[Jerome Schneider]

I have been looking through this forum and others for a little bit and I just also saw some comparisons with the guy who has a Camaro. I currently have a 14 Audi S5 and it went through a really bad Colorado hail storm. The insurance is not totaling the vehicle even though I am at $17k to fix(new hood, fenders, both roof pieces, rt door, rt qtr, and trunk) but after I get it back I am not really sure I want to keep a car that has been that worked on. I know the Audi is a big heavy car but I like how planted it feels and drives around town. I use it as a daily driver and I have it tuned. I was looking at a 16 or 17 GLA 45 and was wondering if anyone knows how the performance stacks up? I am not looking for a car to take the the track but just have fun on some mountain roads and still be able to tote some things. My Audi is tuned and I know there will always be something faster on the road but I really like the looks of the GLA. I had a GTI for a while and I like the idea of a hatch back again that is small agile and quick. I was wanting to get out of the range of a Golf R/STI etc and I like that I don't really see many GLA 45's on the road at least where I live. If I piggy back tune the GLA I think the performance would be quite a bit more than that of my current S5 but does anyone have any experience of the 2 cars?

Also one of the GLA's I was looking at was a 16 that was said to be a dealer buyback which they replaced the transmission valve body in it. It still has factory warranty, low mi, and said to have the issue corrected with the new parts. Would this be a vehicle you would recommend staying away from due to the work work would people not have worries?

And lastly, do the people with the interior package like being able to change the color of the interior lights etc? I am not sure if the car doesn't have this package if the interior lights are just halogen yellowish looking or if they are more of a white led look? Being able to have them different colors may just be a gimmick but I kinda like the idea and would look for a car with this option vs swapping out some am lights after purchase. Anyone with thoughts on this package? Thanks for the help!

 

[SSBGLA45]

Jerome... welcome to the GLA Forum!

Sorry to here about the S5... nice ride.

Go to Mercedes Benz VIN decoder, input VIN number from the GLA you are looking at and you can see all the details on the car. https://www.mercedesvin.com/

Finally, due to this being an international forum, filling in the the user CP with country etc is helpful.

 

[SockToy]

And lastly, do the people with the interior package like being able to change the color of the interior lights etc? I am not sure if the car doesn't have this package if the interior lights are just halogen yellowish looking or if they are more of a white led look? Being able to have them different colors may just be a gimmick but I kinda like the idea and would look for a car with this option vs swapping out some am lights after purchase. Anyone with thoughts on this package? Thanks for the help!

Can't help with the AMG (wife was scared of the idea of a fast car) but the lights in our GLA 250 are a yellowey halogen colour, not hard cold white. No interior package. Wife wanted movable headrests.

;p

 

[David Jean]

For the performance, you will beat pretty much everyone on the 0-60mph

 

[Jerome Schneider]

Thank you all for the replies! I have updated my profile to show location and such. I did try to look up the vin and that website is telling me the vin is invalid? Is that for non-US models maybe? I have a photo of the vin from the seller and have entered it a few times to ensure it is correct.

Thanks for the advise on the interior package also. My Audi should be fixed in a month and then I want to pull the trigger.

 

[turbolink]

Welcome to the GLA forum Jerome! Similar to you, I went from a GTI to a GLA. I loved the GTI but longed for some of the Mercedes features on our C-Class. The GLA was a nice blend of the two.

The only series I'd personally avoid would be the first US model year 2015 which had transmission issues with a portion of the production months (May-August IIRC), as well as other issues/features that were improved in MY 2016 and beyond.

I have the interior package and found the interior ambient lighting to be a nice touch, but generally leave it alone, adjusting to a new color from time to time. After the novelty wears off, it's almost not noticeable.

Many people (like myself) wanted smartphone integration, but without some heroic workarounds, that capability as an option or retrofit started with production on or after 1 December 2015.

One more point of interest, there's a GLA recall for grounding of the driver airbag. It's well underway now and likely most of us have had it completed. If you are buying CPO from an MB dealer, you can almost be certain it's been done. But if not, you might want to verify that.

Good luck with your search!

 

[gbarringer]

To check the vin and see a data card if you have an Iphone there is an app that will give you the data card. The name of the app is "MB VIN Decoder" There are several pages for all the info.

 

[Jerome Schneider]

Awesome, I will dl the app and double check. Thanks again to everyone for the responses. I went around with cars fairly quickly and had a 1st gen C63 for a while. That was an insanely fun car but the maint was very pricey. I was also not smart and got one with 70k mi on it at the time. I am definitely staying away from 15's and looking at the 16-17's. I have an iphone and am not able to pull up the "mb vin decoder" app through the app store? any ideas?

 

[Jerome Schneider]

Any chance, if someone has access to info on vins they could look it up please? Vin: WDDTG5CB7GJ196399 I was trying to get a sense for what the dealer work was as this particular car had some transmission replaced and dealer buyback from what I understand. Thanks in advance if anyone can!

