2000 Mercedes-Benz E-Class E240 Elegance review from UK and Ireland

Nothing serious. Brakes squeak, headlamp bulb burned out.

When the time came to by a new car to replace my old 1995 E200 with 150000 miles on the clock it was a choice between Lexus and Mercedes. On past experience I chose an E240 Elegance with 30000 miles on the clock. Unfortunately as they say in the movies things ain't what they used to be. On the whole everything works, but there is a noticeable deterioration in the build quality compared to my old Merc.

The leather seats on long journeys become very uncomfortable, the driver seats leather stretched and looks old and tatty. The cloth covering on the bottom of the doors and various other bits is poor quality. The Blaupunkt sound system is a joke compared to Pioneer or Kenwood.

The paintwork some places especially on the plastic parts is wafer thin. Trying to "T Cut" out a small scratch I was through to the base after a few seconds of rubbing.

My biggest gripe is the automatic gearbox. It is one of the worst gearboxes I have ever experienced in some 40 years of driving a collection of different makes of cars. Lazy, noisy, unpredictable gear changes up or down.

I wonder how long Mercedes is going to try and live on the past glories of legendary build quality and reliability.

My honest opinion is that it's now no better than any run of the mill car at half the price. My next car will be a Lexus.