We had a W202 chassis before moving to a 500E, the difference in interior size is very noticable.<p>If this a car you plan of keeping for a while, I would go with the 500E, its just alot more car!<p>It does everything the AMG C class cars do, but it does it easier and with less fuss. There is no replacement for cubic inches (no cheaply at least) and the 500E delivers! You don't have to rev it hard to go quick.<p>Build quality is better in the interior with the W124, so 500E wins as well. The only down side might be (depending on year of AMG purchased) the adaptive 5 speed tranny in the newer cars. <p>Over all, cost of ownership and maintenance has not been an issue so far. <p><br>