I was in a junkyard yesterday trying to find a full size spare for my pickup (the donut fell off and disappeared into a farm field).

I saw no less than three 500SEL's in there, plus a 380SEL, and numerous 190E 2.6's and some 124 300E's. All victims of the clunkers mess. What really pissed me off was not just the fact that there were in there to begin with, the 500SEL's bodies in particular were almost pristine, but the way their interiors had been wrecked. Looked like a tribe of barbarians had gotten loose on the interiors and literally ripped them apart. There was literally not a single panel that was not wrecked. Not just the seats but the door trim and panels, the wood trim, the fascias, everything. Really pissed me off.

- Peter.

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2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S

Well I believe they qualified for the rebate so sadly there wasn't anything we could do to stop them.

Were there any diesels among them?

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-Typos courtesy of my mobile phone.

I know they had to destroy the engines (stupid to begin with) but what's the sense in wrecking resalable interior bits?

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1985 380SE Blue/Blue - 230,000 miles
2012 Subaru Forester 5-speed
2005 Toyota Sienna
2004 Chrysler Sebring convertible
1999 Toyota Tacoma

If you weren't the first one in the yard, there's no telling why the interiors were ripped up. Having seen some of the "life forms" that roam the recycle yards . . . it's not hard to imagine how a lot of damage happens when the only tools they bring are pry bars and wire cutters.

Lord Keynes is pleased... The broken (car) window has served the corporate auto industry immensely.

all the old MBZ's in the local yard are untouched, the C4C cars are another story... they are ravaged almost as fast as they are put out there. I saw a beautiful AMG out there, the next day, seats were torn, Wood paneling smashed shifter ripped out of the floor underpanels of the dash were burnt (this is a odd one because they dont allow cutting torches) .. some people just destroy things because they can. and mercedes... some people like smashing up more then others.

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hum.....
1987 300TD 311,000M Stolen. Presumed destroyed

I have seen this over and over at the Los Angeles yards in the last few months on repeated visits.

It has created and is still creating a short lived and VERY limited window of surplus Mercedes Benz parts, most especially in the W124, W126 and to a lesser extent the newer W210 and older W123 cars.

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

and hearing them run while they are doing it is heartbreaking too..

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hum.....
1987 300TD 311,000M Stolen. Presumed destroyed

Oh well, just means the good ones are worth more.

All the clunkers program did was accelerate the inevitable, those cars would have gotten to the junk yards in a few years anyway.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

my heart aches.

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"The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread."

They all probably needed many thousands of dollars worth of repairs, that's why they were clunkered to begin with. Not everyone holds these car in reverence nor willing to spend more money to fix them than they are worth.

Bottom line is many will live on as parts cars and will save the rest of us many dollars. Not to mention the ones left on the road will eventually be worth more money because of the attrition.

The clunkers program lasted about 5 weeks, has been over for many months, and these cars have been in the yards almost as long. I agree that the savages who tear up the cars should be shot, but thats the way it works for all cars in the junkyard.

I've been visiting my local yard every 1-2 weeks since the program ended, knowing damn well come first serve. Unfortunately I haven't garnered anything for my 107, people usually don't junk them until they're really trashed.

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Question Authority before it Questions you.

There was a 116 300SD and a 201 190D. Those were the only one's I saw. I was only in one yard. There were three others in a few blocks radius. I thought about going to look in them as well but didn't have time.

- Peter.

__________________
2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S

I'm the opposite: the more Mercedes or Volvo's I see in the junk yard the more I'm in heaven. CLC was a gift that kept on giving!

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1979 Black on Black, 300CD (sold), 1990 Black 300SE, Silver 1989 Volvo 780, 1988 300CE (vanished by the hands of a girlfriend), 1992 300CE (Rescue).

That assumes the parts are usable. These, as I said, looked like someone had taken a sawzall to the interiors. Oh yes, and there was a 400E in amongst them too now that i remember.

- Peter.

__________________
2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S

But before C4C there was already a huge surge in Mercedes in the junk yards around Los Angeles, especially W116 and W126.

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1979 Black on Black, 300CD (sold), 1990 Black 300SE, Silver 1989 Volvo 780, 1988 300CE (vanished by the hands of a girlfriend), 1992 300CE (Rescue).