Had an interesting conversation with my mechanic (shop owner) about a very similar subject. He owns 2 S class cars. But, for longevity, he says stick with the E class W124s, and the 3.0 and 3.2 liter engines. He has an E420 for sale that I would LOVE to have (actually, Mamma would love to have it - she's not real impressed with the 0-40 on the 300E...), but he says we're much better off with what we have! And that's knowing that he'd love to sell us the E420... Bottom Line: I'd go with a W124 all over again. They are nearly bullet proof, with all flaws well known.

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Bill Streep
San Antonio
'57 190SL (toy)
'08 S5500 (mine)
'09 CLK550 (wife's)
'06 SLK350 (daughter's)
'11 GLK350 (daughter's)
'03 CLK310 (spare)