Reflections on six months of Merc ownership

[Nasco12]

There was a time when I would have walked over broken glass rather than own a Mercedes. I really thought they were exclusively owned by criminals, drug dealers and sociopaths. But eventually you tire of waiting for Jaguar to make a car you might actually want to buy. And I am a sucker for quality, reliability and longevity. OK, so Mercs are not pretty but there are more important things in the world than looks.

So, the reflections:

• 
  Boy, it's a nice car. Smooth, reliable, lots of power when I need it. (And it's only a 2 litre. Heaven only knows what a C280 must be like, let alone a C43. How do these people keep their licences/sanity?) Right spec, right colour, FMBSH, ludicrously cheap. Even the rattles and rust bubbles have an air of quality about them. I want to keep it forever.

• 
  I don't seem to get tailgated as much as I used to.

• 
  And I've stopped using my indicators.

• 
  27-28mpg from outer urban commuting. I reckon it costs me £400 a year more in petrol than it would if I owned a Golf. But I get so much more car for the money. And, anyway, how long is the Golf going to last? And is it going to put a smile on my face every time I get into it? I might well get 10 years out of the Merc. Really, why doesn't everyone have a 10-year old C-Class? Mind you, judging by the incredibly low asking prices, maybe I should be glad that they don't.

• 
  The more you know the better. Up until very recently I wanted my cars to be black boxes - things I didn't have to know about - things I could leave to the mechanics. But lots of things you can do yourself - and it's a great feeling when you do. In fact there are lots of things you can only really do yourself. I recently had a problem with my heater - I did all sorts of things and I still don't know where I went right. I shudder to think how long it would have taken a mechanic. You also realise that a FMBSH is not necessarily all that F. Things get missed out.

• 
  MB Club is a great thing. I know so much now that I didn't know six months ago. Stuff about MAFs, corrosion, ATF, winter tyres etc. I can't imagine how I could have acquired that knowledge without the internet. Would it have been humanly possible?

 

[trapperjohn]

Good post. Good looking car. Hope it serves you well. Seems to keep you happy and occupied.

 

[st4]

Always nice to hear how folk are enthusiastic about their cars, a nice refreshing post, thanks.

 

[bennesspipers]

Pleased to hear you like your C, if you think your 10 year old was cheap, my 15 year old C cost £435 ,i wouldnt sell it for four times that

 

[Michael G]

Great post, its nice to hear somebody is happy with their Merc rather then asking whats gone wrong.
Seems like your enjoying the old girl, hang on to her she looks great and has plenty of miles left in her.

 

[James Rothwell]

I drove a 140k C200 the other day and was impressed with the performance, was quite nippy!

 

[renault12ts]

Stopped using indicators...why?

You should try a CDI...there's nothing quite like torque.

 

[Seamster15]

The W202 is the only car that i've really missed over the last coupleof years and the list of others include - Jaguar, BMW, Volvo and Porsche.

 

[Nasco12]

Stopped using indicators...why?

OK, I'm exaggerating for effect - of course I use my indicators - but you do get the feeling you own the road. I can see how BMW drivers get their reputation.

 

[Darrell]

I love my old w202.

It was the first "proper" car that I had. All the previous cars were boy racer boxes and company vans.

Ours is looking a bit tatty now but only has a tiny bit of rust on the boot lid. It runs perfectly and after 6 years I still get a buzz driving it.

I keep looking on e-bay at w202's just in case I need to come back to the UK and pick up aother one...just in case!

 

[christopherwk]

It's great to see that you like your car, making a comparison to what you drove before. Before I bought my current E320 CDi, I was driving a Vauxhall Combo van 1.7 diesel, and getting into the Merc for the first time was a world of difference!