Time for a new family car.

[MikeT]

You will need some sort of a car.....maybe a FAMILY car

[MikeT]

I believe Mike also owns a 1988 Peugot 405, used to be in his signature line.

OK now I feel guilty, so it's BACK in the signature line!

[smartzuuk]

Your siggy is a curious array of squigglies and abbrevies...

[MikeT]

Our B 200 is on the Undine, headed to Halifax as of this afternoon, and will arrive there on October 9th. I hope to be able to drive this car to Seattle on Nov 3 or 4, for the Auto Show......

[mattdaddy]

A google search for "1966 Peugeot 404" has Club smart Car showing as the third most popular result. You're quite the evangelist!

[MikeT]

Praise the Lion! Yay-ess!

[I'm_now_smarter]

What did you decide in the end?

If you haven't decided... I know Honda's discontinued it, but what about the Accord Hybrid? A friend of mine has one, loves it. You get the more "sportiness" of Honda vs Toyota, the spaciousness of an Accord, dead quiet luxury (it's basically a top-of-the-line Accord), and the economy of a hybrid. I was in the back seat, and it was so comfy, I was reluctant to get out. Unfortunately, they didn't sell, but there may be a few kicking around looking for a good home.

Otherwise, I'd say CRV. Honda's are dirt cheap to run/maintain, finding someone to service them is a breeze, they last quite a long time (not quite as legendary as Toyota, Mercedes or Volvo, but very respectable). (OK, I'm a Honda fan; can you tell?) It's a small SUV, so you do trade a bit of luggage space, but it's very comfy to ride in with 4 adults and the fuel economy's good. I know several people who have them and are in love.

If you were to consider sedans, have you looked at the new Civics? Civic is no longer a small car! I test drove an EX two weeks ago... spacious front & back, with oodles of lovely features, decent fuel economy. (Got the smart instead, though). And, from driving a 97 civic, I can say that the trunk spaces are shockingly big for their size.... bigger than they look. Plus, it was fun to drive, men could ride comfortably in the back seat for hours (and that civic was smaller than todays civics), and was insanely cheap to run. And parts are common, no shortage of mechanics who know their way under Honda hoods, etc. Warning, though, if you buy a Honda: within a few years, all your friends and family will start buying them; it's a known "problem". Honda really does make good, practical, good value machines.

if you like a car with a bit of handling, you'd be happier with a Honda than a Toyota (don't get me wrong, Toyota makes outstanding cars: durability, quality, etc. But, they're not really "drivers" cars, they're more comfort oriented. Which means that if you're looking for purely highway cruisings, a Toyota's better, but if you're looking for something the driver will enjoy driving, go with Honda).

I also test drove a Volvo S40. Maintenance wouldn't be cheap, probably on par with the Mercedes, but oh, the glorious shifting with it's standard!!! (I should have driven the Civic first, it's fine, but in comparison...). Very comfy, and just fits your price range.

It's bigger and... ruggeder (?) than what you say you need, but if you want an SUV and like Toyotas, what about the new FJ? (Sorry, I confess I'm a sucker for the old Land Cruisers, and this one harkens back to them).

<chuckle> I notice that very, very few of us are actually mentioning American marques here. I'm told that some of them are quite respectable now, but since I have no idea which and wouldn't consider buying one...

Happy car shopping, let us know how it goes. I love doing that!

Aliza

[deezle]

Channel4.com mentions that the next generation B class (2011) will be derived from the C class platform, and thus will be rear wheel drive. Seems like a radical change if that's true.

[MikeT]

I guess you just read the first page of this long thread....don't blame ya.....We ordered a Mercedes-Benz B 200 on August 18th, and it's on the Undine somewhere near Southampton GB right now, arriving in Halifax on October 9th.Well, the Accord Hybrid is ridiculously fast, and I don't need anything like that. I wanted to be able to average under 8 L/100 km overall without trying at all, and a lot of luggage space.I am over the need for "sportiness"....having driven the best-handling FWD family car ever made - for the past 14 years - I got my fill, believe me.I don't like any SUVs, especially the so-called "cute-utes" ;)Thanks for the advice though, it was good reading.

