That report is idiotic. Nobody, and I mean nobody, buys a 911 for reliability. That car is a penis extension if there ever was one. Lexus cars, older ones, are about as collectible as sand. Japanese vehicles are made in such a way where everything fails at once. They are the king of lightweight, cheap parts.

Mercedes cars have always been somewhat overpriced. The 190's and other wanna be models were introduced to get people into mercedes. Whether it is stereo equipment, cars, or whatever, when people become devoted to a brand name, they tend to buy more expensive items the second time around. I would have never considered a new mercedes if it weren't for the SLK. The other cars are really neat, but just too expensive considering what can be had from Jaguar, BMW, cadillac, and other competitors. Mercedes is simply trying to broaden the range of people that shop for a mercedes. When I was a kid, only doctors, lawyers, and eccentrics had mercedes cars. Mercedes has always been more status symbol than anything else and they are trying to change that with the M class, SLK, C, and they are currently developing a line of really small cars for the european (7.00/gallon) market. They are just keeping up with the times, offering more products, and expanding their line. You can still buy a 500 or 600, for the same old high prices. You can't say that just because they have an affordable line, they are losing quality. The affordable cars are nowhere near the expensive ones, but they are not intended to be as good. I will restate that I wish Mercedes would have razor scooters at the beginning of the line all the way up to 200k roadster models. It would be more, not less.