Faults:

Rust issues.

Power mirrors did not work.

Few squeaks and rattles from the interior.

About 2 weeks after I bought the car, the check coolant level light came on. The reservoir was completely empty. I filled it completely and 5 days later the light came on again. The tank was empty again. There were no leaks on the ground or anywhere. I looked in the expansion tank, and the coolant looked like it was milky white, not to mention it was white all under the cap. I also looked under the oil cap and it was all white. I took the car to the mechanic and it was checked out. I was told to get rid of it ASAP. Coolant was getting into the oil due to a blown head gasket. As I drove home, the dash lit up with the "check oil quality" light. I knew I was in trouble. I looked at the oil from the dipstick and it didn't look right. I stopped driving it and thankfully sold it shortly after.

General Comments:

Wow, this car was extremely fast and fun to drive with the V8 engine.

The car looked great with the xenon lights and AMG package (body kit and rims). Was very comfortable. Would always get a lot of stares ;)

Factory Bose stereo was the best car stereo I ever heard.

Faults:

The tail-light bulb needed to be replaced, and a sensor in the engine needed to be replaced ($150 total).

General Comments:

WOW! First of all, the car is very fast. I'm not taking "kind of" or "sort of" fast. It is FAST! I am 16 and have saved up my own money, and I have had a '99 328i before this, and the Mercedes just puts my poor BMW to shame. The Mercedes rides smoother, accelerates much faster, and is just generally better.

I always wanted a 328i e39 since I was 3 or 4 years old. $6000 later, I got one and loved it. I stumbled across the MB in a local ad, and had to have it. I sold the BMW and made a reasonable profit, and now I am driving a much better car for only $3200! You will not find as good of a deal I got ever, but it is worth the money. The steering is tight, yet it turns with ease unlike the BMW. The engine delivers effortless power with its boasting V8, while the BMW strained to deliver what the Mercedes does in just simple acceleration.

Yes, the car does have almost 300k miles. With that being said, the interior has no rattles, the sound system is great with no crackling speakers, and it drives like it only has 30k miles. I am not over exaggerating, the car is amazing.

If you have been comparing Mercedes and BMW, Mercedes wins hands down. I always thought BMW would be much better, but I was sadly mistaken. The reliability is obviously outstanding on the MB. This car was built for many things like speed, comfort, luxury, but one thing is for sure, it was BUILT TO LAST!

The only downsides I may have would be the seats aren't as comfortable as I would have imagined, and the gas mileage isn't the best, but I was expecting that from a V8. I got 400 miles on a full tank of gas, so it gets adequate gas mileage (unlike my old Land Rover!). Also, the BMW seemed to be a little more updated and "sleek" in the interior, considering they were both '99's.

Overall, the Mercedes has more options that the BMW didn't such as the on-board computer, rear sun-shade, 6 disc CD changer, headlight washers, xenon headlights, built-in phone, and the single windshield wiper is awesome!

If you come across one, I would highly recommend you make the purchase. I am planning on keeping mine until it just won't drive out of the driveway anymore; so it looks like I'll be keeping it for a long time!

WARNING: do not buy this car if you don't like attention! People are constantly staring at it and commenting on it. Too bad they don't know what I paid for it ;) It's worth a million dollars in my book, and I don't know what more I could ask for in a car, so this one is definitely a keeper!