[onewhippedpuppy]

In my opinion the W210 E-class and W202 C-class are the last of the true Mercedes-Benz. They were designed before the Daimler-Chrysler merger and as such didn't have nearly the cost cutting of later models. They are built like tanks, the quality inside and out blows the BMWs away. I owned a W202 C36 AMG (fantastic car) and have driven a bunch of W210s, particularly the E55 AMG. I think the C36, C43, and E55 are some of the best deals going in a performance sedan. All can be easily found for under $10k, and the C36 is closer to $5k. I went from an E36 to my C36, the Mercedes made the BMW look like a Cavalier. The only downside, and the reason why I sold my C36, is the lack of a manual transmission option.