OK I haven't been able to find that $4K/year thing. It may have come from here: http://www.edmunds.com/mercedes-benz/m-class/1999/consumer-reviews/avoid-this-l

OK I haven't been able to find that $4K/year thing. It may have come from here: http://www.edmunds.com/mercedes-benz/m-class/1999/consumer-reviews/avoid-this-like-the-plague.html?style=7979&sub=&reviewId=115461697 http://www.edmunds.com/mercedes-benz/m-class/1999/consumer-r... where the guy talks about spending $5K in one particular year, which appears to be the first year he had it. likely an exaggeration on my part, mea culpa, but the reviews on that site are full of maintenance complaints: http://www.edmunds.com/mercedes-benz/m-class/1999/consumer-reviews.html http://www.edmunds.com/mercedes-benz/m-class/1999/consumer-r... it's entirely anecdotal but I had a friend who had two BMWs and both were constantly in and out of the shop. this was a long time ago, though. ymmv (literally).