"most reliable model" Brand new, true of any make. I have heard very few negatives about the W202 C class. They seem to be really well made little cars. The W210 E class seems to be a safe bet as long as it doesn't have 4 matic (big $$$) The SL500's/S500 are awsome cars but they were built for people with big money. So budget for repairs accordingly. You could buy and restore a manual trans 240D for what these newer cars cost. Would be slow but unkillable, cheap to run, and reliable.