm leaning towards the W124 sedan and coupé for now - I know there have been lots of comments about the W124 being too big a car, but good German hatchbacks are sure hard to find (at my budget).
You have made a very good point about jealousy. I don't think I'm a person who is able to handle such attention and jibes... I'm inherently very conservative, and I don't forsee myself driving topless anytime soon (not literally, of course
).I'm leaning towards the W124 sedan and coupé for now - I know there have been lots of comments about the W124 being too big a car, but good German hatchbacks are sure hard to find (at my budget).
Giannis
Staff member
Povetry, about crashing your first car, i still haven't crashed mine, which i still keep after 10 years... But what happend to you is just bad luck, as you pointed out, too! Something kinda same happend to dad a few years ago and i was lucky (?) to be in the car too. An instant loss of traction when going down a mountain in a curvy road under heavy rain ended up with around 2.000eur damage, the right wheel/suspension comletely totalled and some other minor damages... Mind that at that time my father was around 52 and is a very experienced driver, since he has driven almost everything, from a donkey to a tank (no kidding)...
PS. James, for once again, since you have decided to go for the W124, go for the coupe. Same car and you don't want to look like everyone else! Oh, and when will you get the car?
PS. James, for once again, since you have decided to go for the W124, go for the coupe. Same car and you don't want to look like everyone else! Oh, and when will you get the car?
Mr. M
Tire Trailblazer
Man, that sucks! Your daddy will be driving 3 cars and you can only watch and maybe take some pics.
It'll be just a few months to wait and anyway, all the cars are his anyway... I really don't deserve to drive any of them.
Mr. M
Tire Trailblazer
Today I went down to the dealer and really got down and dirty to view the W124, the R129 and the 190E in detail.
The W124 is as expected, impressive for the price they're asking. My dad isn't very keen on one though, because there are already two sedans in the house.
He saw the 190E and immediately his prejudices against small cars came, so we didn't really consider it. There's one 190E Cosworth on sale though, and that's pretty tempting. But...
Nothing's as tempting as an SL. We viewed two SLs today, one a September 1992 model and the other a December 1991 model. The former's a white car, gorgeous on the outside with a new coat of paint. It is very well kept as it is only one of the few around still serviced by the official dealer. It has both the hard top and the blue soft top, whichever you prefer to cruise in for the day. The interior's a little worn out, but it's black and looks really luxurious. The boot's pretty sizeable too. We popped the engine hood and we saw that the engine wasn't really well-kept. Still, the test drive proved that the mechanics of the car were sound.
My dad really started to like the SL after the test drive. He love the way it looks. But most importantly he likes its rareness and its classic car reputation. The SL is highly sought after in Singapore and only a few are sold every one time, and they are usually renewed every 2 weeks. He loves the SL and we started to consider it seriously.
So off to the next SL. This time it's a dark grey with a silver interior. The owner did more mods than what was comfortable - he changed the gauges to a gaudy white, the rims to AMG rims (just like Wimmer's), and the badge to a SL320 badge even though it's just a 300SL. I didn't really like it because the previous owner seems pretentious and I have a gut feeling he did more to the car. However the paintwork and condition of the interior is the best we've seen so far. No official service records though. PS there was also a W124 limo for sale but that's for another story.
Tomorrow, we're viewing another SL, this time marketed by the owner himself. Dark blue with a blue interior. Should be interesting, this. Will keep you guys updated.
So now, it looks like we're slanting towards the SL. My dad yearns for a roadster.
Mr. M
Tire Trailblazer
Oh dear, I can't believe how close we are to plonking down money for an SL right now... Here's the one we saw today.
Nautica Blue Metallic exterior, blue leather 300SL 24V (owner rebadged)
Mr. M
Tire Trailblazer
Don't think twice, that's it!
Haha, I'm still trying to cage my enthusiasm and be as patient as possible. But this beautifully kept 300SL had a perfect interior and exterior condition. Not to mention it's a direct owner sale... That means we won't be going through a dealer if we buy it from him.
What's cool about the SL is that after buying it, we might actually be able to sell it for a profit!
PanterroR
Lap Time Luminary
What's cool about the SL is that after buying it, we might actually be able to sell it for a profit!
You see, another reason to go for it!
Mr. M
Tire Trailblazer
You see, another reason to go for it!
It's also a 5 speed auto. And it can be both a hardtop and a softtop. And it's comfortable. And it's rare...
Hmm, this car is heavy though, at more than 2 tons. And the I6 'only' has 228hp and 272Nm. The weight should keep it relatively within legal speeds. My dad drove it and he said it was quite sluggish. That's the way for an SL I say, smooth cruising...
Great-looking car, but do remove the badge if you decide to buy it.
Oh yes definitely, and the V12 badges at the sides too.
