Which is better, only one way to decide........ Fight

Don't know anything about them, and as a Saabisti it feels wrong.

Aren't they mid 90s rot-boxes, though?

The C-class probably retains more value because it doesn't rot so readily.

Late 90s, and I don't know about the rot-box stakes.

I think it's more the "small cars hold value better than large ones" thing. People don't make rational decisions about these things. I'm vaguely thinking of getting one of the last 3.2 Omegas ever made because I can get one with tiny miles for tiny pennies. The extra fuel it will consume compared to a smaller car is more than compensated for by the £5k difference in price for a similar year commuter box.

W210? Rust.

Think of it as a bigger better car with all the saab attributes and an awesome engine. Find an SE D5 auto and chip it to 200bhp and you'll never look back.

Very sensible advice, IMHO.

One of the few cars I'd buy instead of an Alfa, if I were spending my own money.

That, and the S80, anyway.

Dunno.

Google.

Yep that looks like them. I don't think the ones I've seen have been (obviously) rusty, but I'll take that under advice.

The problem with them isn't the 'obvious' rust. Car Mechanics at one point showed a photo of a front crossmember of a car that had just passed and MOT and said crossmember was more than frilly. But it's hidden behind a cover so the tester can't see it...

Yes, the problem with those is that they are S-types and I took a genetic dislike to them at the launch party.

They're still Jags, and the 2002 facelift car made them a proper Jag inside, too.

ISTR low mileage V6 petrols are around £3-£4k for a facelift car now.

I would.

But I have a feeeling I'm going to be forced, kicking and screaming, into a mid-sized TDI :-(

W210 seem to be pre rusted from the factory in a way that PolskiFIAT could only dream.

rear headrest rattle never could stop that, only happened now and then at low speed, the rest you got, the lock to lock limit never bothered me really but you won't stop the rub with spacers although i only tried up to 6mm as anything more than that will need longer wheel nuts, the boot lock was also a pain, the new lock was great the 3 days or so i had with it fitted till it stuck on you can't believe that!

good call on the S60 i'd love one of them damn nice drive and possibly one of the quietest cars i've ever been in! D5 sounds well grunty too. my dad got 49mpg out of his when he had one a few years back. also the pro logic stereo is the nuts!

they are cool, i loved my dad's company S60 when he had it, loads of toys as standard, once moving my MR2 Turbo was just a tiny bit quicker! the torque the D5 has is amazing! plus they have the fancy suspension which keeps the car as flat as it can and understeer is minimal for a FWD car. there heavy but they feel so light on there toes. i'd loved to try a chipped one, volvo themselfs will remap it to 200bhp and the torque leeps up too! early one were 163bhp and later ones (after 2002 was it?) were 185bhp

if i was after a big car i'd look at an S60, there dead comfortable too! look into one!

fine think what you like i thought they was ok but if my opinion is ollocks so be it :)

They're not that big - no longer or higher than a 3 series but a bit wider.

Haven't noticed the rattle - but then I haven't done that much at low speeds ;-)

It isn't the lock on the boot, looks like the motor - the lock seems to be fine now I've sprayed some powdered graphite into it..

I did notice the washer jets are pretty weak on the drivers side too - going to try and unsludge those later today. They've been frozen solid on most of the trips I've made so far anyway...

I'm not usually so picky but it's definitely working out as the Mondeo being the mule car - doing all the dirty jobs, treat it as a banger - while the BMW is the 'posh' one where I'll try and keep it all working rather than put up with stuff. Till I get bored, that is ;-)

Nope, twasn't the motor - the wire had been chafed through where it runs alongside the boot lid. Replaced that and it locks with the central locking again now!

Sorry Willie, if you're reading this - looks like I won't need the motor after all. It was a different part number to yours anyway. I'll keep thinking which other bits would be worth getting 'just in case'.

Got them sorted too.. the hose had got kinked in it's run round under the bonnet - working fine now. It was kinked because the sticky velcro holding the HID transformers had become completely unsticky - so they were hanging from the next available cable tie - which was around the washer hose! I'll sort out fixing those on better next time I get some energy and daylight...

ah i see, yeah they was velcro'd so i could move them if i needed to easily, the cable tie was a safety incase the velcro failed eventually which is looked like it did, probably when i gave it a clean under the bonnet. the boot lock not working was what i thought as that's what all the BM forums said it was another thing i never got to investigate though.