Merc CLK Vs. BMW850 Vs. Jag XKR
Discussion
Hello everybody,
This forum was recently recommended as having lots of very knowledgeable enthusiasts as well as a few petrol heads, personally I'm still not sure which camp i fall into, we shall see...
I am looking to purchase a new car in the next 2 months or so and thought i would try to seek some advice, hopefully from previous owners of my shortlist...
The three cars I am looking at are...
BMW 850Ci
Jaguar XKR (old shape)
Mercedes CLK (2002 on shape)
I like all of these cars, but silly as it may sound at this point I have driven non of them! But there is method to my madness... I have intentionally stayed away from the dealer forecourts for now to protect myself from being bewitched by the charms of one or the other before doing a little research.
I have owned Jags, Mercs and BMWs in the past; XJR-S, 300 SE, 525 touring & 728i
So I have some preconceived ideas already.
Price! always the deciding factor for the majority of us...
I have a price band in mind of between £6'000-£8'000 (cash purchase) and I have found what look to be clean examples of all the models mentioned within my price range.
I would really appreciate any advice, points of view or personal experiences on ownership and day to day running of any of these cars.
Last thing to bear in mind is what the car is used for...
I do not have kids or have people in the back seat very often, I work from home and so no daily commute,in fact my current car 728i sometimes sits for up to a week without being driven.
The car is for my own pleasure in driving, foot down when the mood takes me (which is not all the time) and must be comfortable on a long run. I just drove from Edinburgh to Birmingham in one go a few days ago and my 7 was wonderful for that.
Anyways, this was supposed to be a post not a dissertation lol.
Thank you in advance to all
This forum was recently recommended as having lots of very knowledgeable enthusiasts as well as a few petrol heads, personally I'm still not sure which camp i fall into, we shall see...
I am looking to purchase a new car in the next 2 months or so and thought i would try to seek some advice, hopefully from previous owners of my shortlist...
The three cars I am looking at are...
BMW 850Ci
Jaguar XKR (old shape)
Mercedes CLK (2002 on shape)
I like all of these cars, but silly as it may sound at this point I have driven non of them! But there is method to my madness... I have intentionally stayed away from the dealer forecourts for now to protect myself from being bewitched by the charms of one or the other before doing a little research.
I have owned Jags, Mercs and BMWs in the past; XJR-S, 300 SE, 525 touring & 728i
So I have some preconceived ideas already.
Price! always the deciding factor for the majority of us...
I have a price band in mind of between £6'000-£8'000 (cash purchase) and I have found what look to be clean examples of all the models mentioned within my price range.
I would really appreciate any advice, points of view or personal experiences on ownership and day to day running of any of these cars.
Last thing to bear in mind is what the car is used for...
I do not have kids or have people in the back seat very often, I work from home and so no daily commute,in fact my current car 728i sometimes sits for up to a week without being driven.
The car is for my own pleasure in driving, foot down when the mood takes me (which is not all the time) and must be comfortable on a long run. I just drove from Edinburgh to Birmingham in one go a few days ago and my 7 was wonderful for that.
Anyways, this was supposed to be a post not a dissertation lol.
Thank you in advance to all
Hi Groober,
I have been keeping an eye on 850 prices for some time and they occasionally come up for as little as £4k but for that you are likely to get a real Dog.
For £6k+ you should get a reasonably good one
For £8k you should be able to get a really good example
Talking of the BMW, i'd love to go for a CSi but a good CSi will start at about £12k
I'll get a CSi one day but right now it's out of price range.
I have been keeping an eye on 850 prices for some time and they occasionally come up for as little as £4k but for that you are likely to get a real Dog.
For £6k+ you should get a reasonably good one
For £8k you should be able to get a really good example
Talking of the BMW, i'd love to go for a CSi but a good CSi will start at about £12k
I'll get a CSi one day but right now it's out of price range.
will admit that I've been keen on the 850 for quite some time...
(especially the Csi but a CSi is out of price range by about £5k)
Now that I am in a position to start looking at buying an 850 it became apparent that some of my other favorite cars (the merc and the jag mentioned) are now also within price range.
