glenmore's on my wavelength.
If you just want to get from Point A to Point B with a minimum of fuss, then get a Japanese econobox.
But if you want a "nice" car, I think a well-maintained used Mercedes compares very favorably to other cars at just about any reasonable price point you care to choose. If you get too cheap, you should probably steer away from the Benz, because it's probably cheap for a reason.
Despite their quirks, Mercedes "wear" better than most cars. The styling is more timeless, the materials used are higher quality, and they are (generally) better maintained by their owners.
So you can buy (I did) a 10-year-old Mercedes that's
really nice... nicer (in my opinion) than a brand new Japanese sedan that's pushing $30K. That leaves a lot money left over for unexpected repairs.
Another interesting comparison might be a new loaded Camry vs a later model Starmark E Class Mercedes. Purchase price is probably comparable, and both would have repairs warranteed.
If you want that new car smell, then I dunno... a new Mercedes is quite a wallet-biter and I'm not sure current construction materials and quality are as good as some of the older models. Moot point for me, anyway, as I'm not planning on dropping $50K for a new car any time soon.