My 1991 300E was purchased from a used car dealer in Long Island. The dealer had no clue what the history of the car was. For a reasonable fee ($2,700) I purchased the car. It has served my daughter well. It was an absolute crap shoot. And it has served her well, needing only a new exhaust system and an electric short addressed, by bypassing it.
I feel your pain, and ask that you look for a replacement. One thing with Mercedes, is that they are "fixable". You may have rolled teh dice, and they came up bad; try again they will come up better.
My daughter has clearly enjoyed the 300E, over the 1999 Chevy Cavalier (ten years newer) she drove before.
Good luck.
BTW - I sold my 1993 500SEL with 220,000 miles for a better replacement, 1995 420E with 190,000 miles - it's all perspective.
Good Luck.