Another Car within price range that I didn't love is little Lotus Elise
I have driven the mk1 and loved it but I need a car that is comfortable for the long journeys and I just cant see the little Elise being in the same leagues as the other cars I mentioned in terms of comfort on a long journey. I will buy an Elise at some point in the future but it will probably be when I can afford to have it as a second car.
(especially the Csi but a CSi is out of price range by about £5k)
Now that I am in a position to start looking at buying an 850 it became apparent that some of my other favorite cars (the merc and the jag mentioned) are now also within price range.
Another Car within price range that I didn't love is little Lotus Elise
I have driven the mk1 and loved it but I need a car that is comfortable for the long journeys and I just cant see the little Elise being in the same leagues as the other cars I mentioned in terms of comfort on a long journey. I will buy an Elise at some point in the future but it will probably be when I can afford to have it as a second car.
I can only say what i've heard, but I know that the BMW and the Jag can get stupidly expencive if it goes wrong.
I know someone whos gearbox blew ont the jag. mega bucks to source & fit a new one.
So just keep in mind running costs. Hope you go for one of these three as they are lovely cars!
I know someone whos gearbox blew ont the jag. mega bucks to source & fit a new one.
So just keep in mind running costs. Hope you go for one of these three as they are lovely cars!
Thanks SS, I have been fortunate that I have never had a major problem with any of the cars I have run.
My 5series needed a new water pump in the two and half years I ran it.
The merc needed a new exhaust and thats it.
I good point indeed to consider, but I think that I possibly could be looking at a big bill for any of the premium type cars out there.
Sourcing the part however isn't even something I had considered, so thanks for that too btw.
Have you ever owned/driven any of the cars mentioned?
My 5series needed a new water pump in the two and half years I ran it.
The merc needed a new exhaust and thats it.
I good point indeed to consider, but I think that I possibly could be looking at a big bill for any of the premium type cars out there.
Sourcing the part however isn't even something I had considered, so thanks for that too btw.
Have you ever owned/driven any of the cars mentioned?
That's just mean guys!!!
But a valid point, there are some cracking cars out there within my price range.
I have always believed that you get more car for your money to buy older top end cars than newer run of the mill stuff.
Personally i'm not too keen on the 928 looks but I have always liked the 944, however...
I have heard people say that the 944 has a bit of a girlie image (hair dressers car) you know the chat...
I heard similar remarks being made about the boxster, "a Porsche with panties!"
think that is a quote from the sopranos TV series that somebody posted in another forum, but it did make me laugh. That said I haven't driven any Porsche car at all!
But a valid point, there are some cracking cars out there within my price range.
I have always believed that you get more car for your money to buy older top end cars than newer run of the mill stuff.
Personally i'm not too keen on the 928 looks but I have always liked the 944, however...
I have heard people say that the 944 has a bit of a girlie image (hair dressers car) you know the chat...
I heard similar remarks being made about the boxster, "a Porsche with panties!"
think that is a quote from the sopranos TV series that somebody posted in another forum, but it did make me laugh. That said I haven't driven any Porsche car at all!
SonicIndustries said:
Have any of you owned any of the cars mentioned?
I've not owned an 850 but I've owned an 840Ci Sport, it was a great car but the running costs were high and especially on the 850 they're very expensive to fix if the go wrong. They do look amazing though, one of the best looking cars BMW have ever made. There are a couple of guys over in the BMW section here who'll be able to give you loads of info on them if you need to know anything specificI would recommend a late 98 or 99 840 Sport. Newer than any 850, easier and cheaper to service and performance there or thereabouts.
I have had 2 840 and a 96 XK8, bought new when they were first released. Sold the XK8 after 80000 miles in 18 months to buy the first 840. Never considered an 850ci as preferred the V8 set up and the fact that the 850 was getting a bit long in the tooth. Also the 'Sport' and Individual options provided more choice.
Good luck....Havent seen an 850csi for under 13k recently....
Gratuitous pic of my car in case you've forgotten!
