This is not a good indication of how happy or unhappy the previous owner of the car was, as most used cars on any dealers lot are bought at an auction..

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2000 c280 Sport (looks like an upgrade, feels like a downgrade)
1991 190e 2.3 (sold)

Whatever it was a prime example. I am done buying junk I'd pay a $5k premium for a better example.

You buy the 100k mile one with skimpy service records. I'll buy the 20k mile one with a thick folder from the dealer of everything they did. Not only is the 20k mile car in better cosmetic shape, I bet over the next few years it provides less problems.

I went W140 shopping last year for my friend, 9 out of 10 examples are pigs. Pretty much every one I looked at on a small used car dealers lot was a pig.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Hope you enjoy a lot of tire kicking and don't have a certain color/configuration in mind. When you do find this perfect car be careful. A good salesperson can smell blood in the water and know's when they have an exceptional unit. If your too obvious with your inspection and records checking many times they will quote you a way above price and refuse to budge. At the car lot I worked at many of the used car prices were guesses and salespeople in many cases walked away with $3-5K commissions depending on how hard they gouged the buyers.

I don't mind putting money into my cars as I keep them for a long time and actually drive them. Despite popular belief many of the "pigs" that you turn your nose up to can be rehabilitated nicely at a fraction of the cost of overpaying for a "pristine" car that was rehabilitated by the dealership on the back lot. Most of the "perfect" cars never even make it on the lot. A friend of mine bought an 89 560SL that was a trade in on a new MB. The MB salesperson bought the car from the dealership for the wholesale price and then it was sold among friends. He paid a quite reasonable price and got an 1989 model year car with 30K miles on it.

Unless your really attached to a certain type of car if you have that kind of money to burn your need probably are better served with a new car than a preowned. Not only do you get a car that really is brand new you get a warranty and the ability to resell your car for close to what you paid for it. You also get to pick the configuration and color.