You have to spend a little time in a benz to really appreciate one. The knowledge of knowing how safe and the phenominal driving experience make this truely the best car available.
Yes, they build some very expensive models, but not all models are expensive. To appreciate the value, check insurance rates. Because of the safety, they are not expensive to insure.
We drove the "other german marque" for years, and after 3 Mercedes, we will never go back. The only single problem is driving in our country with the interstate speed limits, these cars rule the German Autobahn!

High quality, high performance, but overpriced when compared to comparable-quality Japanese cars.

Not thier best days, though worse will probably come. The new SUV's were a big success, but all of thier cars sales are down. People today are buying SUV's over cars now, leaving companies like MB, BMW, etc. falling behnd. The new E-Class is actually worse than before. What's going on? Most of thier sales are slipping to the competition.