Serendipity - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

NoSparkNeeded · #1 09-03-2008, 09:52 PM

I was running errands at work yesterday. It was close to noon so I parked
in a local fast food place. I had parked way out in the lot. As I walked out my little TD, I noticed another pretty nice TD, then looked about and saw another newer Mercedes diesel wagon. I passed a couple people talking and they said "hey, is that your TD out there?" I thought "oh,gawd, someone backed into my car dammit!". Heh,
they just liked it!. Turns out a few folks were talking about their TDs, and I got a chance to swap stories, and infatuation craziness with TD freaks.
Topics:
How many.. "do you want to sell this car..here is my number" have you had.
Have you seen... the white one that's really beat..that one that is dark blue and perfect.... the gray one...etc.
We talked of mileage, reliable mechanics, reliabilty of the car, all that stuff.
I had the lowest mileage

. But after being a forum member here, I was not delighted with my 106K car, but a bit ashamed. It's so funny that normally I'd strut my stuff over my low mileage vehicle, but after hanging
here in the forum..... I WANTED to say yeppers, I GOT my 300,00 mile badge, just look

.
The lady had a 155,000 mile badge and she didn't know what it was! She had 227,000 miles. I explained the MB high mileage thing.
We talked of value, and I told them "the scene" for TDs was growing as to value as a collectible. The other guy seemed amazed that I got my car
locally and that it was a FED. He seemed jealous

after taking a good look. While we talked ANOTHER TD rolled up,lol. We all talked for a time, exchanged info..etc. It looks like these cars are developing some sort
of "cult following"

. Funny thing is that I'm a biker(BMW NOT Harley!) and
most bikers nod or wave. NOT so with TDs. Of course when you OWN a type of car then you see everyone that goes by. I wave at other TDs, but never got a response, so here I am in a parking lot with a few TD freaks. Go figger.
Due to THIS Forum, I was able to seem THE expert answering their questions, yowza

!!!!, but told them I got ALL info from this forum. Cripes I sure as hell
could not take credit, for ALL I know has come from you guys

.I let them
know about fastlane and parts , vacuum problems etc. All were not OK with local mechanics, parts availability and such. They said "are you a mechanic, since you do all your own work, woudl you work on OUR cars?" "Negative, I'm a computer guy that gets dirty on occasion" I could have picked up a few"clients", but I told them I was just
too new to take on work that I had just barely a concept of myself.
Their previous mechanics, save the guy that had a modern 320 wagon as well, all had stopped working on cars that were "too old"!? Anyway, what
a nice convergance of local wagon owners on a sunny morning,eh?

Monomer · #2 09-03-2008, 10:14 PM

When I drove my rabbit, I always ran into people.

always older, always talked about millage, local scrap yards, parts.

pawoSD · #3 09-03-2008, 10:21 PM

I've been offered 4 times by people to buy my car. One was really creepy, the guy followed me home and pulled up in my driveway.

Says "Are you interested in selling your car?" I said "nope"...he writes his number on a card and gives it to me, and says "if you change your mind just give me a call" I tossed the card.

Another time I came back to my car in a store parking lot and it had a scrap of paper under the wiper....I thought "uhhh" It was a piece of another car's owners manual ripped out with "I want to buy this car, please call #######" LOL.

I kept it but I don't remember where I put it....

My dad has had it happen a number of times too. The guys at the tire place always are amazed at the miles, now they get to see it with 300,000+

Chad300tdt · #4 09-03-2008, 10:22 PM

The only experience I've had that was close to that was when I met the owner of the 300CD I'm trying to get in my garage.

I've noticed that no other w123 owners wave back to me either.

I've seen a few around here. Forget the newer MB owners ... I've seen what appeared to be almost angry looks from a few of them.

johnathan1 · #5 09-03-2008, 11:07 PM

Every other car around here is a Mercedes, so I don't get any attention from other benz drivers and I usually don't pay any attention to other benzes, unless they are exceptionally clean or something.

The Supra guys tho are definitely very friendly tho, another story entirely.

PatricdeBoer · #6 09-04-2008, 01:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monomer

When I drove my rabbit, I always ran into people.

always older.

Ya know if you leave off that last part, its a whole new meaning!

The other day I was on the way to the beach with my surfboard on top and guy in an identical 300SD, also with a surfboard on top pulled next me and gave the customary smile and nod.

SwampYankee · #7 09-04-2008, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoSparkNeeded

Funny thing is that I'm a biker(BMW NOT Harley!) and
most bikers nod or wave. NOT so with TDs. Of course when you OWN a type of car then you see everyone that goes by. I wave at other TDs, but never got a response, so here I am in a parking lot with a few TD freaks.

That is pretty cool!

As a Wrangler owner I'm well versed in "the wave" but have run into much the same situation with owners of older Benzes. I still wave though, even if half-heartedly, awaiting my first wave back.

I have started seeing more pre-'85 TD/E's around within the past year or so.

One guy in a very nice 300D that I see often and always wave to, without a response, came into work a few months ago to pick up some hay mix and we got to talking for a good half-hour about our cars. They aren't exactly scarce around here but low enough in numbers that they really stand out in traffic or in parking lots so I always pick them out or the crowd.

NY300SD · #8 09-04-2008, 10:16 AM

I waved to a guy just the other day and got a nice wave back. I was driving home from vacation in Maine and stopped for a break around Augusta (?) when I saw a beautiful W116 leaving the parking lot. I wonder if he is on here...

JimmyL · #9 09-04-2008, 11:16 AM

Great story!
I always try to exchange the "knowing nod" and wave with other old MB drivers, but most of the time it goes unreturned. Heck, I had to almost drive Sunny off the road to get her to wave, and she's as big an MB nut as any of us.

I guess sometimes folks could just be distracted, but I can notice the mantis-like eyes of a W123 from way off. Same with W126, w116 and even W201's. Anything much newer and those folks usually don't care.
Saw an almost perfect beige-ish brown Fintail in north east Dallas last week, but couldn't get across traffic to catch up to it in time. I was even going to go in the opposite direction that I was traveling.

The most spotted car are W201's, usually gassers and almost always ragged out....

LUVMBDiesels · #10 09-04-2008, 11:58 AM

I wave to and get waves back from a lot of pre 1990's Mercedes in NOVA and in WV. I think it is because we are all shopforum freaks around here.

The biggest waves I got were in the '57 Nomad followed by the '63 Corvair. I actually saw somebody in a new at the time mustang run off the road staring at the 'Vair

If I pass a car (any make) that is from the 1960's or older it gets a
beep-beep from the horn and a 'thumbs up' out the window