Yeah, Cap'n I think your 300E needs to have an *accident* and then collect the insurance and start clean before this car utterly demoralizes you...* just kidding*
My 300E, as I've stated many times before, has been incredible. It's close to 300,000 Kms and it's 14 years old. Still looks like new and no rust. Original tranny and engine - still the original valves, seals, etc. Pretty remarkable. Especially given that those 14 years have seen 14 winters in Ontario, Canada where salt is everywhere on the roads in winter. It truly blows me away. I have not seen many other car makes, if any, last this long under these conditions. You just don't see too many older cars in Ontario that are winter driven - the rust kills 'em young. Many of my friends' cars that are only a few years old are already showing some rust in corners and wheel wells - pretty discouraging.
Sure my car requires regular preventative maintenance, but it returns it in spades with dependable performance. I love seeing people's faces when I tell them my car is a 1989 model with 300,000 Kms on it.
So is my Mercedes problematic? Not at all.