This week I found one of those command strip hooks in the bottom of one of my front springs - who knows how long it was in there.

What's the weirdest thing you've found in your old Merc?

The wrapper from an 80s Butterfinger (no barcode or standardized nutrition facts even), under the rear seat. Maybe not super weird, but very cool and well-preserved. I laminated it and use it as a bookmark.

Not weird, but I found the original owner's wife's nametag under the seat. I believe she worked for Neiman Marcus.

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'81 MB 300SD, '82 MB 300D Turbo (sold/RIP), '04 Lincoln Town Car Ultimate

Sooner or later every car falls apart, ours does it later!
-German Narrator in a MB Promotion Film about the then brand new W123.

I found two of the original owner's name tags as well.
The guy worked in “circuit technology” R&D for HP, I guess throughout the 80s/90s.

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1981 240D 4sp manual. Ivory White.

This is actually funny. I worked at HP R&D and the old guys there used to talk about an engineer with a beige 240d just like mine. He had retired before I started. Apparently he really babied the car and it was kind of a joke among the engineers. The guy was an analog circuit designer. The lab was in Palo Alto in the building where Tesla resides today.

I cannot recall the guys name but I think he was Chinese. Maybe. The lab was a pretty small place. 500 employees.

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79 300TD “Old Smokey” AKA “The Mistake” (SOLD)
82 240D stick shift 335k miles (SOLD)
82 300SD 300k miles
85 300D Turbodiesel 170k miles
97 C280 147k miles

I would be so excited if it was the same guy....

This has to be the same car... Not Chinese, however. Jim Eaton.
I've looked him up, but sadly, don't think he's still around.

Aside from the weird issues I've probably created myself, this car has clearly been babied.

I mounted one of the name tags in the trunk as a sort of homage.

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1981 240D 4sp manual. Ivory White.

It’s possible. My memory is failing me because all this stuff happened twenty years ago. I just contacted my friend who mentioned the engineer with the 240D and asked about it.

I looked up Jim Eaton online. He’s a real old timer from the Bill and Dave days. I signed on in the dot com and undoubtedly worked with people who knew him but he was retired by then. We certainly worked in the same department and my mentors must have worked for or with him.

During the 1990s there was a guy named Gary Gordon who drove a pristine metallic green 300D. He was famous for inventing the first optical mouse sensor. I almost bought his car after it went through one of the attorneys in Agilent Legal. But there weren’t too many people up there with these cars. They were expensive for an engineer’s budget.

I forgot to mention the craziest thing I found in my car. In my blue 1985 300d I found $35 in loose change scattered mostly under the front seats. Apparently the PO had a habit of losing change and not retrieving it. It was like a treasure pile under there. My kids scooped up cup after cup of pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters and a few Susan B. Dollars when I pulled the seats. They really had a blast.

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79 300TD “Old Smokey” AKA “The Mistake” (SOLD)
82 240D stick shift 335k miles (SOLD)
82 300SD 300k miles
85 300D Turbodiesel 170k miles
97 C280 147k miles

Ok I amend it to “weird or cool”. Both of those are really cool. When I removed the drivers seat I found about 2 dozen hair ties..

Found the POs 10mm socket that was nestled in a crevice for years.

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Greg Schwall

1983 300SD - 465,000 miles

Ah, the classic 10mm socket curse. I have lost about 3

Oh boy, where do I start? I’m nearing the end of a 35+ year career working on MB vehicles exclusively. Some of the things I’ve found, in/on/under, vehicles I’ve worked on (not my personal cars) are very interesting.

Of course there’s the usual stuff. Money, keys, jewelry, credit cards, etc.......

Then there’s the not-so-usual stuff. I should note that some of the following items were apparently hidden intentionally and were found during repair work that required extensive dis-assembly of the vehicle (engine bay, complete interior, cargo area) Various illegal drugs, needles, naughty polaroids, various weapons (one handgun), and large amounts of cash!

Back in the late 80’s I found what was most likely a tracking device beneath a 560 SEL. The vehicle owner made the front page news a few months later. I guess that’s part of working in Northern NJ?

Everything was put back where it was found except for the money, keys, jewelry, and credit cards. These were given to the owner when they picked up their cars. I’m quite sure some people were pleasantly surprised with my discovery. I’m also fairly certain that others weren’t so thrilled, like the lady who told our receptionist that she’s never lost an earring in her life. Oops! Guess the man of the house has some explaining to do......

Indeed, over the decades I have found lots of things but nothing special like others here .

I loaned my G.F.'s convertible once to my close friend, he of course loaned it to his idiot brother who was cheating on his wife, my G.F. found some women's panties in it the very next day....

@$$holes .

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-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

I'm curious, where would people stash things in the engine bay? Simply curious..

Never have found anything too wierd. I have found some good stuff. I bought a 51 caddy convertible which had a set of stainless wire wheel covers that I cleaned up a bit and sold for over $300 though.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.