Hi Chris - congratulations!
1) I would go with Bilstein struts, Boge and Sachs are also fine.
2)The flex-disks are probably best left for a tech to replace - I was told the bolts have to go back in a particular order. One of the techs (or more experienced members) on this site will probably be able to advise you better.
3)OEM pads are the best for this car, no question. They produce a lot of brake dust, but outperform everything else (in a stock setup)
4)You've just found the best MB site out there!
Regards,
-Nick