No, you're missing my point. By YOUR scale, why stop at a Beetle? Why not go all the way back to a Model A. Let me try it a different way.

There has never been a car so reliable, long lived and so easy to work on that also drove and operated as well as the 240D.

It's a matter of balance. The 240D has the perfect balance of simplicity and driving pleasure, again, FOR IT'S TIME!

You are not the only one who thinks more of a 124 than a 123. AS I SAID! In the drivers seat the 124 is the CLEAR winner. Wrench in hand, the 123 is BY FAR more maintenance and repair friendly than a 124 car.

Let me give you a few examples:

Changing water pump: 300E, at least 3.5 and that's if you've done it before.
240D, 1 hour,

Changing belt tensioner 300E, 1 1/2 hours 240D Oops, it has no belt tensioner

Removing door panel 300E, a painful 20 min. 240D a very pleasant five minutes.

Changing Diff Mounts 300E, a tough several hours with a tough to use special tool. 240D I don't know, I've never had to do it.

Window riser 300E, again a tough, cussing job of an hour or better. 240D an easy 20 minutes, but there's no electric motor to burn out.

CCU 300E, a half hour plus at least another fifteen minutes that you had BEST spend replacing the aux water pump or lose your new CCU. 240D There is no CCU.

If there is any repair operation on a 300E that is not significantly more of a PITA than the corresponding operation on a 240D I can't imagine what it would be.

The 300E is definitely a fabulous machine behind the wheel, but you'd better enjoy challenging maintenance if you're going to drive and maintain one. Not is it more difficult to perform maintenance and repair on a 124 car, but you will also have to do more of it.

I'm an experienced driver and maintainer of both. If I could only have one car and had to drive it alot. I would have a manual everything 240D and just have to give up the fun of driving my 300E.