I'm not sure about the timing; there were price drops in 98 and 99 that I know of. I think it had more to do with Lexus cutting in to MB's traditional market; they had to drop prices to stay in the game.

I hesitate to say that there have been drops in quality; you hear that a lot, but the examples given usually strike me as somewhat isolated.

Nothing made by man, especially mass produced at a price point, is going to be completely free from defect. Kinda like the specs for how many parts-per-million of rat is permitted in a chocolate bar---we don't like to think about it, but it is inconceivable that a huge vat of chocolate, made from huge quantities of raw ingredients, isn't going to get infiltrated by the occasional rodent or insect. The idea is to minimize it---and then don't dwell on it!

Best,

Travis