I owned a '95 C280 from '95 to '01. During that time I drove several C220s and C230s plus a C230K sedan and several coupes. As far as I'm concerned, the four cylinder is a noisy gruff shaky engine that spoils the car. The M104 six in contrast is much quieter and very smooth (quieter than the V-6 in my C320, as a matter of fact) and makes the car much more civilized. It's true that the M104 engines had some oil leaks early in the game but all of them should have been repaired under warranty so shouldn't be an issue any more. My mileage was about 21mpg around town and I once achieved 28mpg highway. BTW, I owned two W201s previously and they were crap, not to put too fine a point on it.

Matter of fact, my '85 190E was the worst car I ever owned. About fifty warranty visits to the dealer.

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Roger E.