The only W210 I would buy (and I've owned two) is an E430.

The V8 is exhilarating, and puts the I6 / V6 3.2 liter motor to shame.

If you buy the face-lifted 2000-2002 model, all of the bugs have been worked out.

My neighbor is a technician at the local Mercedes dealer, Penske Mercedes, in Covina, CA, and he says the W210's are probably the most reliable / trouble free Mercedes he's ever seen.

Generally speaking, when the techncians talk amongst themselves, the one Mercedes they nearly universally agree on that they would spend their own money on is an E320 / E430.

The transmission by the way, is extraordinarily robust and is sturdy enough to be used in high hp / torque applications like E55 AMG and the Mercedes SLR.

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".