Just passed the 1 year anniversary mark recently and the wife approved the purchase of a wagon since we want kids in our near future, and since also have two decent sized dogs (german shepherd mix and australian shepherd mix).

In terms of reliability, I see a lot of talk on the 81-85 (85 if its a federal model), and 87 300TD's. For a non wrencher, the mounds of information out there can be somewhat daunting. I've read that W123's are better, I've read that W124's are better, not sure which route to go with.

The initial requirement for the car is that it is ultra reliable and has relatively low maintenance costs for the long term. And when I say long term, I will probably drive it to the ground. I'm not going to flip it in a couple years time or anything. I like to keep my cars. If it drives faster, smoother, has more amenities, I will totally welcome that. But those are bonuses. So long as I can drive up and down the grapevine on my trips to and from San Jose/San Diego at a decent speed, with the A/C on, with the family and dogs on board, that'll be good enough for me.

Initially I was just focusing on diesels since they known to last. Dave pointed out that the 94-94 E320 gassers should be thrown into the mix as well. So another one for me to consider.

For the most part, there seems to be two different camps. W123 and W124. Regardless of what side you are on, I'm hoping that those that have owned both for quite a bit of time can chime in on their experiences and preference between the two.

Thanks in advance.
-John