Faults:

Gas tank seam leak.

Minor coolant leak (cheap repair).

Heated seat relay. $25 for a used part on eBay that works perfectly.

Rear windshield delamination caused the rear defroster to not work on the top half. New windshield replaced for about $200.

Chrome insert from front bumper rusted; replaced with NOS.

Rear power window motor replaced with a used part.

Hood insulation replaced.

Fuel pump relay, $110 total parts and labor.

Fuel pressure regulator replaced due to a small gas leak. New OEM part was $280 parts and labor.

Front and rear suspension repairs, totaling under $1000.

General Comments:

The best car I have ever owned; I love it.

Cruises down the highway at 85 like a locomotive; great car for a long road trip.

Repairs have been very reasonable using an independent Mercedes mechanic.

Transmission, engine, braking, and steering are all flawless; hard to believe it's a 25 year old car with 150,000 miles.

Faults:

I have had to replace the wipers once, and it cost about $80. Parts cost a lot more for a Mercedes, but the quality of the 80s Mercedes makes it worth it, because in the end, you will have a car that runs forever.

The car would stall at the slightest tap of the gas, which was dangerous. I had to replace the EHA valve because of a small gas leak, and it has not stalled since.

The front right and left wheel bearings had to be replaced due to age. I noticed they were going bad when there was a loud buzzing noise when approaching highway speed.

A small oil leak that is fixed by pouring in a few quarts every couple months.

Except for regular servicing, new Michelin tires, and new brakes and rotors, nothing else has gone wrong.

Nothing wrong mechanically on the car. All lights and controls work well.

General Comments:

I got this car as my first car after my 17th birthday, and have enjoyed it very much! It is white, with hardly any imperfections in the paint. I keep it clean and apply tire shine regularly, and it is a real head turner. Although it is 22 years old, it still looks like a modern car, but very very impressive.

The car is very long, and like everyone says, is built like a tank. Even though it weighs over 2 tons, its 5.6 liter V8 makes it a very quick car. Even more impressive is it's geared taller for highway driving, so it's very quiet and low RPMs at highway speed.

The only con is the gas mileage. It gets worse gas mileage than a Lamborghini, literally. I get 14 - 16 driving in the city.

Overall this car is very comfortable. All seats have the seat warmer, and all seats recline. Yes, that includes the backseat. Lots.. I mean lots of leg room and a huge trunk.

Faults:

Power steering pump was making a loud noise before purchase; easy fix as the fluid was just low after a filter change. No noise or problems after topping off fluid.

Fuel pump busted a leak. DIY - 1.0 hours.

Headlight wipers don't work - probably will take them off.

AC was discharged and checked for leaks (clear) but not refilled. No R-12 available here in El Paso that I could find yet, and will only do a conversion at the very very very last resort. I'm a windows down person anyways, even in my other car with full cold AC.

Centre high mount brake light blew (just needs a replacement bulb) today.

Small tear in the driver's seat.

Various fuses, which are expected at this age. A set is very cheap and easy to replace.

General Comments:

Alright, for the price I paid for it, the car is great. Looks like a new paint job, new alternator, new radiator, new master brake cylinder and related parts.

The interior is nice and not much show in wear, but the passenger seat bottoms seem to be new compared to the rest of the leather, but the rest is still good besides the small tear mentioned above.

The car starts up, and runs nice and smooth, no skips, blips, rumbles, or any of that stuff that common with these cars of this age.

The ride is smooth as I expected like the 560SEL I had prior, but at higher speeds, I can tell the lack of hydromatic suspension. But it's not by much, and I know it's more simpler.

The pick up and go factor is OK, and it is a large car, but it's no 560 off the line, but in no way underpowered. It's just right.

It doesn't eat up as much gas in the city as the beast of a 5.6. However, it's no Prius. If I wanted a Prius-like car for the gas mileage, this would not be my choice of car. But comfort is one of my higher priorities, and this car delivers.

I had newer cars, but this one is one of my favorites right up there with my old 89 560. It's slightly cheaper to maintain because there is no hydromatic suspension parts to worry about, but besides that the maintenance and parts are about the same. The ride is cush, but not Cadillac floaty, and the reason is in turns, there is really no body roll. It's no big Bimmer, but not far behind, and far ahead of other similar cars of that size, even some of the new ones.

I like it; they may not be choked full of iPod radios, internet, phones, cameras and modules with names I can't pronounce, but that's what I like. Simplicity, but not outdated. It has a presence, and style that will never get old. You can tell this car was built when the engineers ran the place compared to the newer ones (W220 and beyond). They are nice, but something seems to be missing.

Sitting inside this thing, and it feels like a Mercedes, rides like a Mercedes, and looks like a Mercedes with no mistake. The W220 is very nice, but seems overly complicated and I can tell the corporate office bean counters took over and don't have that presence of the past Benz. I might still get a W220 eventually or the W221, but I don't plan on giving up the W126 any time soon. I like being reminded of the good ol' days of Mercedes.