I have owned a 123 85 diesel for the past 5 years, very reliable vehicle, buying one well sorted would be best if you can...if you like to wrench a bit they are great cars even at 30yrs old.

I recently got a 95 E320 and absolutely love it, seats are more comfy, more leg room and a bunch faster than the Diesel's, but the diesels can be tuned to be a bit more peppy

I got lucky with the 95, lots of records all major repairs done at dealer is: wire harness, a/c
Etc...

As far as the insurance goes the comparison between the two, the 95 is about $100 less per year, so not much difference in insurance identical coverage.

With what you want to spend you should be able to find something pretty nice... Enough info
Here to keep you busy for months!! Good luck whatever you get!! No doubt it'll be nice

Thanks for the replies. Still looking for that special MB.

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Thanks, Juan