Faults:

Transmission computer decided to keep it in second gear after 2 weeks of showing symptoms of failure.

Most likely some internal bits will need replacing. I was planning to do them at the end of the week, but the car decided I was pushing things by a day, and decided to break down one day before my appointment with the garage.

This is a normal situation with these 722.6 gearboxes after 100000 miles. They need to serviced immediately after this milestone, or else they will break down on you.

Other than this, nothing else has gone wrong with the car, just a bulb here and there.

One side front headlamp lens seems to be fading out a little. This may be due to the extreme weather mixed with sandy winds and highway speeds.

General Comments:

Car is 14 years old. Sold initially in Japan and then brought to the middle east. Most likely it was babied in Japan, so the body is rust-free, interior is immaculate. Everything is still tight as a drum, the typical Mercedes Benz smell still lingers on after all these years.

Again for its age, the car drives superbly. Handles well enough, brakes are strong and seats are adjustable in every way, as is the steering. Engine is the M104, the last year it was used in this car. I had the same engine in the '87 W126 300SE back in the day. But that had the bullet proof 4 speed auto tranny, unlike here, with the computer controlled 5 speed and its bag of issues. Mercedes sold these cars saying that the transmission would never need any servicing, but that was outright lie, and now very recently Mercedes have indirectly admitted so.

One has to be fully aware of this car's flaws before buying it. And the only way to do so is to go onto many of the online forums and read the FAQS against this model (W210 chassis).

This way you will be ready to check the car and make a decision before buying it.

Faults:

Automatic transmission failed at 40,000 kilometers.

Bubbling on rear window panels.

Display for temperature failed.

Replaced sun visors 3 times, and they have broken again!

Car is rusting all over. It is in the shop now for the 3rd time.

General Comments:

This is the worst car I have ever owned. The best car I ever owned was a Toyota Camry. I regret ever buying this Mercedes, and I see from a lot of comments that I'm not alone. Mercedes has squandered their goodwill and apparently don't care. What a sad end to a previously great company. When you merge a bad company (Chrysler) with a good company (Daimler) you don't get a good company.

Faults:

Engine main wiring harness was brittle. Had to change it. Quite expensive.

General Comments:

Car is very comfortable, especially on long drives. Has great road grip.

The self levelling suspension is very effective. No matter how much load you carry on it, the car never loses its original clearance from the ground.

The third row foldable seat is very useful to carry kids and a cat. Of course, there's still room for the luggage.

The car brakes are very effective and the ABS works whenever it is required.

The leather seats are very comfortable. Even if you travel for 500 KM in one go, you will never feel tired at all.

The dash lights are very dim. I think they were improved in the later models.

Faults:

The car shakes a little at high speeds.

The seems to steer a little to the right.

General Comments:

This car has been a pleasure to drive, I would recommend it to everyone. The comfort lever is incredible, and everything seems to be positioned comfortably, with the driver in mind. In addition, the fuel economy of this car is very good for a V6 2.6L engine. It does around 550KM for the full tank.

Faults:

Nothing serious yet, except if you consider monthly service ;)

General Comments:

This is the best car ever, my first car ever was a '96 Jeep Wrangler then a MB E300 which was more than perfect.

But talking about this one '98, I'll tell you one thing I've been traveling from one country to another for the past 4 years evry 4 months "work and study" it's an 8 hours drive!! This car is THE car for traveling and every day use not to mention style ;)

IF I ever bought another car "which is gonna be, gotta be a MB" this one will always remain :)