Superb family car

We bought the Merc (Mercedes Benz E Class 320 CDi, older style with the straight headlights, 11 years old with 125,000 miles) to replace our Toyota Previa, which had served us for eight years but a cracked cylinder head was terminal - the Merc cost less than the repair to the Previa would have cost!!!

Our son is now at uni so no need for a people carrier but we wanted to retain the ability to just chuck stuff in and go. This is a huge estate, wide and long. Our son came with us skiing/snowboarding in the French Alps so we were 5-up, even so we fitted everything in, including the snowboards, without the need for a roof box. The car managed 36MPG on that 1500 mile round trip - fully laden - I'm very happy as the Previa only did 20MPG on long journeys. The centre rear seat is obviously not comfortable as the kids took it in turns to sit there - that, so far, is the only criticism of the car.

It is a very comfortable car, especially on long journeys, the 3.2 litre turbo diesel eats up the miles effortlessly. 80 MPH at around 2500RPM makes for a relaxing drive and when you need to overtake there is heaps of power - you just dial a speed and there you are. Using the cruise control meant that I didn't get so stiff from being in one position for so long - I never liked the idea of cruise control before but I'm sold on them now.

I'm surprised by the rust problem from a manufacturer like Mercedes. This one is relatively clean but there is still some rust around the badge on the bonnet, around the boot lock/handle and a bit on one of the rear arches. The worst bit is under the spare wheel - that may need some welding soon.

I'm dreading the garage bill when it breaks down but fingers crossed that won't be for a while yet.