I've owned an E34 chassis 1995 540i for 11 years and 185,000 miles. It has its weak points, but nothing I've found that isn't repairable at home. The 32-valve 4-liter V8 is a sweet engine, and the automatic trans is very durable if properly maintained. I'd say it's as sound as its MB contemporary, the 722.6. My trans is original at 270,000 miles, and the engine has zero oil consumption.

All in all, I'd say it's every bit the equal of the MB W124.

I consider the W210 to be one of MB's weaker efforts. I seldom see one that doesn't have some rust holes in it. In my mind BMW's E39 chassis is superior -- and, you can get a V8 with a 6-speed stick.

I've never liked the build quality of BMW 3 series cars after the E30. The 5 series cars tend to be better put together. Is MB that much different? I recall people referring to C-class Benzes as "cheap class." And early MLs as "Alabama trash cans."

I've tended to gravitate toward older cars because they're more serviceable than newer models. You can't really compare any 2006 model to something 10 or 20 years older. Serviceability has fallen off, but efficiency and power per CC have increased.