I agree with the Doc on purchasing as new as possible. I have a 2001 C320, which despite the horror stories mine has had few quirky occurrences... I cross my fingers though as the mileage increases.

My thoughts: It does not feel compact, though rear seat passengers may feel a little tight, there is no land yacht feel while driving too; The ride is comfortable and pretty quiet, the seats are a little stiff for long trips though; Electrical gremlins abound – does not impair driving, just annoying; I think the front end is pretty good looking and overall the body has very nice proportions, not squished feeling like the prior C body, which I also owned. Acceleration is good and passing gear is VERY effective; Exterior materials are great and durable, interior details as mentioned look a little cheap in places and I hate the leatherette; Gas mileage is good; Prepare to clean the rims every other day too, don’t know if you had the soft brakes with your E; In Winter it warms up quickly, summer cools quickly too (mine is black, so that is a feat); very low drag, steering is 8.5 out 10 for stiffness and very, very responsive, little play which I like a lot…

RIDE – 8.5
MECHANICAL RELIABILITY – 9.0
ELECTRICAL RELIABILITY – 6.5
SAFETY – 10 (My last C was involved in a T-bone which should have killed me. The C320 has even more airbags!)
LOOKS – 9.5
INTERIOR MATERIALS – 7.5
EXTERIOR MATERIALS – 9.0
REPAIR COST – MID
GAS MILEAGE – 8.0

OVERALL: (8.5) I like it a lot. I would do it again. This time I’d have xenon lamps and leather.