[notfarnow]

I have a '99 e300d. I love the car. It's been dead reliable, looks great, handles and drives beautifully. Parts are cheap and the car is a dream to work on. Actually cheaper to run than the '96 vw Jetta it replaced.

They're heavy cars and they can chew through tires pretty fast if they are out of alignment or the suspension is a bit loose. Front end parts are cheap and really easy to put in, so it's well worth keeping it tight.

Front spring perches can be an issue, especially in the rust belt. Actually the concensus seems to be that the w140s are more rust prone than the w124s, but I think the worst rust issues were late pre-99. Some earlier w140s had wire harness issues too.

Stuff I've had to do include:
-starter
-rear calipers (rebuild kits @ $25/side)
-shocks all around
-outer tie rod ends, lower & upper ball joints

I find it to be a very comfortable cruiser, and plenty of power ( I think the 3.0 diesel was actually faster than the 3.2 gas). Handling is great for such a heavy car. The wagons are CAVERNOUS, I wish they sold them as a diesel in NA. I hear the 4matic works great, again, not available as a diesel.

I know people LOVE the w124s, so do I, but I find the w140 looks and drives a lot more modern than the earlier cars.