I ask this because I am soon going to try to get rid of my wife's Toyota Rav4 death trap that burns lots of oil and is a pain the posterior to work on.....and replace it with something MB, which I am (willing) and (able) to work on. She's not a huge fan of the W123/W126 "too big and ugly" She likes W201's and W124's, and essentially anything after that. Budget for the vehicle will be about 3-4k.....and gas or diesel does not matter.

I am thinking 190d of any flavor if I can find one at a reasonable price....but that seems unlikely....or a 190e....or a 300E W124. 300E's are the most plentiful so I could be more picky and haggle better.....

Is the 300E a pain to keep going? Or is it at least semi-reliable? I've read other opinion threads on this, but I am still at an impasse.... I've driven a 300TE before, and thought it was AWESOME.....so that might help.

If I go 300E, I will try to find a 93 or newer model with the M104 motor....

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-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
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'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)