We have been driving Mercedes diesels for what - fifteen years now. Very sturdy in accidents, good on snow and slippery ice. (w/ Michelin or Continental tires) If you look at a used MB avoid the years that they were made under the Daimler/Chrysler merger. The US-style crap quality bled over a little, and the MBs of those years aren't as reliable.
I love seeing 220D and 280Ds from the 1960s & 1970 around town, still running fine ...