Mine are:
1. Its not a hobby. Its almost a religion ( I hope I don't offend anyone). Its spiritual and I dream and daydream the stuff.
2. I enjoy it a lot.(Most of the time)
3. It saves money. No matter what a new car's average price is 27K now.
4. I am challenged by it.
5. It keeps my mind young and it keeps me young.
6. The business aspect is neat. I get to buy tools, too. Its fun shopping around for used parts and tools.
7. Its in keeping with my Zen of life. I'm frugal, like to understand what makes things work (people, now thats a whole 'nother ball game, bro!) and like to restore and fix things.
8. I take pride in it
9. I love the sound and smell of a diesel.

other thoughts:
a. I am glad I don't have to do it for a living ( No disrespect to those who do.) Thats because, one, I am not good enough and two, I dont think I could handle the customer relations end which is actually very tough and requires good business and people skills.
b. I always wonder, why not Real estate or stocks, something I coulda made a pile on. I dunno, money is everything and yet it isnt.

Those are all my sentiments as well.

In addition, I like to be in control of my own destiny. I don't want to rely on (forgive the expression) the "morons" to service my car. This goes for any other so called-professional that people normally have to deal with to provide what passes for service. (My apologies to those of you who are fairly priced, honest professionals- WHERE ARE YOU??)

Case in point. It took 2 different sod companies 2 weeks to deliver sod to us. Then when there finally got it to us it was the wrong kind and they had to bring it back. A week later came a call- do you still want sod? Answer- no thanks, we seeded the lawn OURSELVES.

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80 300SD (129k mi) 82 240D stick (193k mi)77 240D auto - stick to be (153k mi) 85 380SL (145k mi) 89 BMW 535i 82 Diesel Rabbit Pickup (374k mi) 91 Jetta IDI Diesel (155k mi) 81 VW Rabbit Convertible Diesel 70 Triumph Spitfire Mk III (63kmi)66 Triumph TR4a IRS (90k mi)67 Ford F-100 (??)

Your reasons are pretty much the same as mine. From probably both sides of my family I have this intense stubborness/tenacity/self-reliance mindset. It goes beyond cars. I built my own house, doing maybe 90% alone. When I tried to contract out the stair work (2 level winders) I had 2 well known stair co's tell me it couldn't be done to code Then I knew I had to do it.

It's just who I am.

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'82 300SD - 361K mi - "Blue"

"Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement."

listen, look, .........and duck.

Just booking an appointment is a pain in the A---. Once I had to get a hole in my tire patched, and I figured I could get it done quickly at Lunch---I went to Sears--comeback tomorrow; Sunoco---comeback tomorrow; Walmart--take a seat ( take the rest of the afternoon off....) That was a tire--how about brakes or an engine?
Also the parts are expensive when you buy them through the Dealer. I priced Mieneke once for an exhaust and once over the 'Net--luckily most of it was Bolt On---though I am getting a welder-- and it was like 650, but over the Net the parts were like 210
I'm not going to go Indy or Dealer "bashing" --I would hate to be in their shoes dealing with uneducated customers and tough managers and 410 configurations of cars ( I have an engineering degree and I can handle only 3) and 90 degree heat and 90 degree humidity and a bad back to boot.

Finally i wish I weren't a nice guy, but its in my DNA. In my next life I wish I were the World's Biggest Pr---k

Well I am a better mechanic than many of the mechanics out there, I don't mind maintaining my own cars at this time in my life.
I also think the average price of new cars is bizarre. Adn the depreciation unbearible.

And the fact I don't have money coming out of my ears. I enjoy having a nice car for only a little money. And I can be smug knowing I have less money in both my benzes than the average Dodge Neon Owner has in his car.

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Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
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Section 609 MVAC Certified
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"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

1. I spent a portion of my youth on a farm tractor and love the smell of diesel.
2. I have a diesel.
3. I need to keep it running.

Best Regards,
Jim

I plead insanity

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Peter
1984 300D MB "Klara"
1996 4Runner SR5 "Toy"
1997 Impreza Outback "Subie"
80's Diesel PU Rig (to be purchased)

better to have a hobby than a mistress

I do it because I have a problem with authority.
God keep trying to kill my car and I spit in his face by fixing it.

