i've owned 4 benzos...'58 190D, '69 220D, '82 240D, and an '85 300D. they all ruled.
if i were to get a benz DD again, i'd get another W123 diesel, because parts are plentiful. they are easy to work on, and as much as they may fall apart eventually, they will do so after about 250,000 mies, and they will typically still run.
petrol benzos just never interested me. i doubt i'd ever own one. they seem like completely different animals than their oil-burning counterparts.