All the guys in my AMPS & IPMS chapters who have built Meng kits speak highly of them. But I have no personal knowledge aside from seeing them built up or in the box. Like you, they are a bit pricey for me. 

Too 4 me too.
         

And if you're looking for any  Merkava kit, and something a little less pricey, you won't go wrong with Tamiya's Mk.I. I prefer that version myself as that is the only one that has gone toe to toe against enemy tanks in combat. While all the other versions have fought since 1982 against various non armor battlefield enemies, they have not squared off against enemy armored formations. That is the acid test of a tank in my mind.

I have only the Meng IIID and did find the upper hull warped and it took patience to straighten during assembly.

Can't say I'm any expert but I've got a few Meng kits and they seem really well molded. I haven't checked to make sure the hulls weren't warped but everything looks great in the box.

Sometimes you can catch them on sale. Squadron had a great sale on Meng kits on Black Friday/Cyber Monday and their after Christmas sale. Guess you don't want to wait till next year though but look around, something is bound to pop up. And local shows almost always have better prices.