I know that somewhere after 95, MB has been doing some cost cutting. Thanks to the japenese, MB has shortened thier product cycle from 9 years to 6.They also have been introducing more models and have lowered thier prices to be competitive. I also read somewhere that MB use to do 1 million mile endurance tests on thier test mules just to be sure they were bulletproof. Today that's been eliminated. The 123 and 126 just feel like a real mercedes with the solid thud when you shut the door and they feel like a tank. The quality and fit and finish were excellent. These are the traits that made mb famous in the 80's.The 124 felt solid too . Did MB fire these engineers or is it all due to the cost cutting.