Ron, I'm not in the US, but have experienced the same frustrations as you have in my quest to find a suitable used Benz. Most of those in the yards are advertised as "perfect or top condition", but when you see them, the most obvious are in the E class 1986 to 1991, the woodgrain console area around the auto shift knob is all scratched, worn out, etc, the driver's seat has worn out badly, the driver's side floor carpet also worn out, rust in the rear door window corners, windscreen wiper housing changing colour to almost white, outside door handles also weathered to light grey, oily engine bay area, stone chip damage all over the front, lots of small things gone wrong but not repaired due to the high cost of shop repairs. Do look out for those which cost heaps to fix like the sunroof, and of course the engine, tranny and drivetrain and suspension. I found my C180 Euro 1994 in a yard. He was the greatest liar you can find in this area. I missed many faults as I didn't get an expert to check it out first. I am now spending a few $$$ to fix them one by one when I have the $$$. However, this is a very good example of internally cared for Benz at such a low price. The engine etc is very good, but the bonnet has a few golf ball dents on it! All will be fixed in about 6 months from now. I still love it, my first cheap Merc!!!