Honda built a car that medical couriers trust to rack up 236,000 miles in a single year, and it sold for $19k afterward, still running. That's the Civic's superpower: it absorbs punishment, holds value, and asks for nothing but oil changes every 10k miles. The 2022-and-newer models look sharp, feel grown-up inside, and the hybrid actually delivers 40+ mpg without the usual compromises. The 2017-2019 turbo models had an oil dilution problem in cold climates that Honda was slow to address, so avoid those years if you live where it freezes. The Type R is brilliant but costs $48k, which is Elantra N money plus a vacation. Buy a Sport or EX trim under $30k and you'll understand why people who own one Civic tend to buy another.
This is Mercedes doing what it does best: building a highway cruiser that wraps you in a quiet, refined cocoon while the miles disappear. The inline-six in the E450 delivers the silken power this chassis deserves, and owners who maintain them properly report 200k+ miles without drama. But if you're shopping used, generation matters enormously. Diesel models across multiple eras suffer AdBlue injector failures that clog systems and trigger check engine lights. Older examples need diligent maintenance or they'll punish your wallet, and the four-cylinder E350 feels like the wrong engine in this car. The current W214 generation earned genuine acclaim (Car and Driver's perfect 10/10, MotorTrend's 2025 Car of the Year), but you're still paying luxury repair bills to keep any E-Class running right. Buy the six-cylinder, keep up with services, and you get a car that genuinely elevates highway driving above the BMW and Audi alternatives.