one of the economies practiced by the rich in the early auto age was to buy cars built to last as long as a house. The high price paid for a Packard or Pierce-Arrow reflected the "value-added" of premium materials, workmanship, engineering, conservative style, and other factors which would allow these cars to continue to serve for decades. Mercedes-Benz had this philosophy up until the start of the computer era (say 1985). Those Mercedes built since will, like all other cars of any price niche, start to wear out after five years as expensive and complex electronics wink out, and can't be replaced inexpensively...making the cars a nuisance to maintain just at the point where they should be getting "broken in." I'm now up to three early '80s MB diesels, hope to find enough of the same so that I never have to drive anything else.