Launched in May 1993, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class W202 had the complicated mission of replacing the 190 (W201), known as the Baby-Benz, one of Mercedes' best-selling models.

The W202 Mercedes-Benz C-Class is not a rare sight on this side of the Atlantic by any stretch, unless we're talking about the wagon version from the 1990s.

A time like 1998, in fact, when Mercedes built this week’s C240 shed. Besides the arrival of strong women, the turn of the millennium brought in something equally new: rusty Mercs.

The entry-level model in Mercedes-Benz's W202 C Class range was the surprising C180 model. Not all surprises are pleasant – and my first experience of a steep highway gradient while behind the ...