The reason for my fascination of Mercedes-Benz - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

thevtechater · #1 04-20-2008, 06:17 AM

I'm a 25 year old guy, who lives in a city called Banding in the western part of Java (about 100 miles east of the nation's capital Jakarta).
I used to own an auto workshop for three years, and albeit the shop ran quite well, I had sold the shop in February of 2007 because I’m going' back to college (my parents decided that it is important to have a college degree for the sake of my future).
I owned the shop with a couple of my mates, so I they bought my share.

Most of the clients that the shop has were the so called street racers. So I spent a good deal of my time there working on front wheel drive Japanese cars trying to eke out that last bit of performance out of them.
Two of the projects I’ve done that I’m most proud of were a Mitsubishi eclipse turbo powered Hyundai (though the car can barely make a decent turn due to massive under steer) and a Skyline (RB25DET) engined Nissan Cefiro (learning from experience, this one was RWD) -we did the conversions ourselves.

There were quite a few 'tuning' shops in town, but I always fancied our shop to be the only one who not only work on the power plant but also the chassis (i.e. handling) of the car. Bcoz I always believe that horsepower alone don't make a fast car (no matter what the customer thinks).
I used to spend lots of time designing custom anti roll bars and chassis bracing to improve the ride and the handling of those econoboxes.

What’s all these got to do with Benzes?
Here’s why..

See, I used some of the money that I acquired from the selling of my share of the shop to buy myself my very first Mercedes, a W202 C-class. Back then I didn’t know much about Benzes, I bought the car because deep inside every car guy wants to be seen around town driving a Mercedes, no matter what they drive, or what they do for a living, they all want to drive a Benz, that’s why you get all those envy stares, right? Even if that guy used to be a self proclaimed SportCompactCar guru (yours truly).

What I found out after spending a few months with the merc was amazing. This baby has everything that I wish those econoboxes has. Optimum suspension geometry, balanced cornering dynamics, all the chassis stiffness you could wish for, yet the car still rides like a limousine.

That's what’s so amazing about Benzes. I mean, given enough resource any company can make a sporty car, but those Stuttgart engineers are able to make a car that behaves like a sports car supposed to yet rides as comfortable and serene as a limousine, plus it is as reliable as any city commuting car.

I've always been a learning type of guy, I had this condition called Low Latent Inhibition so I just need to know how the stuff around me works or else I’ll go crazy when they're around. And the more I learn about Mercs, the more they struck me with awe.
Every little piece of detail is so carefully thought of; even the way the hood opening mechanism is engineered is pure brilliance, why would you need a stick to hold the hood from falling to your head? Also if you can get better wiper coverage from one, why would you need two? Now THAT is what I call Luxury, luxury is all about excess, not just on materials but also attention, thought, and effort. (sorry Lexus, I don't think you’re a part of this gang, no matter how much leather and wood they put in the interior, seeming is never the same as being).

My love for Mercedes is growing stronger every day. Now, after more than a year later, I’ve had another merc under my custody this time it's from the stroke 8 range. A metallic green 1974 W115, you can read about this car in the Vintage Merc section of this forum.
I’m also having trouble sleeping thinking of the handsome 124..

Well that's how I’ve come to love Mercedes, what about you?
C'mon, share your love story here.

PS: Don’t think that I’m a hater without a cause because of my nickname, I hate them Hondas because they used to cost me and my shop a fortune. Their engine internals are so weak, they frequently either bend, break or melt under boost, and when those things don’t happen, they break their front axles and slam others!

Peter Kraft · #2 04-21-2008, 12:42 AM

In the late '60s my father owned a 1964 220b fintail that was a graymarket import, even the barber pole speedometer read in Km/hr. I can only guess that because it had many miles of being run flat out on the autobahn it consumed a huge amount of oil. One day, he lost oil pressure on the newly constructed Interstate highway 15 miles from town doing about 80 mph. He slowed down, and drove the car home with the engine knocking and no oil pressure. The next day he added a can of STP(back when it came in a metal can and you opened it with the same can opener you used for beer) and a few quarts of oil and kept driving the car like nothing had happened.

thevtechater · #3 04-26-2008, 04:12 AM

i share that kind of experience too peter.
one time my visco fan broke and i was in the sort of interstate toll way. so i had to drive the car for 60 miles and nothing happened to the engine. i thought the head would at least get warped but it didnt

t walgamuth · #4 04-26-2008, 06:52 AM

My first benz was a 62 190c fintail. Even after owning an additional 29 of them I still find things that I never understood before and the design is just brilliant. You look at how well thought out it is and just smile and think...why doesn't every mfgr do it that way?

The answer is cost of course.

I do love them. All of the ones I now own are 123s. I have had 126s (love them too except for the rod bender motor), and 124s (loved them but hated how difficult it was to do some of the pretty simple things like replace the blower motor).

ONe day I would love to have a gullwing or its sibling the SL but almost certainly will never be wealthy enough to do that.

Tom W

Skippy · #5 04-26-2008, 10:43 PM

I got my first Benz, the 300D in my sig, because I really wanted a diesel, preferred rear wheel drive, and wanted something smaller than a 3/4 ton pickup. That basically left a diesel Mercedes as the only option. Since then, I've grown to appreciate the driving dynamics, the styling, and the relative ease of maintenance of Mercedes-Benzes, at least the older ones.

Lexxani · #6 04-27-2008, 06:38 AM

My old man had a 116 when I was growing up, it was the 1st car I had ever rode in one of my first memories was looking over the dash and seeing that star standing prominantly in front of the car, and remembering the painted to match hubcaps and ribbed taillights. . .

Ive always felt like you've got it made if your driving a benz, and mine elicits that feeling from me. Weather its 20 years old and your looking like an oldschool college professor or brand new and your looking like a wealthy business man, the feeling is the same, being content. . .

Now sometime later I own a vintage benz, going on 5 years this summer, I couldnt be any happier, heck I'd love to have my own shop and mess with these cars all day long. . .