My 210 sedan drives quite well. The road vibration through the steering wheel is quite acceptable. The rack in the 210 acts as a damper, and it seems to do a pretty good job of it. Try one, you'll probably like it.

My experience as well - sans "road vibration through the steering wheel." My W210 drives very well.

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'06 E320 CDI
'17 Corvette Stingray Vert

You may know that every Mercedes model gets a "facelift" about 1/2-2/3 the way through its life. In the case of the W210 you for sure want the later version, which means a 2000-2003 model.

When you get your W210 you simply won't believe how much the 5-speed transmission makes the car so much better than the older 4-speed models. You'll be getting similar fuel mileage, although of course premium gasoline is more expensive than diesel fuel.

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Kent Christensen
Albuquerque
'07 GL320CDI, '10 CL550. '01 Porsche Boxster
Two BMW motorcycles

Not in some areas.

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Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

In terms of "the way it drives" a 210 leaves a 126 for dead. The 210 is a responsive, comfortable almost-a-sport-sedan. A 126 is big and ponderous in comparison.

Yeah, the rack and pinion steering has a different feel than the old recirculating ball boxes, but nonetheless it is very, very good. Steering on a 210 has good feel to tell you how hard the tires are working and is very accurate on center with almost no play.

Fuel economy on a 210 wagon should be about the same as a 126 diesel, maybe a little better on the highway.

I'm thinking the reliability of a 2000+ 210 isn't going to have much trouble matching the reliabilty of an '87 SDL.

One thing to be aware of with wagons is they have a bit more road noise than sedans. It's not bothersome, but is noticeable. Be sure to drive any candidate cars at highway speeds.

It's hard to argue with a 210 wagon; they are a great blend of competent driving, comfort, safety, utility, and even decent economy.

Precisely.

I have no idea where that above poster Ferdman came up with his beliefs on W210's handling. All eroneous from my 11 years and 120K miles driving and owning one.

The W210 (mine anyway) is a precise rocket sled of a car that does everything well. It's fast, quick, handles perfectly, stops on a dime, and feels like a tuned sports car is how it feels in your hands.

If an SDL feels anything like my mid '80s SD did - they're apples and zebras apart from the W210 in the performance and overall ride aspects of the two cars. I much prefer the W210's precision.

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'06 E320 CDI
'17 Corvette Stingray Vert

Rack & pinion steering gives an entirely different feel than the recirculating ball steering, at least to me. I own a 1995 E320 and a 1998 E320 and the ride/handling is noticeably different. I was simply suggesting to Randall that he drive W210 wagons to determine if he is satisfied with their ride/handling because it will vary from a 300SDL. Not saying it's good or bad, just that it's different.

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Fred Hoelzle