I am really surprised that the 3.2 V6 does not idle as smoothly as the M104 engine. My 2.6 litre version of this engine idles absolutely silk smooth. Smoother than ANY inline six MB I've ever driven. Are you sure the one you drove was running right?

I had a '96 210 diesel car and loved it. If I were to buy one of these cars with a gas engine, it would definitely be a V6 or V8, same engines with different number of holes in the block. The M104 is a great engine, but there is a chance of head gasket failure in these engines.

I believe that the 210 car is preferable to a 124 car. They are both great automobiles, but I prefer the handling and smoothness of the 210.

My $0.02,