Norm,

I see that all of your cars have alot of miles on it.
I am not sure how many more miles you expect out of them but you should be happy. Maybe you bought those cars used with high miles already on the odometer but then, I am sure you have gotten your moneys worth.

Personally, I feel like I got my moneys worth on my MB.
I was only expecting to get 100,000 miles on it and then was planning on selling it but was "inspired" by people on this forum. Now I strive to achive 300,000 miles. As far as I am concerened, every mile I get out of my car is like extra gravey for me.

Your bad luck with your car is just 1 experience out of many other peoples favorable experiences with the brand.
Did you ever think that the previous owner may have driven it hard or not maintained it well? Just a thought.