 

[David Jean]

Vin info : Checking VIN for Mercedes-Benz WDDTG5CB7GJ196399 | CARInfo

 

[RevItUp]

Hmmm... Colorado potential buyer looking at a low-mileage '16 GLA45, buying sight unseen from Texas... and vehicle was a buyback with transmission issues?

Sounds familiar!!

DM'd you with my email.

 

[turbolink]

Hmmm... Colorado potential buyer looking at a low-mileage '16 GLA45, buying sight unseen from Texas... and vehicle was a buyback with transmission issues?

Sounds familiar!!

DM'd you with my email.

Thanks RevItUp, I had a feeling of deja vu when I read that, you connected the dots...at least for where I heard that story before.

 

[RevItUp]

Yes... serious deja vu!

Short story.. we bought ours from the seller and I was nervous after I pulled the trigger all the way up until the first time we drove it. Of the ~25 cars I've purchased, this was actually one of the easiest and best experiences I've had. Seller kept me in the loop constantly, provided detailed pics of the car loaded on to the truck, and all docs signed by email and web apps. Super easy. The vehicle arrived exactly as pictured, brand new looking, and we have have had zero transmission issues. You'd never know anything was ever wrong with it. Additionally, even though it comes titled from out of state with a buyback title, Colorado treats that as a one-time initial sale fault only and with subsequent issues of title it is a completely regular vehicle... so there is no resale penalty with having to explain or deal with a non-standard title.

At the time, I believe ours was listed for $48.5k and the white one was listed for $47.5k. (Ours, the black one had 5k less miles and the MSRP was around $500 more). I actually started negotiating on both at the same time and i was a bit indifferent between the two but the wife liked the black one a lot better. Can't believe nobody has jumped on the white one yet, a year later.

 

[Jerome Schneider]

Yes... serious deja vu!

Short story.. we bought ours from the seller and I was nervous after I pulled the trigger all the way up until the first time we drove it. Of the ~25 cars I've purchased, this was actually one of the easiest and best experiences I've had. Seller kept me in the loop constantly, provided detailed pics of the car loaded on to the truck, and all docs signed by email and web apps. Super easy. The vehicle arrived exactly as pictured, brand new looking, and we have have had zero transmission issues. You'd never know anything was ever wrong with it. Additionally, even though it comes titled from out of state with a buyback title, Colorado treats that as a one-time initial sale fault only and with subsequent issues of title it is a completely regular vehicle... so there is no resale penalty with having to explain or deal with a non-standard title.

At the time, I believe ours was listed for $48.5k and the white one was listed for $47.5k. (Ours, the black one had 5k less miles and the MSRP was around $500 more). I actually started negotiating on both at the same time and i was a bit indifferent between the two but the wife liked the black one a lot better. Can't believe nobody has jumped on the white one yet, a year later.

Glad to hear that your purchase went well. I am hoping for a similar experience on my end and I am guessing this is the exact white car you are referring to from Westwood? I have purchased most of my vehicles used and to find the one I want I have gone out of state. I lived in NM up until 6 months ago and purchased my last 5 vehicles out of state. Even went to Sacramento, CA for a Charger SRT8 way back when. I am not worried about the travel but just a little worried to find out what exactly was done with the car.

Only other dilemma is I am working with a trade in that I would drive out and drive back with the potential GLA. I would pull the trigger already but the car got hit with very bad hail damage(the dealer knows about this and if they sell the car before I am done with my hail repair then no worries) Once fixed I am hoping to pull the trigger.

 

[RevItUp]

Hail repair pending in Colorado, huh? Wow you could be waiting a lonnng time to get that fixed. It would be great if could could work a trade for the car as-is and have your insurance company just cut you a check for your loss.

 

[Jerome Schneider]

Hail repair pending in Colorado, huh? Wow you could be waiting a lonnng time to get that fixed. It would be great if could could work a trade for the car as-is and have your insurance company just cut you a check for your loss.

Well my car is already in the shop getting fixed. There was actually a deal the dealer wanted to work out with it not being fixed but I already committed to a body shop and they already had parts in so I didn't want to back out of that and pay restocking fees. The car will be in for about 4 weeks. If the GLA is still available when I get my car back then I am going to try for it, if it sells before then I will just keep looking. From the looks of it, this car has been with the dealer for a little while and I have spoken with a rep from their to let them know my interest and situation with my current car and hail. Hoping things work out.

 

[JohnSt]

Good day. I just recently bought a GLA. Before that, I had cars lower in blood, to be honest, I did not understand how to buy such cars. I thought that such cars were sold by honest people. After the purchase, I decided to check the VIN number from the Vingurus car and it turned out that the body had undergone major repairs. When I called the seller, he no longer answered my calls.

 

[Wayne]

No matter what car you buy it's buyer beware. There is a famous case where Jerry Seinfeld sold a Porsche 356 for high dollars and it turned out to be a fake. Evaluation indicates Jerry sold in good faith, not realizing he had been taken when he bought the car. But it just goes to show ... Anybody can be a victim.

Remember ... PPI and CarFAX as a part of ANY purchase.

Hopefully your repairs were done by a quality shop in which case your only loss may be on eventual resale value.

Meanwhile, congrats on your new ride and welcome to the group.