Going by ConsumerGuide Auto [Link] it seems most of that generations trouble spots were pre-`02 models. It also lists repair costs for common items.
I have no idea how you feel about them but what about a a 300M Special like this one? Excellent handling and brakes (sportiest of all the Sporty LH cars), most powerful, spacious, lots of features, and if uncommon is your thing, only 4,500 Specials were made. They're fairly easy to work on, not that expensive to have worked on or for parts, they're reliable and durable (I know a guy with over half a million miles o his) and there's four sites dedicated to these cars with lots of knowledgeable people. Plus at $4,500 it undercuts all of your other choices by quite a bit, and `02 is the year to get since it was the year before Daimler began cost cutting.
Although if it were me, the first thing I would do is change the interior color scheme, or go for one that had the Dark Slate on Light Taupe already, and ditch the fake carbon fiber for the real walnut trim some 300M's had, but that's me.
Will say say though that if you are interested at all in any LH check the a/c system, and find out if the evaporator core was replaced previously. These cars have a habit of going through the original evap cores.