Bring it on!

I am too mean to part with lots of cash for newer cars that depreciate like stones or other makes of older ones that break down. Its just darn good economics.

With my MB she just keeps on running and I just replace the odd part now and then to keep her happy. The only occassion she failed to move me from A to B was when the battery wore out. Mind you the HVAC now thats another story!

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Keith

1995 E300D auto Wagon

Been crazy about cars since I was a kid. Even worked as a mechanic for years. Working on cars ceased to be fun for me a long time ago but it's the only way I can afford to drive a Mercedes. By buying an old Mercedes cheap that needs work, and fixing it up, i can afford a car I could not otherwise afford.

The reason for going back to Mercedes after all these years is that I believe we are only beginning a long period of energy shortages and high gas prices. By running a diesel I have alternatives such as cheap household oil burner fuel, or biodiesel if things get real grim. In other words I wanted a diesel so I could sleep nights. I didn't want a VW though I have owned many of them and like them. But I'm a big guy and wanted something more comfortable and roomy. My body just doesn't fold and unfold the way it used to when I was 18. So that left Mercedes. Ideally a 126 body for the comfort and an old school 5 cylinder for long life and easier repairs. By good luck, I found one after beating the bushes for 3 weeks.

By the way I have a prejudice against borrowing money for things that decline in value.Owing money on real estate doesn't bother me but I have never made a car payment in my life.Every car I ever owned was paid for cash on the nail. If all i could afford was a $50 car that's what I drove. But my $50 car may be a lot different from the average person's $50 car.

and drove to Vegas and back last weekend. boy, i liked that car. great seats, ride, fuel economy, and style. i thought, why don't i just buy one and park the junkers. then i thought about making $400 + payments again. no way, i say. so, when i got back i got in the 300 and cruised home and forgot about it. today i replaced heater hoses on the truck and found out which injector was not firing. if someone paid me $400 a month of maintain my cars, i'd be plenty of money ahead.
so, when i'm cursing a skinned knuckle, i just think of "car payments" and go back to work wrenching. makes my day to put the money toward something else like beer, dinner with the lady friend, or lottery tickets. then spend the rest foolishly.
have a wonderful day ya'll,
roberto

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Current money-pits:
96 Passat TDI
78 300D 100k miles(60miles/day)FOR SALE
91 Jetta Diesel 250k miles (80miles/day)
82 Toyota Diesel pickup 150k miles; out of service for a little while with a valve problem.
All on BelenBioDiesel
Past diesels:
01 Golf TDI
81 Isuzu P/U
85 Jetta
89 KW 425 cat
85 Pete 400 cat (currently still running the west coast with over 1.5 million miles)
81 KW 400 Cummins
77 Freightliner CO ???? Cummins (Buttercup)
57 180D lots of miles(gone but not forgotten)

I just wanted to get a diesel car, so I can burn biodiesel in it, or some other veg-based fuel. In US, the choices (for a passenger car) are VW and MB, so at least the choice is easy. I also wanted a car old enough so that it has no electronics. I deal with computers every day all day at work, and I need something different to mess around with after work. '81 SD is a tad too new, there's some electronical stuff in there, but it's pretty close. Having this car doesn't save me money (already got a nice '00 Accord), it's the exact opposite, but it's fun to work on it, nonetheless.

It's a challenge for me.. I love figuring out how stuff works and how to fix it.. I get a great sense of accomplishment after fixing something on a car.

I find it funny how people often think as blue-collar mechanics as dummies.. I find it far more challenging to the mind than alot of white-collar jobs.

They run the gamut. Some of them will fail to agree on a specific point when the facts clearly show that they are wrong. They continue on their own path and screw up the situation even worse. This is the classic "dummy". He knows what he knows but cannot deviate the slightest bit from what he knows.

Then there are those that can think for themselves and can put a complicated set of data together and get to the correct conclusion. They are very few and far between.

Hence the conclusion of "dummies".