What Car? Q&A - Do manual Mercedes depreciate faster?

Q: I'm thinking of buying a Mercedes E200 K. My original plan was to buy a manual car, however my local dealer is recommending that I go for an automatic car, because I would struggle to sell a manual Mercedes later on.

I'm under the impression that automatic cars tend to be more expensive to run, but the reviews on your website suggest that an automatic for Mercedes is better than manual. What should I do?
Nick Paraskeva

A: Your dealer is offering good advice. Generally speaking, a manual E-Class retains a smaller percentage of its original price than an automatic version. When it's time to sell, some garages may try and use it as an excuse to offer you a substantially lower part exchange value.

With larger executive cars, buyers tend to prefer features such as an automatic gearbox, leather interior and climate control. Cars without them can be difficult to sell and suffer increased depreciation.

It is true that an automatic gearbox increases fuel consumption, because it is not as efficient in transferring power from the engine to the wheels as a manual. However, whatcar.com online reviews favour the automatic versions of the E-Class because we believe it's a better a car, taking into account the higher depreciation of manual models.

Most Mercedes cars are sold with automatic gearboxes, and to reflect this, the next version of the E-Class will not be available with a manual gearbox.