I was curious what you guys (women too) were driving before you fell in love with your Benz? Was also wondering what your favorite brand of automobile you like second behind Mercedes. Do you prefer Chevy's over Fords?

Before I had my Benz's had three GM products and loved them all, two old GM convertibles (1 Olds & 1 Pontiac- 455's engines) and one mid 80s Camaro.

I could not kill the engine on that Camaro if I tried.!!

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'89 420 SEL
'90 300 SEL
'84 300 SD (sold it)

Before my Benz I drove a Cadillac Deville for four years ad I thought it was the sweetest car ever built, then I bought my Benz and you couldn't pay me to drive a Caddy now. As for the GM-Ford debate, GM is certainly the lesser of two evils. Ford simply makes some of the worst and ugliest cars in the world. If I had to choose an american car as a favourite behind Benz it would be Chrysler. I think they have made the most imporvements to their lines, interms of engineering and style. I'm not much for japanesse cars.



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Jason Priest
1986 420SEL

In addition to my MBZ we have a Ford Exploder. I could take pages and pages here to rant and rave about how big a POS this car is but suffice to say I'll never ever *ever* own another Ford/Lincoln/Mercury. Absolutely the worst ownership experience of any hardgood I've ever purchased (not to mention that I had to replace all five tires last year - think pre-Firestone recall notice -because the treads were separating on every one). Not Fords fault, a given, but the latest headache and speaks well to ALL the components I've had to replace not under warranty or recall.

I might buy a Chevy pickup someday - my US-car tech says that they're extremely reliable. Beyond that, the japanese and euro cars simply have technology that lasts longer, is less expensive to own long-term and has superior fit and finish to anything our under-motivated UAW can produce.

My opinion - go ahead and fire away...

I've driven mostly Benz since 1977. But my experiences with American cars have only been positive with Ford products. Of course, I haven't really had any Ford products recently except for my old farm truck, in many years.

My opinion of American cars does not really lean toward or away from any particular brand, I think that for the most part, they're all junk.

I have an '88 Vette with a stick. It's a love/hate relationship. I love driving it and hate working on it. I get PLENTY of chances to work on it. When it comes right down to it, it's just a $6$% ol' Chevrolet. The only reason I have it, is because it's alot of performance for the money.

I also have a '78 Ford 4X4 that I bought new. It's built like a tank, totally indestructible and will go anywhere.

My $0.02,

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Larry Bible
'84 Euro 240D, 523K miles
'88 300E 5 Speed
'81 300D Daughter's Car
Over 800,000 miles in
Mercedes automobiles

I've owned an MB before my current two. I sold it and wished I never had!

I've owned Ford/Lincoln... 75 GT Elite w/460 interceptor and dual 4BBL's, 67 Mustang Coupe W/289-4BBL, 73 and 78 F-100's both with 302 Boss's, 89 Escort GT, 71 Torino w/ 351C, 85 Crown Vic, 93 Taurus 3.8L w/SHO package, and 88 Lincoln Town Car. (still have the Mustang Escort, and Lincoln) I am not partial to Ford products, but my grandfather owned a Ford dealership in eastern KY until 1970 when he passed away.... the Mustang was a birthday present (way before I could even reach the pedals).

I've had only one GM car (Skylark) and a C-10 pickup.... couldn't kill the truck even though I tried on the farm!

Only had one Chrysler, a D100 short bed with slant-6 and 5-speed.... BIG POS!

In the 80's and early 90's, I shifted to Mitsubishi and Nissan. Loved my 87 Sentra and Hard-body truck!

Right now, I wish all my cars were MB and soon will be! Anybody want a Lincoln or Escort GT?

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William
76 240D (W115) - 550K miles
78 300D (W123) - 200K+ miles

Gotta agree with Larry on the 78 Ford Trucks, they are indestructible! Sold mine with 320K on it and it is still running today on the farm down the road!

They used a 78 F-100 in a movie once, cant remember the name, and put that truck through HELL! The studio NEVER used a stunt truck or stand in! The same truck was used in every scene and was still running after the movie was made! Ford ran an 85 or 87 model throught the same paces to prove the durability and the frame broke in half when they jumped it over the first ditch!

Just goes to show you, 'they don't make em like they use to!'

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William
76 240D (W115) - 550K miles
78 300D (W123) - 200K+ miles

Besides the 1986 2.3-16V, I currently own 1990 and 1998 Chevy Astro vans -- love 'em to death! So convenient for hauling the 3 boys and home improvement materials, camping gear, bikes, etc. Used to own: 1987 Chevy Astro van; fully restored 1969 Mustang Mach 1 (man, I wish I had kept it); 1984 Mustang GT (5-speed); 1985 Ford LTD LX (sport model 4-dr, 5.0 liter H.O., HD suspension -- a REAL mover!).

Brian

'79 Datsun 210 before the latest Benz. Had the nearly indestructuble A14 engine. So incredibly easy to work on, parts inexpensive and readily available. I was grumpy for weeks after parting with it after just over 20 years.

Grew up driving Fords, never liked 'em much. I'm always a bit puzzled when I ride in the new Broncos, Explorers, and Lincolns nowadays as they seem (interiors at least) so much like the Fords from 20-30 years ago!

