USED Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate (93 - 01)

My car

I own a 1999 Mercedes C200 Classic Auto Estate which I purchased as a workhorse for £3000 in the summer. The car had one owner and had covered 54,000 miles with full mercedes main dealer history. The deal included a 12 month warranty and 12 months tax.

The car was on the forecourt for only £1995, but needed some attention to the bodywork - offside front wing was rusty in the wheel arch and the bonnet was in need of some attention due to what looked like a hail storm. So I had the whole lot resprayed and also the rear suspension bushes replaced (very common) in addition the airflow meter was replaced.

This car is now in exceptional condition, and has a number of nice factory extras fitted - front and rear parking sensors, orthopaedic adjustable seats and integrated child seats in the rear.

I have been very pleasantly surprised at the running costs - it returns no less than 30mpg, and parts are cheap. I recently purchased 4 x part worn winter tyres from an internet auction site for £160, a full set of 16" alloys with tyres for £109, so its remarkably easy to get the essentials.

It passed its MOT yesterday with flying colours, all that is needed is a new water pump which is covered under warranty. The costs would be £350.

The car is smooth quiet and refined and a great workhorse. I have covered 8,000 miles now and I believe this car will go on for years. It was worth looking around for this car - and the quality of Mercs built at this era was at the highest in my

My car

Purchased a leather interior, auto version on E-Bay (!!) as a second car for wife and kids and we squabble over who gets to drive, it has 140k on the clock and I'd prefer it over my 2008 diesel Passat. For an older car with a big mileage I'm hugely impressed, only concern is that it's a bit cramped inside and it may prove to be a bit small for growing family, but don't want to sell it.

My car

I owned a C250 TD for just over two years, a joy to drive, but not as economical as some say, averaging just 32mpg driven gently. Mine suffered constant steering problems which even mercedes struggled to identify. The windscreen creaked terribly in cold weather (under 6 degrees)and I spent over £700 getting rust sorted only for it to show up in other areas, Mercedes 30 year warranty is only honoured for seven years..not impressed! Having said all that, I miss it dearly and would love another Merc, when they can build a rust free car. Mechanicaly this car is unbreakable. I do my own servicing but always used genuine parts, it never let me down once.

My car

I bought a V-reg C220CDI manual [I know] two years ago, with 73k miles. It has now covered 102k miles and goes from strength to strength. Very comfortable, cruises beautifully at 80-90mph [where legal], economical. I share the view about superb manoevrability-the turning circle is staggering. It corners impressively, rides smoothly and feels solid and safe. Everything else I get in feels lightweight!! I find the manual change a bit sticky when cold but otherwise fine [can't see what all the fuss is about]. If there's a gripe, it's the rust! I went to Merc recently and they told me that it had at some point been resprayed on the wings and for this reason they would not do anything about the rust on the wheelarches, and that anyway, the warranty would only be valid for 5 years. Bit of a cheek, I thought! Oh, and £535 for a new front wiper motor! Ouch!