Faults:

My Cat converter broke up at 30,000 miles (1 year old), parts from which blew back into the engine, scoring all the bores and going into the oil ways.

MB agreed to fit a new engine. Having been to a number of MB dealers I find that this is not unusual on the 280 engine, they have all had a number of cars where this has happened.

Rust has also been a major issue with the car, recently MB have agreed to replace - tail gate, two wings, two doors, bonnet, repair roof and rear wheel arches.

The "command" CD player has failed, hence the Sat Navigation now doesn't work, MB dealer wants to fit a new unit for £2k. Don't think I will be investing more money on the is car.

General Comments:

I like the interior of the car, space is excellent, seats are uncomfortable, economy is average, servicing expensive. I wish I had bought a BMW or a Lexus.

Faults:

Drivers side mirror repeater. Although it appears to be just the bulb, you have to replace the whole unit, which costs about £25. Needs new glow plugs, but that's expected at this mileage.

Some rust around the boot release, which I had sorted prior to purchase, but is coming through again already. Paintwork quite poor quality, and picks up scratches and chips easily.

General Comments:

I really like this car. I've driven most of the e-class variants (123, 124, 211), and this model has the best ride quality out of all of them. The engine is really powerful for a diesel, and averages about 37mpg combined cycle. Had a 211 series (later model) for 2 weeks earlier this year, and actually preferred driving the 210. Build quality not up to standard of older Mercedes, but a lot better than the c-class I used to own. With servicing at an independent Mercedes specialist, running costs are not high at all.

So far, would probably rate it as the best all-round car I have owned. My only concern is whether the rust is going to become an issue over time.

Faults:

There is only really one niggling fault with the car. Sometimes when you are driving along, three warning messages come up in rapid succession. They are:

ABS

BAS

ESP

Following the computer's advice, I took my car to the dealership where they found that the sensors were loose. The dealer promptly fixed this.

However, these messages still come up from time to time, and since I'm not going to bother with these persistent niggling faults any more, I just ignore them.

General Comments:

On the bright side, though, the car is very quiet, smooth and comfortable.

Long journeys aren't a problem - the seats give excellent support, so you don't get tired driving the car.

There is a surprising lack of road, wind and engine noise which makes for a pleasant journey.

Reading other reviews, I noticed that a lot of people have a problem with worn or hard leather seats. Not a problem for me, since my car has cloth seats.

The car's performance is satisfying taking into account the size and weight of the vehicle. Although the manufacturer claims a 0-60 time of 10.0 seconds, under full acceleration, the E240 feels much quicker than that.

Handling is great and although the car is no BMW 5 Series, It's still more than adequate for my needs.

Build quality is very good, although not quite up to Benzes of old.

There is a huge amount of space for passengers, front and rear. The car is wide, has plenty of head and legroom, and the boot is also a very usable size.