I hate to get into this, but I think blaming MB or saying that this is a quality issue is completely off base. ALL manufacturers including VW, Ford, GM and Dodge are seriously worried about these new diesel regs. As it stands diesels may well disappear from all light trucks also. Before Bill, Al and Carol Browner imposed these rules MB intended to bring in the new series of electronically injected common rail diesels that are being introduced in Europe. This issue is actually before the Supreme Court. The case tests whether the EPA can impose rules without fully studying the economic impact. Our neighbors to the north seem to follow us for the most part. I've been involved with M/B engines and cars for over thirty years and they have always sold what they thought they could sell in the North America. The north american cars have been substantially different in standard equipment and specification since the mid-sixties. As far as quality goes, I thought they had dropped until I actually owned one. My E430 has been the best, most reliable M/B I've ever owned (beating my 1983 240D that just turned 156,000 miles, hands down). The only M/B that that I've owned that even comes close in my experience was the 113 chassis cars (230/250/280SL). My 250SL with 150,000 miles has been a great car, but not perfect. I think the big difference is that the hand work is gone and the way carpets and trim are installed are very different, but who could afford to pay for that any more? I know I can't. As an aside, I've wondered, and many folks have complained, that the doors on the newer cars don't close with the same sound. As I was going through the Model Year 1994 C-Class Introduction Manual (I've a 1995 C280 also) I found this: Doors - The seals have been increased in diameter to reduce closing effort and noise. I found similar language regarding the door latches. So it appears M/B intentionally changed the sound in what they perceive as an improvement. All this is just my opinion, of course.