smpcp,
If you are syill undecided, I still highly recommend a 300CE from late 80s to early 90s. You have already said you like the style, and believe me the purchase price of a newer car isn't the final cost. Maintenance and repairs can kill ya. Someone suggested you can buy a newer C class for the same money. I wouldn't recommend it for two reasons. First of all you would be stepping down from the E class. The C classes have been marketed for Joe Lunchbucket and aren't the same. MB has filled them witl all kinds of bells and whistles to compete with the Japanese, but they are still not Mercedes in my opinion. Secondly if a window craps out in one of the cars I suggest, you repair that window. If the windows crap out in a newer car you will have to diagnose a Control Area Network bus, replace an expensive module, and probably have the dealer reprogram the network to accept the new module. For my money I'm sticking with the earlier MBs until I'm forced to move up. I'm still driving 126s and 124s because they serve my purpose. I'm putting off moving into the 210s and 140s as long as I can, and I've been a factory trained MB mechanic for 30 years. I have a full blown hobby shop with hoist, R-12 machine, R-134 machine, rim clamp tire machine, wheel balancer, Mitchell On Demand, scanners, and a full library of factory manuals to year 2000. Good luck in your search.

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