BMW 2 series or Mercedes B class
The poverty German vehicles have some awful build quality & aren't worthy of carrying their OEMs badges. Stay away!
If you want a BMW/Mercedes, look at a 3/C at a minimum or preferably the 5/E. But no matter which one, if you’re after a daily driver, lease them brand new.
If you’re only looking for a flashy weekend toy, buy one with low mileage and be sure to have it thoroughly inspected by a mechanic who specialises in German vehicles, before you buy it.
I would lease them. Also, test drive both and see which you like more. But, lease only!
Test drive and see which one you like better. BMW is more about the driving experience as Mercedes is about the luxury.
If possible neither but Mercedes would be (though not significantly) better.
Those smaller ones aren't that popular here in the states as you go overseas Mercedes parts are easier to find in some places and I personally like the Mercedes look better than the scowling BMW.
I know for a fact the Merc A class has horrible short term reliability and the C class is cheaply made and scored low across the board so expectations for the B class should be low. Same for the 2 series.
Lease?
Depends, if the 2 series has an inline 6 (B58), I would go for that, don't buy the 4 cylinder model. The b class is meh, the electronics are gonna break more often on the merc, and while BMW has had their fair share of electrical problems, they tend to fail less compared to Mercedes.
