fastcar

(Apologies for the length...)

I recently fulfilled a long-time fantasy and bought a Porsche 911 cab, which is great, except its not very practical for the winter - I don't think a RWD convertible is the solution for going uphill in the snow (I live in a somewhat hilly part of northern New Jersey)!

So I need a reliable car to drive 6k-8k per year. I am considering the following:
(1) MB E-series, say 1994-1995 vintage, with 4matic
(2) BMW 325 ix from 1988-1991
(3) Several Audi's

I am ruling out the Audis because of reliability concerns. My impression is that they are less reliable than the BMW or MB - don't know if that's necessarily true given Audi has focused longer on 4wd, but in general Audi's seem to be less reliable mechanically. Am I missing something?

Between the MB and the BMW, my impression is that:
- The BMW would be cheaper and more sporty
- The MB would be relatively sluggish, but (and this is important to me!) easier / less expensive /less hassle to maintain simply because the BMW's are older and would likely have more miles...
- ... However, having done a little bit of on-line digging, Wikipedia seems to indicate that the MB 4matic of that era is trouble-prone (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4matic ) compared to the next generation from the late 1990's onwards

I want to spend around $10k (ideally less) for a car with less than 90k miles. I'd rather spend a little more up front than get something that will cause problems down the road! Any thoughts?

Web research is fine, but nothing like the first-hand experiences of current owners! How reliable is the W124 generally? Is the 4matic problematic? How does it compare with the BMW ix, or Audis?

All suggestions gratefully received! Many thanks in advance.