I hate when people find out I drive A ''MERCEDES" - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

jeremy · #16 12-12-2003, 12:01 PM

check out this photo it blows me away every time I see it. No BLING BLING here just A mercedes doing its job try doing that in A different brand, it wouldnt make it to the first watering hole. go to the photo that says NO AFRICAN CAR POOL you cant miss it www.umog.com/photos.htm or just umog.com sorry not a computer master.

dieselmania · #17 12-12-2003, 12:26 PM

When people say I must be rich I say not rich just smart heh heh. Seriously if you don't want to be treated like a snob just saunter up to the Mercedes parts counter. I went there today and when I said "87 300D" the guy says 87???!!! and looked down his nose at me like I was poverty stricken. Plus I needed real parts not seat covers and a golf hat! They build the cars to last forever then when you go for parts they act like it's a relic.
I'd appreciate if any of you who do your own work could scroll down to my post "Exhaust leak" and give me your advice.
Thanks, Brian

Scott98 · #18 12-12-2003, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dieselmania
When people say I must be rich I say not rich just smart

I like that. The best part about it is that it's true!

Scott

rickg · #19 12-12-2003, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dieselmania
Seriously if you don't want to be treated like a snob just saunter up to the Mercedes parts counter. I went there today and when I said "87 300D" the guy says 87???!!! and looked down his nose at me like I was poverty stricken.

The rare occasion I go to the dealer to get parts for my "old" SD, I have always gotten a good response. I guess it depends on the parts guy. These guys here seem to respect the older cars. Not sure how the service dept would be tho', not that I'd ever use a dealer for servicing my old tank

Scott98 · #20 12-12-2003, 01:04 PM

I've always gotten a good response from the parts counter people also. I've found the sales people to be total snobs though.

Scott

#21 12-12-2003, 01:19 PM

Yeah, I get either the admiring "holy cow", its so nice, I can't believe its 20 years old sort of stuff, usually from fellow car lovers, to the complete opposite "hater" responses. These would include "Yeah, but does it really go 120?", or something along those lines. The bottom line is that an MB is an MB, it doesn't matter what year its from. They hold their age well and if well maintained always look good-you can park it next to anything. The weird thing is, I don't think you'd get this kind of response in an old Jag or maybe even a BMW. The old MBs have a real poise and a quiet, understated dignity about them.

People don't assume I'm rich, though. I think they usually assume I inherited it from someone who was rich in the eighties!

Anyway, on a similar note if I may vent a bit. I'm 30, in law school, and I own a house. I don't find this unusual at my age, although being a full time student its hard to maintain a house, work, two cars, etc. I'm not whining. But, I just bought my neighbors house for less thank market-they needed to avoid foreclosure. I will use it as a rental. Now, people in school, even those my age think I must be daddy warbucks. But, as many of you know, getting financing and buying a house is not rocket science. You know, the thing about law school that amazes me is that law students don't think creatively about how they can use what they learn to build wealth (i.e. tax, property, contracts, etc.). When someone does they act like there's some secret to going about doing it!

JenTay · #22 12-12-2003, 01:20 PM

a coworker once asked me if i had a 'sugardaddy'!!!!

my car is as old as her. get back in your new prelude, go home, and write that monthly check to honda financing. oh, the rate was what? 8%? oh, you got a great deal!

i almost clawed her eyes out.

my $0.03 (you know, inflation)

rickg · #23 12-12-2003, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Orkrist
Anyway, on a similar note if I may vent a bit. I'm 30, in law school, and I own a house. I don't find this unusual at my age, although being a full time student its hard to maintain a house, work, two cars, etc. I'm not whining. But, I just bought my neighbors house for less thank market-they needed to avoid foreclosure. I will use it as a rental. Now, people in school, even those my age think I must be daddy warbucks. But, as many of you know, getting financing and buying a house is not rocket science. You know, the thing about law school that amazes me is that law students don't think creatively about how they can use what they learn to build wealth (i.e. tax, property, contracts, etc.). When someone does they act like there's some secret to going about doing it!

Let me get this straight. You're going to school, have a house, and have just bought another house? Yes, you must know some secrets the rest of us haven't heard about! Or you don't mind having your debt to income ratio way upside down.

Scott98 · #24 12-12-2003, 01:47 PM

Orkrist:

I got my '85 in my second year of law school. I got a great deal on it and it actually cost less than the 13 year old VW I was driving at the time. No one knew that and they all thought I had a lot of money!!! I was actually really broke and almost didn't buy it at the time because it got poorer fuel economy than my VW and I didn't know if I could afford the extra fuel costs. I bought it anyway and haven't looked back since!

I guess some people just don't understand.

Scott

#25 12-12-2003, 02:23 PM

rickg; Yes, debt is a factor. It takes some time to get real estate to pay off. I could turn around and sell this house and make a profit, but I'm going to wait a while. Why not let renters help me build equity? I bought the house I live in with an FHA loan, it was my first. I've learned a lot by renting! I've been in it for 2.5 yrs, and actually have impacted the principle while it has appreciated at an above market average.

