[onewhippedpuppy]

Bill, I'm looking for kind of fun + practical. I've also been leaning a bit more towards comfort than sport, which is appreciated in a DD. I don't mind a little wrenching, but I don't want something CONSTANTLY broken. My reading seems to indicate that the W210 is less problematic than most BMWs, and cheaper too.

Paul, your idea has merit. But, I have a little problem of hating debt. Hate, hate, hate, hate. Payments, well I hate those too. Hell, we just replaced Andrea's SRX with a 2004 Mazda MPV so we'd have more cash to throw at my student loan. I plan on having 1/2 or better in cash before the payments come due (6 mo). So while borrowing for a newer car isn't a bad idea, it's just not an idea I can subscribe to. Despite my b!tching about my old cars, I normally don't spend that much cash on them. Honestly, I've made money on almost all of them.

I'm liking this W210 idea though. Seems like it's a fairly fun, reliable, cheap car (relatively speaking). Really, I don't mind occasionally having to fix something, just not CONSTANTLY.