[W126 Coupe] From today's Wall Street Journal

[Gerry Van Zandt]

 From the "Me and My Car" Q&A which is a weekly feature:

Q: I'm replacing my treasured 1989 Mercedes 560SEC, and am  
considering a BMW 535xi or Lexus GS 350. Which comes closest to  
matching my Mercedes?

A: Treasured, indeed. The SEC is one of my favorite cars from the  
1980s. I recall seeing a pair of them at the New York Auto Show in  
the early '80s; the price was about $50,000, which seemed  
stratospheric at the time.

Today, I think the BMW would come closer to replicating the SEC's  
sporty road feel and overall performance, while the Lexus more  
closely matches its luxurious interior. I think either of the new  
cars will probably perform better than the SEC and be easier to live  
with day to day, simply because of improvements in the last 20 years  
in technology, materials and electronics.