I've always liked the 202. Very well-rounded car. The C36 and C43 are fast cars. The C220, C230, and C230 Kompressor have the 111 engine, which in my experience is the most reliable of all the current Mercedes engines, excluding the 606 diesel engine.

 

I've always liked the W202 also. Most people on this board own either the W208 CLK or W203 C-class, as you'll notice by how many posts there are on each forum.

 

We used to have a W202; a '94 C280. It was both very competent and reliable during the couple of years we had it. Sold it to a good friend and it was good to her, too.

But, I've got to ask mbtech why the 101 engine would be more reliable than the 6-cylinder engines.

OK, so I have an M104 engine in my '92 W140, and yes, it did need a head gasket at around 100K.

I would expect that the same technologies would be used in the components as the engines are closely related, and therefore there would be common issues affecting reliability & durability.