Just an idle thought, as I looked at the scabs on the back of my hands following one of my little projects: Given how little room there is in these engine compartments, is it safe to assume that the smallest engine available in a given chassis will be the easiest to work on? If so, should that be factored into the buying decision in the first place?

I don't have much data, but the small engine in our Camry is easier to deal with than the 4.2 Litre in the W210. Of course the smaller engines should use less fuel. Are smaller engines generally more maintenance intensive than larger ones?

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1996 C280 289K Traded
1997 E420 167K Traded
2001 S430 240K Traded
2010 E550 4matic 80K
2000 GMC Jimmy 198K Gone to Boneyard
2003 Camry LE 196K
2011 Mazda3 i Sport 31K