You need to come north to Pennsltukey. I agree I would never be in an area w/ a HOA. matter of fact, I got a varience to run a Home Improvement business from my house. They can't complain about debris, material, trailers, skid steers, tractors...

I'm not trashy, but I have my fair share of red neck in me - including a 1969 Chevy C30 pick up turned into a trailer!.

I pulled the heads on my truck in the driveway last fall. Took me so long that the neighbors thought the orange cherry picker was a new hood ornament.

Lets see...Right now I have...
1996 Explorer Limited, 1998 Chrysler Concorde, 1993 Ford F350 Crew Cab dually, 1984 MB 300D, fore mentioned trailer, 6X12 Enclosed Utility trailer, 1996 Shasta 5th wheel trailer, 1970 John Deere Model 70 ...all parked between the road and my kitchen door.

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Joe
Hanover, PA

1984 Mercedes Benz 300D

1993 Ford F350 Dually Crew Cab 7.3l Turbo IDI

That’s an outrage! The Commonwealth should ban together and fight!

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1983 123.133 California
- GreaseCar Veg System

Exactly 0 other people on our street work on their own cars. And its not even a real wealthy neighborhood. They probably all think we are crazy for having 5 cars (and 3 MB's) at our house. But we could care less. Homes are in the average of $110-150k range. Everyone drives a fairly new buick, SUV, or Toyota/Honda. And a few people with newer minivans. A person across the street from us had to have their 2003 Pontiac minivan towed to a shop a couple months ago because of a bad alternator...thus the battery was dead, and they couldn't start it... I was amazed. Pretty entertaining to watch those types of people though. About half the people on my street do their own yardwork.....so at least they do that much. And people walk their dogs...and take their kids for walks....so they spend at least some time outdoors. There's plenty of HOA style neighborhoods around here though. A few of them are very close by. I'd loose my mind living there.

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-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

I would like to say something like "smart people know there limitations; smarter people have none" but that is too much BS even for me. I think it is like out in nature; every little creature finds an area where it can survive and we are the same. DIY types can be happy with the fact that they have a better chance of suriveing if the eco system changes. I feel good, really good when I fix something (and the feelig last as long as that thing is still working); I just don't get that same feeling when I buy something.

Our entire family is of the "Buy it to last, and keep it working, and fix it yourself" mentality. Thank heaven we still live on a farm even though the developments are slowly moving in on us. We'll hold out as long as we can I guess.

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~Michael S.~
Past cars:

1986 300SDL
1987 300SDL
1982 240D
1982 300SD


Current:

1987 300SDL

I love this thread - especially the part about neighbors thinking people that work on car are from the 1950s


But the thing that I am surprised no one has mentioed is that all this is on a MB forum. Yes those cars of conspicuous consumption, not green 'yotas, or even the hippie-loved (and not so green) VWs, but MB! I love that MB owners are among the progressive repair and reuse, don't replace folks!

You guys rock!

This is why I bought my car -- right here (and some notion about being able to find fuel when oil dries up for good).

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Current Mercedes
1979 maple yellow 240D 4-speed

Gone and fondly remembered:
1980 orient red 240D 4-speed

Gone and NOT fondly remembered:
1982 Chna Blue 300TD

Other car in the stable:
2013 VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI / 6-speed MT

I have a pathological hatred of "suburb Nazis". Unfortunately I can see the other side of the story. The trick is to find the kind of place where you have a two or three acre property and everyone is so far away from everyone else that nothing they do ever bothers anybody. And that also has excellent schools, and plenty of employment opportunity. That aint happening in the city... at least not in this one, unless you are a millionaire. My g/f and I are looking for houses right now and the only places we can find that in all honesty look like decent long term abodes are all in HOA's. I really hate that, but it doesn't look like there's much I will be able to do about it.

- Peter.

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2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S

You also have to take into account how much your time is worth;

Say you make $250,000 a year, I'll use a 50 hour 50 week work year. Thats probably low, but whatever. $250,000/2,500=$100 an hour. So you would be better off working and paying someone to fix your car. You have to figure out what your time is worth, and what your free time is worth. If you are like a lot of people and work 60-80 hours 5-6 days a week, on your day off you don't want to be working on an old car. More so when you can spend $400 or so a month to lease something decent like a 325I.

