So after three months and 5000 miles together, we've finally finished with our 'W124' Mercedes E280. You'll be able to read another story in the magzine in a couple of weeks time - and we're even producing another video.
But for now, it's sitting in the car park enjoying a well-deserved rest.
To be honest, I was surprised by the amount of interest that a £1000 Merc on the brink of bangerdom produced. But in terms of letters, emails and forum traffic, it looks like the idea of trading down into a well-chosen exec is an idea that more people are starting to have.
And, despite our E-class's various faults - most of them down to its aged electrical system - I've enjoyed pretty much every mile I spent in it. It made me reconsider the way I viewed old, non-classic cars.
Yes, in purely economic terms spending over £500 a year to keep a £1000 car on the road - figures reached by 'annualizing' the outgoings during its time with us - does not make a huge amount of sense. But choosing a faded star like an E-class does enable you to travel in the sort of comfort and class that you're never going to find in a similarly cheap Golf or Astra.
My logic is that an old E-class is best seen as a cut-price alternative to a 15-year old Bentley or Roller rather than a particularly rational way to cut motoring costs. And I know that I'm going to miss our E-class more than any other car I've owned or run over the years.
Which brings me to your chance to land yourself a bit of Autocar history. We're selling the E-class on, so that somebody else can continue to enjoy its slightly faded charms. It's got MOT until next August, tax until the end of January, most of a service history and a mere 112,000 miles showing on the odometer.
It’s also sitting on four new tyres with a sump full of fresh oil.
Expressions of interest - as close as possible to the £1000 we paid for the thing - should be made to autocar@haymarket.com
Happy bidding!
