1st-year experiences aren't really applicable for me, because I bought all of mine through a dealership, new or used, and each had either a factory warranty or an extended warranty package included with the purchase.
Mileage was also relatively low (for an MB), so problems did not crop up till much later on. $0 dollars in my camp, save for oil changes and other normal maintenance items.
I have owned each of mine for at least six years now, and the biggest $ hit was for the AC evaporator on the W124...$1800 incl. labor, which fortunately was paid for via the warranty.
Next largest was this year, when I had to get a new W163 fuel pump and MAS which was not under warranty...$1300.
Out of town and stranded, I had to let the local dealership perform the work.
The R129 has not needed a single major repair since ownership!
The rest of the repairs over the years have been performed by myself, and have never amounted to more than a few hundred dollars in parts...
...I think if you can manage to avoid the $120/hr labor rates and perform the work yourself, you'll find that these cars aren't so bad after all!