Everyone is different, not everyone wants their car to be a hobby.

Personaly I'd rather play golf, fish, sail, skeet shoot, ski, or hang out with friends and family during my time off, vs busting my knuckles on some old part. Been their done that. Not to mention cars are the worst place in the world to put money. You know what they say, if it floats, fly's, drives or ****s rent it.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Hope your PA town is more tolerant than Reading. Went up there a few years ago to buy some spare DKW parts from a guy in Reading, He told me how the local zoning authorities came down on him like a ton-o-bricks for pouring a 4' x 4' concrete slab at his back door without a permit!
I'm just glad I found out about the latest Fairfax County ordinance before I shelled out $2000+ to have one of those 8' x 20' steel storage containers delivered. I'll just have to stick-build a shed to replace what's left of the old one in my backyard.

Happy Motoring, Mark

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DrDKW

Well, if you ever want some help working on your Benz, I'll be happy to swing by and bring a local microbrew. As I wrenching noob, I won't be a lot of help but at least I can improve your impression of our local folk. I can also show off my "new" 300SD.

I honestly do not mind having a local garage work on my car.........BUT my problem has been that I have not found anyone that does as good if not better job than me for the stuff that I do. I am always afraid that something will get messed up as has been the case. So, until then, I will continue to work on my vehicles as time and knowledge permits. Fortunately, I still really enjoy the work.

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the sooner you start... the sooner you'll get done If it ain't broke, don't fix it.. Its always simpler to tell the truth...
2007 Honda Accord EX
2007 Honda Accord SE V6
96 C220
97 Explorer - Found Another Home
2000 Honda Accord V6 - Found Another Home
85 300D - Found Another Home
84 300D - Found Another Home
80 300TD - Found Another Home
Previous cars:
96 Caravan
87 Camry
84 Cressida
82 Vanagon
80 Fiesta
78 Nova
Ford Cortina
Opel Kadet
68 Kombi
Contessa

Exactly. I am the same way. The dealer around here is o.k., but has broken stuff in the past, and then they charge you some more to fix what they broke. When I break something, its my fault, and the time...doesn't cost more.

Oh, and I surely will never be a person that works 60-80 hours a week...I'd rather be in a lower pay bracket. Those people work work work, are burned to a crisp by the time they retire(or die of stress/heart attack before that point), and have nothing but a pile of money (depending how they spend it, many don't even have that) to show for it. I'll take the lower-stress/lower-pay lifestyle. Its 100% possible to live perfectly comfortable and perfectly happy in the sub 100k (even sub 70k) pay bracket.

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-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

The best way I found to deal with annoying neighbors in a development with an HOA is to become president of that very same HOA. You'd be surprise how many people love to complain, but how few actually are willing to get off their keister and do something about it.

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1984 300TD

I prefer to ignore them completely. They have very little legal authority, all they can really do is file a civil suit and they are very unlikely to do that over normal day-to-day BS.

It is possible to be happy in the sub 30k pay bracket. I know. Buying stuff doesn't make you happy. It entertains you for a brief time before you get a hankering to buy something else newer or better.

My neighbors are totally different from me - one never wears a shirt and rides a harley, one pees on the side of his garage in broad daylight and blasts AC/DC in his driveway, and the other seems to collect ATVs and snowmobiles, but none of them look at me funny when I am all greasy rolling around under my SD in the driveway. I don't know what they say about me, but they're cool with me.

Personally, I rent a house and buy most things second hand, but at the moment, I have no real debt. What HAS put a dent in my happiness is starting to work full time, but I am trying to learn to manage myself internally so that I can be happy even when I am not doing things that are "fun."

I guess it shouldn't be a surprise on a forum about fixing old MBs, but it is cool to see so many people who value having a skill and investing in things that last. I grew up that way so I guess it is just how it has always been for me. My parents recently finally replaced their washer and dryer which had been in the house since before I was born (I'm 27). They still have their goldenrod refrigerator which also has been there my whole life.

Learning to do things for yourself is worth the time spent and money saved, because there very well may come a day when you don't have the money to pay someone else to do it, and no money will be able to teach you how to do it then, even if you do have it.

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