Faults:

Brake fluid leak from the master cylinder.

Dash board has minor cracks from heat and UV damage (a dash reflector has completely stopped the deterioration)

Power steering belt snapped.

Odometer works... occasionally.

General Comments:

I will never love a man like I love this car.

It has automatic locks and a system that makes it nearly impossible to lock yourself out.

The seats have lumbar supports, and are the most comfortable car seats I've ever sat in.

The cabin is beautiful even after 25 years. The carpet wear looks like that of a 2 year old car, and none of the leather has cracked or faded.

However the dash has cracked and the leather heats up like a hotplate in the summer, and is biting cold in winter.

It handles beautifully for a larger car (better than some of my friends' sedans and compacts).

It's not the fastest accelerator, especially up hills.

However once it gets there, it maintains high speeds like a champ and still handles well.

I was t-boned by a truck and drove away with nothing but a dent in the passengers side. No axle, transmission, interior, or human damage. I feel truly safe in this car.

It is an older car and takes some maintenance, but is incredibly reliable and has never left me stranded (as my former, newer car did...often)

Faults:

The climate control is badly designed and tends to fail due to poorly designed solder joints. Even when operating properly, the climate control is really outdated and blows either too hot or too cold without decent modulation. Having said that, I still consider it acceptable.

General Comments:

First the bad stuff. The diesel, like all older passenger diesels or truck diesels is characteristically very noisy even inside the car. Acceleration from a stop (even with the turbo) is slow compared to gasoline engined cars.

Now the good part. All in all, this car is one of the finest cars I've ever owned. The design may seem a bit outdated but the construction quality and fit and finish are nothing short of superb. Interior quality is excellent, if not plush like many modern luxury cars. I actually prefer the understated rather than the overdone.

The excellent visibility with huge front and rear glass is difficult to match with most other cars of any age.

Handling is excellent with a solid squeak free limousine like ride that you might expect from Mercedes. Even with over 150,000 miles this car looks and operates like new. The reliability of this car's engine is, to use an overused word, legendary. If you change the oil every 2,500 miles (as recommended by Mercedes) and adjust the valves every 15,000 miles it's difficult to say when this engine will stop running.

My experience with fuel economy, despite wildly exaggerated claims I've heard from others, varies from about 26mpg (city) and if you can keep the speed between 55 and 60mph I get almost 32mpg highway. Pretty fantastic economy from a large luxury car.

When considered from the standpoint of durability, quality, reliability and luxury and economy this car ranks among the finest ever built. This is a car that Mercedes Benz has to take great pride in producing.