I come from the same world of american cars that are easy to work on. The Crossfire is my second Mercedes product and they are better built and more bullet proof than the american cars. The only thing I have seen and personally experienced is the occasional senor that goes bad. These are easily replaced yourself or you can get raped by the dealer. If you have worked on Domestic cars don't be afraid of the Mercedes, it is all the same principals. Brake pads and rotors are reasonable. The real key is do the work yourself and avoid dealer for parts and service if out of warrenty. As an example, the crank position sensor went out on my last Mercedes which was out of warrenty. Dealer wanted almost $300 to fix. I went to the local parts store and bought the sensor for under fifty bucks. It took a torx driver and 15 minutes to replace. These cars are very reliable and built like a tank. I don't see how you can get a better built car for the money.