Gas Guzzlers Make Sense. In Praise of the Larger Vehicle
By Geraint Williams
Let me tell you a guilty secret. I drive a 2003 Mercedes S350. It's a big car - in fact there are few bigger on the British roads today. Petrol engine too. I can hear the legions of folk queuing up to ask why on earth I choose to pay about £5,000 a year on fuel when I could pay, well, a heap less if I went diesel, electric, by bike etc. etc. Well here's my logic - feel free to pick holes. Price This is one cheap car! £7K gets a really excellent 2004/5 S Mercedes with a full service history that's been well looked after. The depreciation is self-evident but the result is a car that has hardly any further to fall depreciation-wise. Mine's probably worth £3k now I've had it for 2 years and it's lost maybe 3 grand in value during that time and most of that's down to the mileage. That's the benefit of going petrol too. The price drop is larger than the potential saving on diesel fuel in many cases. Then there's the maintenance. The great thing about Mercedes and BMW dealerships is that they charge an arm, a leg and a few other body parts too for servicing and repairs. But that's great because the engineers they train often see the opportunity to set up on their own. They charge about half of Mercedes dealerships and are just as good and frequently much better. My garage charges me less for a service than a Skoda dealer would if you took your Fabia in. (I know because I've looked!) Reliability My Car's done 210,000 hiccup-free miles and I get in it each morning facing a 250 mile day without a moment's concern. They build these cars as showcases for their brand. They hate the idea of one being seen dead at the roadside. Comfort and ease of driving The first two reasons may sound defensive and self-justifying, but this one is I assume unarguable. I sit on the motorway at 'motorway speeds' in my armchair, in silence. The only noise is the premium sound system pumping out some quality tunes, cruise control on, seats heated (or cooled if required), climate control setting the air temperature....what else, lights and wipers being turned on or off as required. This was the world's best executive car in the mid 2000's - and it's not changed in the last few years. Safety Listen, if you do large miles it does cross your mind that you may stumble across a sleeping lorry driver or plain stupid 17 year old at the wheel of a Vauxhall Nova intent on showing off to his brain dead chums. Well if they hit me at least I'll have every safety aid that was available a few years ago, plus 2 tons of steel around me as protection. Environment No really! I know that this may be pushing things a bit but hang on - that £5,000 of petrol I've bought - how much of that went to the government? The answer is in excess of 2/3rds. Let's say £3,300. That buys a lot of research into alternative energy sources. What did you say? The government doesn't spend that much on alternative energy sources? Well yes but if it did I've definitely contributed more than my fair share. If they choose to do something more useful with the money that's fine. See what I mean - these cars are fab, affordable and make economic sense. Bag one while you can! http://www.themiddle.co.uk is a website dedicated to making the lives of people in their middle years more fun and mainly improving the soundtrack. It's got articles, music choices that are off the mainstream buit for people who want great music.
The Middle adds content daily and is worth revisiting, if only to read someone who knows what makes for a fun life yet is no longer a teenager. Article Source: EzineArticles.com | 
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