I have a 300SD (126 body) and a 380SL. I had Bimmers before and hated them....I did what some of you should. I sold them, let my membership in the BMWCCA lapse, and bought my first Benz. If you think that Lexus or Toyota or Honda is better then by all means sell your Benz and get out of this forum.
By the way, a mechanic friend of mine who works on high end "prestige" cars claims that Mercedes-Benz hasn't gotten worse, it's just that the rest of the pack has gotten better.
