My brother hired on a Chrysler dealership in 1964 and took his apprenticeship there, I hung around there a bit. My Father bought a new Mopar every three years and I vividly remember them as they came from the factory.
The cars came off the truck needing the windows adjusted, the engines tuned up and generally a bit of care on the predelivery, not like now when they basically have to be cleaned up. If you bought from a good dealer you usually got a good car. The paint was okay, certainly they didn't have todays technology. The upholstery on the stripper versions didn't last long, and the popular vinyl upholstery was not so good in winter or summer. If the dealer PDI'ed the car properly the windows wouldn't leak, the doors would close just fine and there would be no rattles.
You had to change plugs and points and take a screwdriver to the carb once in awhile but it was easy and anyone could do it with good chances of success.
My Dad worked out of town and it was not uncommon for him to drive 4 or 5 hours at speeds in the triple digit zone, he changed oil at regular intervals and never had a mechanical problem of any sort except for a bum carb on his 65 Fury and leaky rad seam on his 71 Chrysler. Brakes were not as good as discs but no one followed with their bumper up someones tailpipe like they do now. On Highway trips if you seen a moose on the road you drove around it in those days, unlike today where most drivers jam the brakes to the floor and let the airbag do it's thing.
My Dad worked in logging in the winter and would drive bushroads with a car, hauling a toolbox full of tools in the trunk, try that with your new Mercedes for a few winters and tell me about what quality means to you, remember the speed factor too. Dad did add an extra main leaf to each rear spring to haul the tools. A pickup truck didn't haul a family very well and in those days you couldn't afford more than one vehicle.
Mopars did not squeek and rattle (other than E-bodies rattling), GM's did especially the front end. Mopar balljoints lasted about 80,000 miles with gravel and highway miles if greased, the T-Bar front end was very trouble free.
Mopars were very reliable in street racing as well, Ford's Drivetrains were good but their engines weren't as tough as Mopars, Chevy had a pretty good engine other than rocker arms and timing chains, the rest of their powertrain was second rate. Many a GM musclecar was towed home after an attempted acceleration run. GM Clutches, transmissions, rear ends all were weak compared to Ford and Mopar.

Sheldon