I will be looking to replace my 300SE within the year and this is the model I always envisioned moving "up" to. But it seems like these cars are rolling defects/design flaws. Off the top of my head:

Rust.
Cracked dashboards.
MAS sensors.
catalyst replacements.
leaky steering racks.
spring perches.
creaky seat frames.
leaky diffs.
broken sway bar links.
crank shaft position sensors.
think paint.
m112s that eat oil
606's that leak fuel/weld themselves to glow plugs
RUST!

Now I do like the way these cars drive. I've driven several rentals over ~1,000 miles. Great instrumentation, seats and visibility, too.

They just don't seem to have the following of the previous models. Nothing really outstanding about them, maybe?

I don't mind up keep (look at what I drive now) but I want things to stay fixed, not deal with recurring problems.

I guess the rust scares me most, as its never really repairable. I owned a 116 10 years ago, and the feeling that your car is rotting away as you drive down the road is terrible.

Any thoughts?

__________________
'90 300SE 298k
-300K and it gets put into retirement.
'80 300D 255k Purchased new by family in 1980.

Had a:
1973 220 (gas)
1980 300SD
1992 400E