Yeah, when Chrysler introduced the XF in 2004, 1st model year, it came fully loaded at a sticker price that may have been 40% less than a comparable Mercedes SLK (granted the XF was given the old SLK platform). That $34.7K MSRP sticker Albergero certainly didn't hold as the XF was a new car with an odd look that the new Chrysler/Daimler put out. Chrysler pushed incentives to dealers and I think my father actually drove his brand new 2004 off the lot for around $27K that was literally 1/2 the price of buying a new 2004 Mercedes SLK at that time... It was a no brainer for him.

Yeah, it has its faults and no one other than independent European Auto shops will deal with it but it is one RARE cool looking car with a great, virtually indestructible good for 250K mile heart that is all Mercedes. Sadly, my father passed about 2 years ago and my mother had trouble with the "Falling in and Rolling out" part of this car at her age so she gave it to me with a dead battery, lights on the dash lit up like a X-mas tree, and a wasp nest under the hood that stung my *** when opened it up to replace the battery and see if it would even start. I've put a lot of work (and some $) into this car and it is running like a clock now. Taken care of or brought back to life, these are cars are more head-turning now than when they were new. There's nothing else on the road that looks like it.

If you're gonna buy one of these cars you need to have a great set of tools and a mechanical ability to maintain and work on this car or a big bank account to pay an independent European shop to maintain and work on it for you. I don't think anyone here will dispute that statement.