I think the OP is kind of referring to MB as a brand, since their reliability has been on a steady decline. That said, reliabilty in the entire industry is getting better year by year, and while the Germans (aside from Porsche) have had a hard time keeping up with brands like Hyundai, Kia, etc... in reliabilty reports, they're still far from "crap brands".
Why do people by Mercedes? Well, a lot of them like the badge, but other folks like the styling, luxury, and power... Heck, I wouldn't turn down a CLS55 AMG.
