[slow&rusty]

Javadog - damn dude, ain't you a freaking ray of sunshine. I think you like so many people sensationalize the negative and forget the smile on your face that these cars actually give. If you want reliability you have lots of other options.

The R129 SL I posted above has 90,000 miles, and in the last three (3) years I've spent a whopping $120 on a new clutch fan...that's it. All 12 hydraulic cylinders for the top work fine and everything else. That car has the original paint that is now 23 years old, it has been driven through snow blizzards, standing flood water in Houston and continues to run and run and still look good. This is a testament to MB's build quality and their products.

Doing pads and rotors on any old Benz is typical of ANY car from that time period, I guess you're talking about the hubs or bearing carriers that are bolted to the backside of the front rotors? Well guess what, lots of cars had that design even the Datsun Z, which was one of the easiest cars to work on. That was typical for chassis \ suspension layouts at the time.

I'm doing the brakes on my 560SEC right now plus freshening up the entire front end - its really not that bad at all. I bought all the parts brand new from MB USA even the wheel bearings, prices are comparable (or less) than your average Camry or Avalon. I'm talking from the dealer (OEM) across the counter not aftermarket Chinese made stuff.

I've been working on MBs since the '80s (the first was my Dad's W116 S-Class) and hardly a youngster and yes I could go on as well.