My first car - a 63 beetle. Holes in the floor, 40 horse engine usually running on 3 cylinders, no heat (too many leaks in the heat exchangers), no defrost etc. I scrapped it an bought a 66 beetle that at least was solid. It had other problems - once the generator caught fire - fortunately the bearings were still OK, so I disconnected its electricals and drove on home. Later the starter died, so I drove it for 3 months and only parked on hills.

I suppose my dad did drive his in a semi-disabled way. His starter solenoid was starting to stick real bad (as did the bendix) and so he drove around with a metal pole and hammer in the trunk so he could beat on the starter if it wouldn't fire. :D :D After about 3-4 months of that he finally got fed up with it and replaced it. :D

Driving around in my van with no engine cover was fun for a week. Driving a VW bettle back in the late 60s and going through a deep puddle and finding out that when the heater system scoops up water it shoots steam into the car and you can't see anything at all and this happens instantly. I worked with a guy that drove across the US with no motor mounts and his engine tied in with rope. And a lot of other stuff I can't think of now. Oh yea, driving my old truck at around 60 MPH on the highway and suddenly having the dash catch fire was lots of fun.

:eek: THAT'S the one I'm just waiting for in the Mercedes. All these various electrical gremlins that pop up where you least expect them.... strip fuses in plastic holders that melt/burn the holders rather than burning in two.... I'd really like to avoid it but every time I have climate control problems I wonder if the dash is going to start smoking.

Dec 05 a month after purchasing my 97 e300d, I was at a christmas party and as I was pulling in I heard a wheel bearing start to screech, later that night I drove home 60 miles. Next morning I backed out the garage and the wheel just about fell off, the outer bearing was completely gone, when I pulled the wheel off, the inner race had welded itself to the spindle. Drove alot summer 06 without properly functioning AC and aux fans that werent working. Last week, drove home from Philly with no tailpipe, and was praying that the exhaust wouldnt melt a hole in the bumper.

Oh geez....

I used to have to do that with my first Mercedes.

Back in 1973, I bought a 190SL. Starter was sticking, so I kept a broom handle in the back of the passenger compartment.

For the 1 out of 10 times the starter would stick, I'd drop the top, open the front hinged hood, grab the broom handle, stand up and lean over the windshield and bang on the starter whilst I held the starter button in.

Great fun on dates......

Jim

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTN__QQZf3U&feature=related

Here you go, this one is pretty beat!:D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqM5T9S3g0Q&feature=related
Hung up on a rock, classic!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6ItrcvU7kI&feature=related

The red fender is really awsome!:D

I'll go with my first Beetle, driving my older sister to college, LR wheel & brake drum came off at 60mph, chased it across the freeway and put it back on the axle spindle (castle nut still in the hubcap) and locked it on with a hairpin in her luggage, ... on the way home (~200miles) the throttle cable broke, I wedged it on the high-idle cam for the rest of the trip home and just shut it down to stop. Later that year the same car lost the clutch cable (a pattern forming here) and I drove it for two days without, just started in 2nd gear and went from there.

The car cost me $150, drove it all winter and sold it in the spring for $1000, loved those little creatures.

Nope you are incorrect, brakes are front/rear with all w123 and w126 mercedes. If you dont believe, just follow your brake lines.

Thanks, that's what I thought.

Driving on the Apache trail north east of Phoenix and my brake booster went out, then the brakes overheated. One lane dirt road with no where to pull over (except over half mile high cliffs). A lot of engine braking and foot dragging going on, even had to scratch the paint a few times to slow down, definitely was not my best day.

Didn't the car fall on the ground/get damaged when the wheel came off?? :eek: :dizzy2:

I learned driving through PA how careful you need to be with huuuuge hills and such....you can destroy the brakes in no time. I just kept it in S or L the whole time and engine braked down the hills....still needed the brakes sometimes though! Insane when the hills are steep enough to drag the engine/car when its in 2nd/3rd gear. Wshew. Some of the hills I could barely break 35-40mph going up, even with it floored in 2nd/3rd gear. :dizzy2:

in my younger days I regularly drove my 67 beetle around with no brakes... smart I know... the ebrake worked, and with engine braking I could get the car safely to work and back... terrifies me to think about it now...
I also drove my 72 cellica around with no hood, and a massive oil leak and no gas gauge, and a rusted out gas tank and bald tires... I regularly stopped into a gas station to fill the oil and dip the gas tank to see how much was still in there... man I miss that car.... real fun sporty car.
the worst had to be driving the 78 pinto though... the old 4cyl motor had a press in fuel line that routinely popped out of the carb while going down the road... I'd pull over when it died and push it back in and continoue down the road... until the volume of fuel sprayed all over the motor finally ignited and sent the car to a fiery grave... the fire department came to my rescue or so I thought... they just let the car burn (it was just a pinto after all) and they contained the fire from taking down too much of the forest I was parked next to on the side of the road... that black column of smoke sure was tall...

Oddly enough, no.

I had just shifted into 4th gear, full throttle, loud exhaust (had replaced the glass-filled tips with "megaphones"), all of a sudden the engine revved. I reached down and shifted out/in gear thinking it had popped out, just about that time I saw the wheel rolling past my window and launch as it hit the berm. The car barely dropped when the suspension went down on the brake backing plate.