Eh, it's a different story with the old ones. The reliability problems are due to Daimler Chrysler's cut in expenses during later years. So they are not as well made as the old ones. The old cars from Mercedes-Benz are the most reliable cars in the world. They were overengineered to meet high quality standards.

Oh, come on guys; new Mercedes are fantastic. I have an A class (A-160) from 2000 with 200,000kms and have never had a single problem; the car has almost 10 years and I haven't even changed the battery! Only regular service, two light bulbs and two -of 3- wipers! These are fantastic cars, and A class are low rated in many surveys. One wonders how surveys are done...

Cheers.

There will always be the odd one or two GOOD cars in a batch known for being reasonably troublesome. Mercedes from the '90s are not the indestructible over-engineered tools they were previous to it.

If you're a-class has been trouble-free, lucky you. You also probably have a manual. My neighbour downstairs works at a Mercedes dealership as a mechanic, and he just wouldn't touch one. It's surprising, but even at a dealership, they can overhaul a Mercedes automatic gearbox for an S- or C-class for NZ$4000, but the A-class costs $6800 because of the valve body which has a design fault.

Mercedes has made efforts in the last few years to bring its dependability back; that neighbour of mine did say that the latest ones haven't been coming back for warranty repairs anywhere near as frequent as the '90s ones, so here's to hoping. As is, they've already alienated a few customers.