The problem with any luxury car brand is that people who can't afford them new can suddenly barely afford to buy them after they are a few years old. Of course, they then can't afford the maintenance and the car progressively declines through the 2nd, 3rd, 4th owners. Some cars, like Audi and Jag have very high parts costs. One of those cars a few years old can be a real wallet breaker (BMW too in my experience). The maintenance costs (parts) for my old 190e 2.3 were among the lowest of any car I have ever owned, and my c280 isn't too bad either. My 2.3 had well over 500,000km on it when I got rid of it, and it still ran reliably, strong and there were no noises from the car anywhere. The build quality is there. If you are contemplating buying one, find the best one you can in terms of the interior and body (watch out for the slipping or harsh shifting tranny too). The engine can be rebuilt until the cows come home.
As an aside, I found that aftermarket chain parts places (don't include Fastlane in this generality) had prices 2-3x as high as the dealership for some parts such as injectors and bearings for the 190e. I may shop around a bit when it comes time to do work on my new c36 that Santa brought me though.
Good luck. Have fun.