105,000 miles and counting. For our metric chums that 168,000 clicks. Or 1,722,000 laps round a tennis court. Or 375513600 cubits. Or nearly halfway to the moon (on average it is 238,855 miles away).

Mercedes C43

Over this time we have averaged about 33.2 mpg. That equates to 14,377 litres of Shell Super (occasionally Esso and other supers, only ever 1 half tank of supermarket dross). At current prices that’s around £22,500.

The Merc at Floors Castle
The C43 at Floors Castle, Kelso.

Apart from tyres and other consumables the car has been faultless…. (OMG! that’s just hexed it).

So, thoughts and observations:

  • On a long journey I can get 40mpg, which for a 3 litre V6 is commendable, but the average overall is just over 33mpg.
  • The 9 speed box is usually in the correct gear with little ‘hunting’ although occasionally if kick down is used for an overtake it will remain stubbornly in a lower gear for some time. It feels like it is ‘on its toes’, up for further action and it will then thump into a higher gear as if to say “I was ready, where were you?”
  • Tyre wear is very good but the tracking keeps going out of alignment probably due to potholes. Unavoidable on our roads these days.
  • I have slightly kerbed one of the front wheels; the air was blue for some time….
  • I never tire of the sound of the exhaust when pushing the throttle, like a swarm of angry hornets just behind you.
  • Reversing on full lock can cause the front wheels to crab and scrabble a little. It has never bothered me but can sound a little daunting.
  • DAB radio reception is very patchy. There are large areas around Bradford and Leeds where the signal is unavailable. I don’t know if this the car radio or just poor signal quality.
  • It is an estate, and treated like a pack horse with many trips to the tip. I simply cannot comprehend why anyone would buy a saloon if an estate version is available.
  • The one omission is Apple Play, having used it in other cars I do wish it was fitted to mine.

In short, this car has been the longest I have had in my possession. I have spent hours on Autotrader and other similar sites looking and dreaming (and sometimes drooling) over alternatives. However I always come back to this Merc, it just does it all for me. I still get a frisson of excitement if I need to set off on a long journey. If the budget allowed I would simply get a newer version…. I must be getting old.

However….

However should my numbers come up then the garage would be supplemented with a Porsche 964, a new Land Rover Defender and a late E Class estate V8 C63.

Watch this space….