every MB in the junkyard represents lost income for me...

I'm not certain about the 400E, but I did once stumble upon a 50's 300 Cabrio D in a PNP. First, I was amazed. I had never seen one, and did not fully appreciate what it was until I went home and Googled the crap out of it. A close inspection revealed that it was intact, with the notable exception of a cracked windshield and missing radiator cap. My amazement turned to anger in short order, as the car was covered in an amazing amount of bird crap and dust, but was very much a complete and apparently unmolested car free of body damage, rust, and rot, right down to the upholstery and cloth top. It obviously had been left it sitting in a barn or shed for what could very well have been decades, and then some complete IDIOT sold it to a pick and pull for less than scrap value! :mad:

With a lot of careful scrubbing and polishing, it would have been a fine example of a survivor. It belonged in a museum, not a salvage yard! I want you all to know that I did my best to get them to sell it to me, but they refused. It sat there for another month and a half before they crushed it. To my knowledge, no one removed any parts from it aside from the radiator cap, and it was never vandalised, so perhaps it died with a little bit of dignity.

Bah! Now I'm all worked up over something that happened years ago! I keep imagining some descendant of the owner that stored it all those years ago turning in to a ricecake eating, bicycle-riding, greenster that opted to send the car to the crusher as soon as the old guy that was saving it died! It sure couldn't have been anyone with any sense or respect for history!

You'd be lucky to see anything above 1985 in the local yard but I found a beat up 560sl with a perfect euro body kit on it. I was planning to give it to my friends dad. I had the front lip off sitting on the hood and was about done with the sides when I heard I giant crack. I get out from under the car and some kids my age grabbed it and split it in half. I was so pissed I kicked the one holding the broken front lip so hard in the stomach he was doubled over on his knees. I was extremely pissed, took the sides skirts and left. It was 2 degrees Fahrenheit that day and I got so mad that I was sweating. Luckily I found another lip at the local mercedes shop's yard but I cant believe people would mess with **** in/on a car that someone was obivously working on.

EDIT: Overreaction? Yes, I am a very calm and chill person all the time but when that happened I completely snapped for a second.

I think the older MB's in the yard are the most extreme case of. "I dont know how to work on it and I cant afford to pay someone who does", and so they end up there. MB mechanics are buy no means cheap, and not all the guys with MB's can or are willing to work on them. Most of the guys here are, but I dont think we represent a huge cross section of MB owners

300TD 84 with no rust ,clean interior ,235k and just tagged .aLL FOR A MEASLE $250 CLAMS for it to meet the pirates of the yard,it gave me a good hood and some panel pieces.I think I weeped a little when I pulled the hood or it could of been a bit of dust in my eye.

I've pulled parts off of similarly nice cars, and always find time to observe a moment of silence for them. I blame allergies for my misty-eyed moments. ;)