As a first time owner of a Mercedes, I can say having this particular brand of automobile can certainly change the way people behave toward you.
I bought a CLK new in 99. Previous to this car I have owned a Toyota 97 4 Runner, a 94 Chevy camaro, 92 Lumina Z34, Pontiac Trans Am WS6 etc. All these cars were bought new and I take great care of all my vehicles. I had never seriously considered owning a Benz until the fateful day I visited the dealership and took a CLK for a drive.
That is when things changed. Immediately the staff in my office began to make cracks about me having this car. It seemed there was jealousy everywhere. There was no problems when I drove the Toyota (it was only worth about 10K less than the Benz). My boss (who drives an Acura TL) even said "yeah, I could drive a Benz, I just don't like the image it portrays". ??? Say what ?? I thought the image was class, safety, performance and reliability. I found it very difficult to understand how a car could change the way you are treated. This experience was not limited to the people in my office either. I while back I picked up an old friend of mine for lunch. The moment he saw the car, he could not stop blubbering about how he couldn't beleive I had a mercedes. He even called his wife (from my car) during the trip to the restaurant to tell her he was riding in a Mercedes. Seemed a little extreme. The first topic for most people always seems to be the car. I am not sure why. For example, I know plenty of people who have high end cars (Lambo's, Ferraris, Porches, NSX, etc) and when we talk, cars may come up, but there is not the same tone about the converstion.
I have not had the same traffic trouble as some of you others, but I do know you definetly get different looks on the road. Most of the time it is positive (thumbs up or a long gaze at the car). The other day a kid (maybe 16) came up to me in a parking lot and said "man, that is a dope ride". I assumed this was a good thing, so I thanked him.
I guess maybe this stuff goes with the territory (good and bad) and maybe that is part of the price to have a Benz ??