DslBnz thats the point I was getting at. Airsuspension was a paint to get working right back then and it still is today.
Imagin paying a dealer to troubleshoot a vac problem on a 300D!
$400 in labor and $5 for the part!
I am saying that Mercedes have always been expensive cars to own and run. Just the problems change but they are still pretty much the same. A $70k car will be more expensive to run then a $16k Hyundai I don't care who makes it. But if you can afford to buy a $70k+ car you should not complain about a few thousand a year maintaince. All European cars are expensive to maintain.
Electronics are the only wild card but I bet in 10 years they will be better.