Not that I ever had one, but has anyone mentioned the late Chrysler slant 6? Bulletproof, and millions were made. 

The beauty of an I6 is that by design, next to a V12 it is the smoothest engine. I had an M103 I6 (3 liters) in my 1986 Mercedes0Benz 300E that was a jewel. Put 370,000 miles on it. Still had honing marks in the cylinders.

That was an informative 50 minutes or so. I got the feeling this car can stand up to any exotic except maybe a Bugatti - and who can/will drive 250 mph on a road or track?

I also got the feeling that engine really has to be exercised to keep from fouling and where can you do that outside of 1st gear (or a track)?.

And…

If he has “up to” $45,000 for a “money pit” I think he is good for more ;-) 

You are correct...

Why go though all of that complexity (and things to go wrong) when a V8 would have done the same and far simpler. And that over-boosted 4 banger won’t last much past the warranty I suspect.

Meh. It used to be that with a Mercedes 6 or 8 NA engine, with basic maintenance you could expect 100s of thousands of miles.

Now all AMG V8s (and probably all engines) have a supercharger or Turbocharger. I think your M113 5.5 liter is the last of the NA engines, which I like. The more stuff on the car, the more can go wrong.

They used the block of the M113 V8, lopped off 2 cylinders and put in a balance shaft (because an ideal V6 should have a 60 degree bank, not the V8s 90 degrees), and the M112 was born. Many parts are interchangeable. They did this for production efficiency.

I would qualify that - a cheap Mercedes that hasn’t been maintained properly. My neighbor recently sold his 2000 E320 - a 1 or 2 owner car. For $3,000.

Sorry your uncle had problems with his car but that by no means negates the reliability of a million others. They have to be maintained properly; factory or OEM parts, and serviced regularly. They don’t demand much but they still need proper service.

Personally I am in favor of NA engines - less to go wrong. And I think your M113 5.5 is the last AMG V8 with no supercharger. Great car if you can find one that isn’t thrashed.

Keeping it to have 3 cars - one driver - isn’t too logical but I think you understand ;-)

It is basically the same block - the M113 V8 just has 2 more cylinders and no balance shaft that the M112 V6 has. The V6 used a balance shaft because at a 90 degree bank (off the V8) it needed it. But both are very reliable, and the V6 has many parts interchangeable with the V8. I’ll bet even the pistons are the same.

…

I was told that the emissions systems for these Bluetech systems is Daimler’s biggest warranty expense.

Well. I have a W210 2000 Mercedes E430. I recently came into another car and didn’t need 3 but like driving the E430 so much decided to keep it, It is great to drive, gets good mileage (have gotten 27 on the highway, usually ~20 in town), and has plenty of power.

Before all of this silliness started I thought it was…

Don’t know if this quite fits the criteria, but in 2003 when Daimler introduced the new W211 E Class, they were still making the W210 Wagon.

To leave out the 3000 just points to the silliness of his list.

BTW should the Cobra be considered solely British? Like the Allard it was a British-American hybrid. Thank Phil Remington.

This list is a bit silly. To be on the list, the car should pass the test of time. Will the Jag XJ220 still be remembered in 70 years?