I bought a '99 e300d in January. It is a fantastic car, I just love it. It's a HEAVY car, and it feels like it. Around town, I find myself driving like a grandpa... but it is a fantastic car on the highway. Quiet, smooth and quite fast (the 3l diesel is faster than the 3.2 gas, I think). It's quiet for a reason... there's 2 layers of sound insulation and almost 3" of foam under the carpets. There is NO wind noise at any speed I've travelled at. Even with the sunroof open, you can have a quiet conversation at highway speeds.
I have been pleasantly surprised by the price of MB parts. Suspension, electrics, brakes... all parts I've looked at are cheaper than VW Jetta parts. A fairer comparison would be Passat parts, which are typically 1.5 - 2x the MB e-class equivalents. Engine & transmission parts are where MB's seem to get spendy.
I've also found it to be really nice to work on. I cooked my starter this weekend (my own fault), and it took 20 minutes to get it off. Compare that to the VWs where the starter bolts run through the front engine mount, so the engine has to be supported & lined up.
Keep in mind that I'm coming at MB ownership from the perspective of an ex-VW owner, so my concept of "easy to work on" and "cheap to run" are very skewed. Also conisder that I owned a Renault LeCar for 7 years.
mercedesshop.com forums are a FANTASTIC resource