Whether they're rental cars or friends cars, I just don't care for all of the plastic, the low quality bumbers and paint, etc. of the newer cars. Inevitably, I come back to the old diesel M-Bs as my preferred mode of transport.

I've been driving German cars since I got my driver license 8 years ago. The first car was a '85 VW Golf for junior year in high school. Then my father handed me down his 81 MB 240D 4spd and I drove it until my last semester at university. Then he sold the 240D (big mistake) and handed me his 190E euro (5spd, fun car but high maitenance and no soul compared to the 240D). I graduated in December '99 and went to Canada for 6 months for job training. The company provided me with a Pontiac *****fire as a rental car for the 6 months. Thats when I decided I'll never drive a non-German car again. As soon as I returned to Houston, the 190e was sold and I bought my 82 300D turbo. I plan on running it for a long time. Our drive way has 2 240D's (both 4spd) my 300D-t and a VW jetta.

My vote is for GM


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'82 300D Turbo 215k miles

Owned an 89 Chevy Caprice during the last 2 years at high school--it got me around everywhere, but was a big POS. Bought a 92 Honda Accord (stick) when I started college--sold it 2 years later. Great car, just too much work shifting in NYC. Bought my 300E and love it. Though this is my first MB, many MB's and German cars have been owned in the family.

My vote gets GM--those new Pontiacs are fiesty.

You'd never see me dead in an American car dealership....

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Agron
1989 300E
Monotoned Smoke Silver
97 Style Replica E420 Rims 205/55/16
Euro Headlights
Clear Corners
20% Tint
12" Sub-enclosure

William,

The movie was Mr. Majestyk with Charles Bronson, not only great chase seens, but great movie. It was a '68 F100. Of course, they were basically the same through '79. The movie was made about 1971 or so. They used seens from the movie in Ford Truck commercials.

My '78 has gone through just about as much as the one in the movie, and I wouldn't be afraid to get in it and head across the Mojave desert.

GM cars seem to me to handle and drive better than any other American POS, but they have never seemed to have the durability of a Ford or Chrysler. (that oughta' keep the thread goin').

Larry

My family has owned a few American cars and i must agree with most people that they are crap. My father bought his first merceds in 1969 the year he got out of college. He has not driven any thing but Mercedes. He had his when people did not even know what a mercedes was. He has had 4 since then. His 1983 240D was my first car I still run it today with over 500 thousand miles on it. It carries from NC to school in Florida several times a year. My dad always bought my mom american cars he said she did not know how to appreciate them. Thoses pieces of crap would die in no amount of time. My said she liked her American cars until My dad got her a 1993 190 2.6 this year now she says it is strickly MB for her. Everyone in my family now drivers a MB except my sister who has a BMW 325. I guess if you don't drive a BENZ a BMW is second best.

Larry,
Thanks for the correction and movie title. I should have known it was a 68 if I had just remembered the look of the hood and grille.

You are right about the durability of those trucks, still wish I had mine! Also wish they still made them like they did back then... I need a truck... needed one since 10 minutes after I sold my last one.

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William
76 240D (W115) - 550K miles
78 300D (W123) - 200K+ miles

I must say my love with MBZ goes way back to when I was 6 or 8 years old. A friend of ours had a MBZ as a taxi. This was in the seventies some time. I do not know what kind it was but I think it had fin tails. The speed indicator on the car had some sort of column or something that rotated and changed colours as the speed increased. I used to stare at that thing everytime he took us for a ride!
My first car was a 1978 Chrysler LeBaron station wagen, the Town and Country edition with metalic red paint and fake wood paneling. The chrysler 318 engine was indistructible, and the ride comfort was incredible. I still miss the car.
My second car was Chevy Citation. Must say that the quality of that car was poor, but it was reliable, except for the 2 blown tranies!
Now I drive a 1978 300D. Love the car, and the quality of everything in it superior to any car I have owned. The only thing is that my cars have gotten progresivly slooooowwwwwwweeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
If I had to vote for a non Mercedes I would vote for Nissan. Now there is a company that knows how to pull serious power from their engines.
Mark.

i owned a couple of japanese cars before my benz. Of the japanese brands i preferred Honda, and i loved my Civic for what it did for me in the congested city i lived in before.

moving to canada, i decided to try a german car and happened upon my 190e2.6.

There is no turning back, it seems, from a 4cyl engine to a sweet inline-6, and from a japanese car into a benz. And mine is just a lowly W201 at that ...

my car has the rare 5spd manual, and i just hope the W124 models came with it (though the early 300Es had a manual), especially those with the M104 engines, since my budget limits me to the "pre-owned" car market. Moving to a 400e however, might make turning back to an inline6 diffcult ...

i've never liked American car styling. The only American car i liked the styling of was the unsuccessful Cadillac Allante, which as Pininfarina-designed to begin with.

want a real american sports car? try a cop car. The new corvette also earns my respect because the chassis stiffness and dynamics are world-class. And the styling is more tasteful than either the mustang or camaro. The viper is just too brutal, with no finesse at all.

AS AN ASIDE: given that i prefer european over american car styling, i wonder why american military aircraft look better than their european counterparts (even the A-10 "Warthog" is endearing). Did all the good designers go to the military? Or does the "function over form" approach naturally translate into better-looking products?