 I purchased the car new and picked it up at the factory in Germany in 2001, so I had the car probably way too long.  I loved the style with the Sport  (AMG) body kit and wheels in Alabaster white with tinted windows.  It still looks better in my opinion than most of the later designs Mercedes foisted on us which is why I kept so long.  However, not without great cost.  I kept all receipts and spent approximately $14,000 on repairs during my tenure with it including a transmission rebuild and complete air suspension replacement.  Oh, and it only had 105,000 miles on it when I sold it today for $3,100.  It had many issues when sold:  3 of four soft door closers inoperable @$400 ea;  one inoperable door lock @$800;  leaking valve cover gaskets @ $600; inoperable remote trunk opener @ $600.  The exterior and interior were perfect, the car had never even been through a car wash, having been owned by one obsessive owner who is also a car nut with six other equally cared for vehicles.  In comparison, my wife got a 2002  Lexus SC 430 a retractable hardtop convertible also in late 2001and we have put only $1,300 in repairs into that car.  The comparison tells me a lot.  She still loves the car and plans on keeping a lot longer.  This was my fourth Mercedes over the past thirty years and the maintenance history on all was pretty much the same story as this last car.  Needless to say there are no more Mercedes in my future however long that may be.  Makes a Genesis G80 Sport look pretty good!