I can remember a college class I had, very likely a business class of some sort, where we, the students, were all whining about the ever increasing cost of cars.

The Prof pointed out that the cars we were buying new then were so much more advanced than the cars of the early 50's that they were worth the extra cost.

The Prof also pointed out that if you wanted safety and reliability and comfort all you had to do was buy a Mercedes.

So I did and still do. It would have been nice if the Prof had added it would have been wise to learn how to repair them yourself. I had to figure that out on my own.

Actually it was the Mercedes dealer that taught me I needed to learn how to repair my car. I remember the first bill I got and the labor was $35 an hour!

That was pretty stiff for 1970.