I like my little origami death trap Subaru XT for the low(er) maintenance engine and decent mileage. It gets 26 mpg on the highway at 70+ speeds, my 300cd gets 21 mpg on diesel, no matter highway or city, A/C on or not.
My Subaru is much more fun to drive and my Mercedes sits in the garage even though diesel is cheaper here. I'm sure it would be different if I could source a replacement seat pad for the MB's front seat, which was crushed by a series of obese previous owners.
I'm still working on the diesel's laundry list of maintenance, in the past few days I've adjusted the valves, removed and cleaned fuel sender, replace air cleaner mounts, next is transmission fluid & filter, rebuild vacuum pump.
But so far the MB is winning as the lowest cost car in my maintenance spreadsheet this year vs. my Subaru
