The big, swanky estate car thread

It's several thousands of £'s dearer than the previous car but do you really have to ask ? That later link looks like a car ready for sale, now you could ask what is it hiding like a five year old E220 with years worth of Golden Retriever down the seat backs but you're wise to that now...

It could be worse, it could have years of an old bloke struggling to lift three mountain bikes on every weekend pretending to be a teenager  but then it'd have a gazillion miles on the clock.

One question though, don't big swanky estates come with climate controlled seats ? Heated seats are one thing but don't these swanky German estates cater for sweaty bum cleavages ? If North American muscle cars do it as standard surely Europe's crème de la crème can manage it.

Think I've heard of it, twinned with Pissington Offery, somewhere in Devon I believe, or was that something Bovery. My mistake it was Bovey Tracey up near Newton Abbot...

Yeah, just announced his private retirement to the world. Famous for some north American movie: Dances with Wolves or was it the Last of the Mohican ? Who gives a feck ? Costello is beside himself what to do now.

CL53 is surely just a rather pathetic attempt at a personalised plate to show you've got a CLS. But to most people it just looks as if you've got a 2003/04 car.

Of course it would be lovely to have a nice new car. Anyone who is even slightly interested in them knows that. But, ( and I'm acutely aware it's none of my business ! ) I'd probably advise postponing your decision on that until you've had a few months in the new job. Hopefully it'll be everything you want it to be, and from here the only way is up, but sometimes things are not entirely what they seem.

And, from what you've said, you'll be doing a different sort of commute, and it might be that your needs, or your view of them, change. Your current E class will still be perfect for any holiday trips this year and I feel that we all still have more to learn re the future value and viability of diesel cars. It'd be a royal pain to have spent a slug of cash on a new car only to find that new legislation in some way undermines its value or long term usefulness.

If I were you, I'd just take a breather on it for now until both your personal situation, and indeed the wider issues become more clear.

Your call of course, and I do understand "shiny" !

😉

All fair points, chaps. But after five years I'm long past the itchy feet stage with the E220. It's very capable but it's stodgy to drive and feels very dated inside. Yes, it will do the almost-Alps this summer without a murmur, but after driving the CLS350 on Friday, I'm imagining urging one up twisty mountain roads (after we've dropped off the bikes at our gîte, that is) and enjoying some extra power and plantedness.

Not sure if I've mentioned this already but the most likely casualty of my changed commuting habits is likely to be the Chariot. Much as it still pleases me, Mrs B1 will drive it only under strong protest and it won't (well, it will but not easily) take the Swiss balls and flip charts that she uses for her teaching sessions. I bought it as a car to commute in, and if I'm not doing that it finds itself without a seat when the music stops. I'd like to replace it with something technically interesting (an i3, perhaps) or something hatchbacked but still entertaining (I've wondered about an Abarth 500 or a higher-powered VW Up) but I may have to concede to boring good sense, get her a Golf 1.4 and get my kicks elsewhere. Hence the hankering for something a bit special as a family bus.

Get her a golf GTi, and yourself a Stuttgart chariot


Both your bases covered that way