The ONLY technical connection between Mercedes Benz company and the Formula 1 engine is the check that is written to lotus to design and build the engine.

It is clear that the association will be made in most peoples minds, but back in '98 or whenever it was that the MB engine won the championship MB engined that image associaton.

To the real quality issue of the new MB's. It's the electronics and gadgetry where the problems lie. The mechanicals are still superb. The bodies are not as well engineered as they used to be and the electronics are sources of SERIOUS problems for many of the drivers of the newer cars.

I am now in the ranks of those drivers. I have had so many electrical and body related Gremlins with my C240 recently that I now no longer own it. The thought of having such problems that are both EXPEN$IVE and beyond the scope of repairs that I can take care of myself after the warranty expires was more than I could stomach. As of this past Saturday the only MB that I now have on the road is my 300E.

The car did well for a few years. It was built about two months after the 203 was introduced in Europe in 2000. I knew better than to be the first in line to buy one, but it made sense at the time.

The car was a GREAT driving car in every way. If it had been a Euro type car without all the bleeding edge technology, it probably would still be reliable and still be mine.

It's a very sad time for me to beat my brains out to keep this car through my problems of last year including unemployment and then have it all end like this, but life goes on and my family is healthy, so I just keep it all in perspective.

I'm quite convinced though that MB will come back around. It's a pendulum. I've seen it in the industries and companies that I've worked for over the years. There are good times and bad times. MB is now at their worse, I would say that in about 8 or 10 years they will come back around.

My $0.02,