Eh, the looks don't do anything for me. I don't get a four door sedan that doesn't have a usable backseat. And believe it or not, the 211 E-class has a much lower coefficient of drag.

Airmatic struts go out a lot sooner than 100K. I've had one replaced on my 211 - at 4 years, 2 months of age and 34K miles. Surf on over to the mbworld.org 211/211AMG forums and you'll see that replacement well before 100K is the norm, not the exception. There is an aftermarket rebuilder of struts in the ~$400 range, and replacement is apparently quite an easy DIY.