An old saying goes, "There's nothing more expensive to own than a cheap Mercedes-Benz." I love these cars and they are the only ones I will drive, but that's because I know a lot of about them and do all my own work. In fact, these cars are very easy to work on, but they require the right tools and access to good information. This is all readily available, but is a consideration for the total cost of ownership. If you have to rely on a mechanic to do your work, then it's best that you have a warranty to cover it. Otherwise, expect to pay at least $100/hour for labor. Parts are usually not terribly expensive, but there are some things that can fail that may require the dealership to repair due to it needing special electronic coding only available through their license with the manufacturer.
Even if the car is covered under warranty, it requires regular maintenance that can still be expensive. An oil change, even as a DIY job, will cost $75 or more in parts alone. A transmission fluid and filter change is over $100 in parts, and most people won't have the facility to do this as the car has to be lifted with the engine running. Most shops charge well over $100 for an oil change and $300 or more for a transmission service. Another consideration is that even simple things like a front-end alignment can be hard to get and expensive. Most tire shops either won't touch it, or they can only do a toe alignment because it requires special bolts for camber/caster.
Some of these high costs are due to the advanced electronic systems used in the cars and certain aspects that are the result of their engineering designed to improve performance and reduce weight. Mercedes-Benz is a leader and on the bleeding edge of these advances. Just like other things they introduced like airbags, ABS, keyless start, CAN bus systems, etc., these technological and engineering advances will trickle down to mainstream automobiles and then will become less expensive to maintain. But until then, these cars will always be more expensive to own. My advice is that unless you have the facilities, skills, and desire to do your own work, either buy something else or make sure you have a good warranty.
An old saying goes, "There's nothing more expensive to own than a cheap Mercedes-Benz." I love these cars and they are the only ones I will drive, but that's because I know a lot of about them and do all my own work. In fact, these cars are very easy to work on, but they require the right tools and access to good information. This is all readily available, but is a consideration for the total cost of ownership. If you have to rely on a mechanic to do your work, then it's best that you have a warranty to cover it. Otherwise, expect to pay at least $100/hour for labor. Parts are usually not terribly expensive, but there are some things that can fail that may require the dealership to repair due to it needing special electronic coding only available through their license with the manufacturer.
Even if the car is covered under warranty, it requires regular maintenance that can still be expensive. An oil change, even as a DIY job, will cost $75 or more in parts alone. A transmission fluid and filter change is over $100 in parts, and most people won't have the facility to do this as the car has to be lifted with the engine running. Most shops charge well over $100 for an oil change and $300 or more for a transmission service. Another consideration is that even simple things like a front-end alignment can be hard to get and expensive. Most tire shops either won't touch it, or they can only do a toe alignment because it requires special bolts for camber/caster.
Some of these high costs are due to the advanced electronic systems used in the cars and certain aspects that are the result of their engineering designed to improve performance and reduce weight. Mercedes-Benz is a leader and on the bleeding edge of these advances. Just like other things they introduced like airbags, ABS, keyless start, CAN bus systems, etc., these technological and engineering advances will trickle down to mainstream automobiles and then will become less expensive to maintain. But until then, these cars will always be more expensive to own. My advice is that unless you have the facilities, skills, and desire to do your own work, either buy something else or make sure you have a good warranty.