Are late model Mercedes (like 1990's) still expensive to fix?

I want to buy a 1990 Mercedes but not if it will break the bank when it needs repairs. Are they still expensive to fix when compared to say a modern VW or Ford.

VW's are also expensive to fix, so lets not use that as a comparison.

Any car that was expensive when it was new will be expensive to fix even when it's old.
Lets look at a car that's $15,000 new, vs a car that's $60,000 new.

EVERYTHING in the 60 thousand dollar car will be more expensive, that's what made it more expensive in the first place. So when the transmission on that car goes, you have to replace it with a 3 or 4 thousand dollar transmission.

you can't build a 15,000 dollar car with a 4 grand transmission in it because you'd make no money. So when that transmission goes, it's maybe $1000 to get a new one.

So rules of thumb, expensive new = expensive new parts when the time comes to replace them.
Cheap cars are cheaper to fix because their parts are always cheaper.

Buy a car that is popular. If you see a lot of one type of car on the road, like a civic or a focus, then you know they will be making a lot of parts for those cars so you have economy of scale.

There's a reason very old Mercedes are so cheap… No one want's to fix them.

I'm afraid, as it is a luxury car, repairs and maintenance will be costly. Having said that, if it has been looked after it should be reliable. And there's always DIY and breaker's yards