I find myself mysteriously drawn to the idea of an older MB to use for my 70-mile round trip commute. Having recently lost my wife's company car (Neon!) we find ourselves rolling up excessive miles on our '94 Volvo 850 Turbo (don't ask) and my fun car, a 2001 Honda S2000.

That said am I misguided in pursuing the purchase of a 240D or, better, a 280 SEL 4.5 as I see in various locations such as eBay? I ask your repected car community to enlighten me on the pitfalls, advantages and disadvantages. I have had numerous positive results from a number of Honda sedans but my automotive enthusiasm somehow draws me to cars with more style, panache and character than those highly-reliable Japanese models. Perhaps it was my repeated experiences over the years with several Porsche 356's that lures me back to fine German machinery.

Any guidance will be appreciated.