The ETA is the real bummer on the M119. :eek:

So is the fan clutch. I replaced mine last year and could hardly believe $525 for a fan clutch? :eek::eek: No shortcuts allowed in terms of cooling issues on a W124 with the M119 shoved in there, though.

The tuneup parts aren't THAT bad, and my 400E has no fuel economy penalty over a 300E if driven conservatively. The tall rear end gear is mostly responsible for this, and I think the M119 weighs only about 75 LB more than a M103.

I have no scientific data on this but I've never heard of a throttle actuator going bad on a non- ASR 119 motor. It must happen, but it must be quite rare. They seem to be good for the life of the car. It is the ASR throttle actuator that is a common problem and that is something that can be avoided, by simply not buying the car.

I'll give you the steering, for sure. The recirculating ball feels much sharper than the rack and pinion. However, the W210 was designed in the pre-DCX era, so you can't use the DCX excuse to justify the quality/feel of the W210. DB chose to design the W210 to a lesser standard long before the merger was on the radar.

*knock wood* our W210 wagon has been great so far.