2001 Mercedes-Benz A-Class CDI Classic review from UK and Ireland

The multi-jointed steering column wears out every 8,000 miles. My car is now on its fourth and even this one will need to be replaced shortly as it is beginning to clunk again. And this on a two year old car that has covered less than 24,000 miles.

The anti-roll bar links in the front suspension also wear very quickly. My car is now on its fifth set. This repair alone costs around £360 a pop.

The base of the driver's seat has been replaced twice to cure manic squeaking and creaking, and to stop the base sliding from side to side in corners by around 1cm. The seat now needs repaired yet again.

The felt trim on the inside of the tailgate constantly comes loose from the tailgate itself, because the plastic securing clips do not seem up to the job.

The bonnet release mechanism seized up and required another garage visit for it to be lubricated and released.

The fold-up child boosters, which are built into the rear seat, make a rattling and tinkling noise on bumps.

The alarm is very sensitive to doors being closed really firmly. It often goes off - usually about a mile after driving away. One then has to stop, switch off, get out the car to re-slam all the doors again, then hope that this has worked. This palaver can be dangerous in fast-flowing traffic.

There are numerous creaks, squeaks and rattles from the the plastic trim throughout the interior. The noise can be almost deafening on bumpy or cobbled roads.

The car is a fantastic concept that is badly let down by the sort of atrocious build quality that used to give Eastern European manufacturers a bad name.

My car needs to visit the franchised dealer for repairs around once every two or three months, which is inexcusable for any modern car, never mind a Mercedes.

The suspension is just appalling. I used to have a go-cart that had more comfortable suspension. Passengers new to the vehicle are shocked at how jittery and crashing the ride is on anything, but paper-smooth surfaces. I think this has the effect of literally shaking much of the car to pieces.

A car of this price really should come with air conditioning as standard.

The low-set rear view mirror seriously blocks the driver's forward vision, especially in corners.

The wipers do not sweep right up to the windscreen pillar because they have not been converted from left hand drive.

The upholstery is thin and flimsy and gets dirty very easily.

The sliding storage drawers under the front seats are very stiff to slide in and out.

There is no light in the boot, and the lid over the boot rattles over bumps.

The plastic exterior door handles become still to use and need to be lubricated regularly.

On the other hand, the car has some great features. The vehicle basically feels very solid and safe. The high seating position is great, especially in traffic. The diesel engine is a gem: it routinely gives 45 mpg on short city hops yet the car will cruise the comfortably motorway at 90 mph for hour on end.