[I'm_now_smarter]

mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa. I don't know why I didn't see the intervening pages until this morning... then again, i think I posted that one somewhere in the vicinity of 2 a.m., which might explain a bit. Or maybe it was just that it was nice to talk car shopping! :embarrassed:I have to say, I don't think I've seen a Mercedes B around Ottawa before... then again, I don't really look for Mercedes (I'm a public servant: most are waaaay out of my price range!). I'll keep my eyes peeled, in case some of those mysterious 5000 made it here, and not just in K-W! Aliza

[MikeT]

There are over 6000 B Classes in Canada now.....but they're relatively rare where I live too. They are being imported at the same rate as the original smart....

[danno]

There is a condo project down the road a ways from where I live. The sales office there has a B that it uses to shuttle people back-and-forth from the display centre to the actual site (maybe 500 metres) as the public is not allowed on the worksite unescorted. I don't know if the car is owned by the developers, or if it is just the salesperson's personal vehicle. Since I see that car regularly, the B doesn't seem as rare to me, but I don't really have any idea of how many there are around here.

[MikeT]

She arrived in Halifax today...my daughter Julia named her "Ondine" after the happy water spirits (and sort of after the ship she came on - Undine). Renault used to have a Dauphine (Princess) named Ondine.OK this is getting too weird.So I figure the car might get on a train this week (maybe Friday if I'm lucky), be in Vancouver on the 22nd and get to Victoria on the 25th....Therefore we might be able to take delivery on Saturday the 27th or early the following week. Saturday the 27th, Sandy and I are going to a dinner at a local winery, so that would be a good day for it to happen.

[smartcruzin]

Saw another light metallic blue one today. All I can say is that colour is so sharp. It totally gives life to the shape and lines of the 'B'. Good choice you guys.Wow, I find the time has flown since you've ordered. I'm sure it hasn't for you though. I feel your excitement!

[MikeT]

Saw another light metallic blue one today.

You are so lucky! I STILL haven't seen one up close/in the metal, in that colour!

[I'm_now_smarter]

I finally saw a B this past weekend... I've been wondering what they look like in person. It was red-- a really nice, rich, tomato red (few companies seem to produce nice reds, so kudos to Mercedes). Looked sharp! And, now we enter the countdown as Mike's B crosses the continent... hope you don't have to wait long after it arrives in Victoria before you guys can take possession.

[MikeT]

Thanks, this is so reminiscent of the smart-wait, only a LOT shorter (75 days instead of 908).

[MikeT]

The car is on a train, probably in Québec or E Ontario, arriving Vancouver on the 23rd, with delivery to TPM on the 27th or 29th. Boo yeah!

[I'm_now_smarter]

that it's on its way. And as it goes by Eastern Ontario on it's way out west

[MikeT]

Thanks, it seems like a dream at the moment.....the whole decision to get a new family car seemed to happen rather suddenly. Should be fun! I hope the fun lasts 15+ years!

[MikeT]

The B 200 is 5 days behind schedule...should have been in New Westminster on Monday but it's not going to get there until Saturday next.My salesman has arranged for a driver to bring the car to TPM early next week to get me into it by Friday AM (2 Nov). It'll arrive with 60 km on the clock and a few cold engine 6300 RPM burnouts behind it but what the hey! Just kidding, I have met the driver, and she's 67. The little old lady from Pasadena....

[I'm_now_smarter]

<chuckle> now just watch that "little old lady" decide to trash your stereotypes about little old ladies and drive like she's a NASCAR or F1 race car driver...

[MikeT]

Hence my allusion to "The Little Old Lady From Pasadena"....

It's the little old lady from PasadenaThe little old lady from PasadenaGo granny, go granny, go granny goHas a pretty little flower bed of white gardeniasGo granny, go granny, go granny goBut parked in her rickety old garageIs a brand new shiny red Super Stock DodgeAnd everybody's saying that there's nobody meanerThan the little old lady from PasadenaShe drives real fast and she drives real hardShe's the terror of Colorado BoulevardIt's the little old lady from PasadenaIf you see her on the street don't try to choose herGo granny, go granny, go granny goYou might drive a goer but you'll never lose herGo granny, go granny, go granny goWell, she's gonna get a ticket now sooner or later'Cause she can't keep her foot off the acceleratorAnd everybody's saying that there's nobody meanerThan the little old lady from PasadenaShe drives real fast and she drives real hardShe's a terror of Colorado BoulevardIt's the little old lady from Pasadena

[MikeT]

Apparently there is a new discount that will apply to the pending sale of my car, which was announced Friday by M-B Canada. Bonus! It's to even the pricing between the USA and Canada (the B isn't even available in the USA).

[I'm_now_smarter]

gotta love the dollar actually being a dollar!