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There are some real problems in post-1993 cars, but a subtle reason for this problem is that you have a rather expensive car with proportionately expensive parts, an increasing number of which are not available 3rd party and increasingly "assembly" oriented (example: rear shock absorber on 86 Oldsmobile: 20.00. Shock absorber assy on mid-90's S500: 700.00, and unlike the Olds shock, it fails fairly spectacularly). Also, the used car market is flooded. MB has had a reputation of building a car that lasts a long time. People buy these cars expecting them to be serviced by the same people who repaired their 1986 Oldsmobile, with parts obtained at a discount at NAPA. Many people who buy older used cars (say, 10-15 years old) have never seen the inside of a dealer's service bay. So, I'm saying that a lot of people who buy these older cars can't really afford them. This is not a "class" oriented statement, because I would consider myself one of these people. If I didn't do the majority of the work I've done on my car, I really couldn't justify the expense of owning it. It would really sting to drop 4-5K on a car per year at a dealership, even if the car were originally a 80K car.
Say what you want about American cars, but in 5 years and 70K miles of ownership, I think I've spent maybe <$1500 maintaining a used, now 145K mi Taurus, with some of that spent at a local, compentent (on domestic cars) mechanic's, with me doing only the oil changes and brakes. Not a classy car, not exactly exciting, but it does what it does reliably and inexpensively, and is fairly comfortable. But when the wheels fall off - I'm getting another SL as a daily driver!!
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