Would you?

Might be even more out of focus by then. Will still be black, though.

Check legs for signs of pulling, Vić. But blurred photos are bit like spelling mistakes: they may not prevent the information getting across but they do make me wonder what other corners the author may have cut.

Yes, I reckon you'd get one for £15,000 or a little more. That would have bought you an 18-month-old V70 D3 in 2012, and £16,000 bought us our 3-year-old E220, both approved used. I'm now looking at 2014 E and CLS wagons in the low 20s, which would have begun in the 40s, and I'd expect an expensive Volvo to depreciate rather faster than a Mercedes.

Given the price of those cars, you would have thought that better photographs (lighter??).

But £45,000!! And plastic wood. Espadrille would divorce me if I bought that. Very little wood permitted in our cars and walnut is banned altogether.

The CLS is certainly a bit of an oddball, and rumour has it that its forthcoming CLE successor will not have an estate (can't call it a shooting whatever) derivative. It is a longer (slightly) and lower-slung E, with a slightly sportier set-up that I'm hoping might suit the way I drive and we use the car. It's also a bit different: driving back from Crawley yesterday, I kept pace with a silver CLS saloon for a while but didn't see a single estate, and I like the idea of something not everybody has.

I'd agree it's not conventionally handsome, as my S211 is. But the interior, even in black, is a cut above the regular E, and the all-important rear legroom is actually better. Load length behind the rear seat is similar; it just misses out on wardrobe-carrying capacity, which is not a top priority anyway. And if the 325d has to make way for something more first-wife friendly, it will be fun to have something a little distinctive to get about in.

You should know by now that I like quirky cars anyway. I still half-fancy one of these (also available with six cylinders):
usedcars.bmw.co.uk/5-Series/2.0TD-520d-SE-GT/Northampton/3490696-606323981-3497154.aspx?srcmdc=se_na_re_

Local MB dealer got in touch this week with news of a very late (one of the last) CLS250 in silver with a black interior - same combination as we have today - and with the elusive memory seats. Not sure it's for us - I'm thinking our budget will extend to a newer car, and I certainly prefer the idea of a 350 - but it would be good to try a 250 for completeness, and it's an opportunity to get Mrs B1 inside to approve - or not.

It would also be an opportunity to replace the car in time for our holiday. While that would be great, it's a poor reason for rushing the change.

One thing: I actually prefer the interior of the pre-facelift CLS. 2015-onwards cars have a larger nav screen that doesn't fit the dashboard recess and is just plonked on the surface, where it looks a bit daft. It's not even that much more useful, as there's a lot of black space around the edges of the display.

But of a puzzle here. 2014 CLS250 seemed to have less rear kneeroom than the 2017 car I tried the other week. All I can think of is that this was an SE-spec car (according to the build sheet) rather than the AMG-line that is the only option now, and that it has different front seats that leave less room behind.

Mrs B1 did all the driving today, and the traffic precluded any acceleration testing, but my impression was the the 250 engine is quiet but audibly four-cylindered, and that that detracts slightly from the overall waftiness one hopes for in a car that once cost nearly fifty thousand of someone else's pounds. Given that 250s seem to be scarcely, if any, cheaper than 350s, I think I'll hold out for a V6. Too late to take it to France now, anyway.