Its no secret to do it. I'd been watching the house for some time waiting for it to go on sale. It just so happenned the owners were in trouble, and can sell it for less than market value in a hurry or have it taken for them and get nothing. You need a larger down payment for a rental/2nd house. But what you do is get two loans instead of one, or three loans, like an 80-10-10 deal. Then, you can also get out of paying mortgage insurance because technically you have 20% as a down payment. You have 3 bills to pay instead of one, I suppose you have more creditor exposure but as long as its occupied/rented you have positive cash flow and can slowly build equity in it. Also, I'm not talking about a 250K house here, these are Kansas City bungalows with one car garages and decent sized yards.

Scott98; When I bought my MB I was nearly broke, too. It was pretty much all the money I had left from school and my bartending job dried up a bit after the invasion of Iraq/Afghanistan deal. I was a little nervous when I bought it but knew it was a great opportunity-again another instance of rescuing an owner from their own albatross! So far so good-the best car decision I've ever made. I actually used both sides of my brain!

coachgeo · #26 12-12-2003, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Scott98
I've always gotten a good response from the parts counter people also. I've found the sales people to be total snobs though.

Scott

HEY..... Thats my Unlce Mike your talking about..... oh wait.... he is a snob. Actually you just reminded me that he was a MB salesman.

#27 12-12-2003, 08:40 PM

Having just recently acquired my SD I got a bunch of remarks just like the rest of you like "Gee, some people must have gotten a raise." or "I wish I was as rich as you." Every time I get that I just explain to them that getting a Mercedes was a simple matter of economics. I couldn't get into a 10 yr old Honda or Toyota for the same money, it had to be the family car (large enough and comfortable enough for the whole family to take a trip out of town with) and get decent fuel economy at the same time. Where I work, the lot is filled with new or newer 4WD pickups that the guys are making payments of $300, $400, $500, $600 a month! I figure that kind of money should be buying a house, not a car!! Around here, most of the imports, even the 20 yr old ones are overpriced and are usually just thrashed. Well over 200k and nothing left. My car isn't perfect (yet) but it's comfortable, fun to drive, gets good mpg and has that certain panache of being an MBZ. We are still working on getting my daughter her first car which will probably be a 300D or SD. She doesn't care about it being a diesel, as long as it has a good stereo and then she and her friends can go "shopping" (to do that around here requires a minimum of a 1 1/2 hr road trip) or just the regular around home driving and save $$ on the fuel. I also like the fact that while I'm out on the freeway every day with the trucks, I have some REAL sheet metal around me in case of an accident. Same goes for the daughter being safe. These cars are getting more and more popular because of these kinds of reasons.

#28 12-12-2003, 09:02 PM

Whenever people ask what kind of car I drive and I respond "a Mercedes," they're like, "a Mercedes?!" Then I say, "yeah but it's a '85," and they say, "yeah but still..." Guess I've got something good:p. Ah heck, I know I've got somethin' good, lol.

Quote:

Originally posted by rickg
Not sure how the service dept would be tho', not that I'd ever use a dealer for servicing my old tank

When my brother's 190D had a unfortunate accident with a careless pizza delivery girl (her fault of course), we had it towed to our local Mercedes Dealer. Someone from service or something came out and said that there was nothing that they could do for it cause it was so old, plus they couldn't do bodywork (that I could understand, but not the age thing, for the most part). So we figured enough was enough, so we just decided to pay and have it towed to our Independant mechanic up in Georgia, 200 miles away.

After dealing with all that, we found out that the girl who was delivering pizza, wasn't driving her own car, but that of her friend's. But that wasn't all..she also had 2 or 3 other accidents months before..she shoulda had her license taken away..and 'til this day I still see her delivering pizza.eek: Be careful...

PS-I'd never use a dealer for anything either! :p

psfred · #29 12-12-2003, 09:04 PM

I've seen a whole bunch of W126 and W124 MBs in "not so nice" neighborhoods in the last couple years. Unless totaly trashed or wrecked, they just keep on running, and they aren't that bad to repair. Quite a deal for the typical price these days ($4500 or so) for one with decent (less than 200,000 miles) in fair condtion, so the get snapped up.

One you drive one for a while, you won't willingly drive anything else, excpet maybe a Volvo 740/760/940/960.

Peter

Tirebiter · #30 12-12-2003, 10:50 PM

Snobs???? Go to a Porsche Club or BMW Club meeting sometime. You will get a better definition of the word. I have worked Porsches for 35 years and I love em but driving my 84 300D has these advantages over my Porsches:
No one will screw a gun into my nose and say " Gimme yo cah muthaf**ka".
ONE rear wheel does not cost $3,500 and one rear tire $300.
There are so many Mercedes in Southern California that they are almost invisible to the ticket givers. Porsches attract cops, period.
My old girl has only 200,000 on her and I just went through the engine and had my MFI pump rebuilt. New shocks and I rebuilt my front end. It rides very well. My Porsches all have race car suspension and are so stiff that a CD player won't work unless you are parked.
OK, it weighs 3,500 pounds and has the aerodynamics of a Wal-Mart store but it gets 24 MPG and everything works.
It has a sun roof but I wish it was a pervertable. That's one where the top stays up and the passenger goes down