I have had 2 840 and a 96 XK8, bought new when they were first released. Sold the XK8 after 80000 miles in 18 months to buy the first 840. Never considered an 850ci as preferred the V8 set up and the fact that the 850 was getting a bit long in the tooth. Also the 'Sport' and Individual options provided more choice.
Good luck....Havent seen an 850csi for under 13k recently....
Edited by E31Shrew on Tuesday 9th March 19:27
Gratuitous pic of my car in case you've forgotten!
Edited by E31Shrew on Tuesday 9th March 19:29
There's on the the classifieds for the kind of money you are talking about:
850i Auto
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1448833.htm
850i Auto
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1448833.htm
Hi Guys, thank you for your thoughts.
After owning a Jag XJR-S (5.3 V12) I fell in love with the seamless silky smooth power delivery of a big 12!
I have heard that the 840s can be more reliable than the 850 but i am keen on having another 12!
I know very little about the jag or the CLK to be honest.
I thought if I came to a neutral forum i'd avoid the trap of going to a jag forum and getting biased opinions and same in the merc and BMW forums.
I would love an 850CSi but you are right they rarely come up in my price range. the cheapest I have seen one in good nick was £12.5k... I'll get one one day!
The 850 was my preferred choice but when I started noseying around at what is available now I realized that there are some very alluring alternatives too.
Hence the post, thought i'd get some peoples thoughts on the subject
After owning a Jag XJR-S (5.3 V12) I fell in love with the seamless silky smooth power delivery of a big 12!
I have heard that the 840s can be more reliable than the 850 but i am keen on having another 12!
I know very little about the jag or the CLK to be honest.
I thought if I came to a neutral forum i'd avoid the trap of going to a jag forum and getting biased opinions and same in the merc and BMW forums.
I would love an 850CSi but you are right they rarely come up in my price range. the cheapest I have seen one in good nick was £12.5k... I'll get one one day!
The 850 was my preferred choice but when I started noseying around at what is available now I realized that there are some very alluring alternatives too.
Hence the post, thought i'd get some peoples thoughts on the subject
My friend has an 850i that he bought for 6k. I'm not a huge fan of it - not really an involving enough drive for me. It does devour motorway miles though and the engine is a joy.
He has had a number of truly enormous bills too. I'm guessing that's a danger with all three of your choices though.
He has had a number of truly enormous bills too. I'm guessing that's a danger with all three of your choices though.
Depends on your priorities. Would you want a soft-top?
The 850i is great - I'd say buy a cheaper but reasonable example (say 4k) and put the rest aside for maintenance.
The XKR is amazing but losing its charm a bit with the presence of the new XK.
CLK430 would be amazing. They have far better fuel consumption as well, if that's a factor.
The 850i is great - I'd say buy a cheaper but reasonable example (say 4k) and put the rest aside for maintenance.
The XKR is amazing but losing its charm a bit with the presence of the new XK.
CLK430 would be amazing. They have far better fuel consumption as well, if that's a factor.
Hey e31shrew, yours is gorgeous looking car btw!
the CSi is out of price range for the moment, maybe in a year or two.
Yeah I know all of the cars are thirsty, but the amount of miles I do per year now is very minimal, I work from home and so the car doesn't need to be all that economical as there is no commute to consider.
I do occasionally do long trips and so I want something comfy for the long drives.
I would love the little Lotus Elise, but need something comfy on the long journeys.
I recently drove from Edinburgh to Devon and back (for example) in my 7series
I imagine that a trip like that in a little car would be very tiresome.
the CSi is out of price range for the moment, maybe in a year or two.
Yeah I know all of the cars are thirsty, but the amount of miles I do per year now is very minimal, I work from home and so the car doesn't need to be all that economical as there is no commute to consider.
I do occasionally do long trips and so I want something comfy for the long drives.
I would love the little Lotus Elise, but need something comfy on the long journeys.
I recently drove from Edinburgh to Devon and back (for example) in my 7series
I imagine that a trip like that in a little car would be very tiresome.
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