My C200 drove through a big puddle on Renown Rd in North Rocks, flooding the engine and requiring a tow truck. GIO assessed the damage and declared it a write off. As a result, I'm now looking for another car. <> = Criteria = The criteria are much the same again: * Auto transmission, Kat needs to drive it * Hatchback or wagon is nice, if it's not fugly * Features like bluetooth and satnav would be nice * Cruise control and the like is mandatory * Parking distance sensors are 95% mandatory * Not expecting to drive heavily, maybe 100km every week or two, plus the odd long holiday/photoshoot trip * Higher running costs are okay with me The insurance payout is $14,269, meaning I've got a budget of about $15-20k. I'm willing to stretch to the higher end if it has the nice things that I wanted to add anyway. Examples of some things I would've paid to add to the C200 as aftermarket: * Fat wheels * Bluetooth/newer entertainment system * USB ports up the wazoo * Fold-down wing mirrors to aid parallel parking (good view of gutter) * Flappy paddle gears, because I'm a bad person = Really good features = I loved a great many things about my C200, and it turns out that many of the features that I took for granted in my 10yo car **aren't standard** nowadays on lesser vehicles. * Speed limiter for effortless driving at the speed limit * Climate control, vs. abstract fan speeds * Vanity mirrors * Automatic headlights * Automatic wipers * Heated mirrors, not as important here but nice = What's new and shiny = We went and had a squiz at some dealerships, there's some nice offerings these days. A new car is mostly out of my budget, but a newish model that's a couple of years old will probably have most of the nice modern tech. = Mercs = I've taken a good sample from Carsales and whittled down to a few good examples. * A 2-door coupe with very low mileage, 2006 model, $17,900 asking price. The fitout is on the bland side (small wheels, no hood ornament), but 50,000km on the clock should be worth a couple grand in saved servicing costs. * http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/_/SSE-AD-583625 * Sporty steering wheel and pedals, sporty Merc rims of normal 16" size * A sported-up sedan with 100,000km on the clock, 2006 model, $17,950 negotiable. * http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/_/SSE-AD-3779782 * Flappy paddle gears, sport everything, classic W203 body shape, nice hood ornament even though it's labelled as Avantgarde * Sporty sedan, 2007 model, 79,000km, new W204 body shape, $19,990 negotiable for moving overseas * http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/_/SSE-AD-3490780 * Very fat AMG wheels, no hood ornament, interior plastics might be a bit worn * A few years older 2-door coupe, a beast of a thing, CLK500, $19,500 with no mention of negotiability, listing hasn't been touched since 2015-15-23, suggesting they might take a hit on price * http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/_/SSE-AD-2826100 * Sports wheels and suspension * Airbags only for front row (not sure if they were available for back row) * Leather trim and woodgrain everywhere (wood looks very light in colour), electric seats, has satnav? * Claims to be Elegance trim, but has no hood ornament