I get a little bent out of shape when people post along the lines of "all 211 cars are junk" or "all newer MBs are worse than older MBs." I don't think that's where you are coming from; hope you don't perceive my response as aggressive, that's not my intent. OK, onto real content.

MB is offering a 10 year warranty on the SBC unit. So those '05-'06 cars are covered, but also nearing the end of the warranty period.

The 722.9 definately had some teething problems. However I only recall hearing about issues with shift quality and other subjective issues, but little or nothing in the way of mechanical failures. That said, this trans has been used across the model lines since '06, give or take a year. So again, if it really is problematic, I think it's been out there long enough that we would know about it. I do like the way it keeps upshifting as you accelerate onto the highway. My Bluetec turns 1800 RPM at 70MPH, makes for a fantastic highway car.

I think there is a downside risk to driving a newer car without warranty coverage. While the chance of a major engine or transmission repair is quite small, it is not zero. There's always the chance somebody fills the car with gasoline and drives it. I figure on $10K to rebuild the engine in such case. I don't think you'll find a junkyard engine for these newer cars, they are just too rare. There's a definate economic advantage to driving a more common car such as a Honda, or even something like an E350 that outsells the diesel probably 50-1.

If you want to dig up more discussion on the newer cars, may I suggest using google to search over at mbworld. While I'm not a huge fan of the community over there, it does seem to have a larger community of newer cars vs. the focus on older models and technical discussions that go on here.