The styling copycatting going on is ridiculous. Hundai exterior styling looks a lot like Acura looks a lot like________ looks a lot like________ (insert any up market car here).

Agree with the comments on 80's MB's (naturally) Top to bottom the best around...then and now. Specially the W124.

What I believe made W124 E-Class the mid-size luxury vehicle to have was that it was one of the most complete Mercedes-Benz cars to incorporate everything that is the Mercedes-Benz brand--and that encompasses a lot. It's about solidity, longevity, safety, luxury, engineering excellence and of course, prestige.
Best Mercedes-Benz Ever: W124 E-Class

Of course, I'm prejudiced.
Part No. W124 rim 1988


The earlier stuff from my teen decade? Well, I survived. That's a good thing.
Guys seen this old vs new crash test? Surprised the driver of the old Chevy didn't follow the windshield out the front of the car!!

Old vs New Chevrolet Crash - YouTube

"........New safety features are standard equipment, among them the new GM developed energy absobing steering column" !

Too funny!!!
First Chevy Camaro Commercial - YouTube

No wonder they're worth so much money now-- they're forged by Hephaestus himself!

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1987 560SEL (210,000 miles)

This is true. I too had an extreme interest in cars as early as 7 years old. Just to show off in front of my brothers, I would always call off the make of a car approaching before they could. Matter of fact, sheesh!, that was before there was a freeway here!!
As a sophmore in high school,1967, I had my sites on the 1969 Mustang! Then 1968 came and the movie Bullet. After that my dad crushed my dream of a fast car.
Parents would not allow me a car until I graduated. An incentive to stay in school I guess. But in September 1966 a photographer from some car magazine snapped a picture of a new kind of Chevy being tested. Then Chevrolet was considering the name of this new design.
Two names made the top of the list. The Panther, or the Camero. Well we all know which one made the cut.

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Selling used Mercedes parts on Ebay...always changing...
cdplayer51 take a look!
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Dunno. I never had a taste for older cars or other things. Maybe older (than myself) women but even that is to a point. I boinked a 60yo woman when I was 20, does that count as "classic appreciation"? Beyond that, I was born in 67 and aesthetics never played a role for me and I always prefered the newer stuff with the whiz-bang technology in it.

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01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

Now that you're 44, would you boink an 84 year old?

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1987 560SL
85,000 miles

How much money are we talking of again? Probably not. 60 would be my current limit still

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01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

The old muscle cars did in fact lack technology and gadgets. What they lacked in those areas, however, was made up for with HUGE amounts of low end torque.

Many of the old so called Muscle Cars would be run away from by many modern cars, but it's done with horsepower instead of low end torque. The Muscle Cars would lose the races, but they win big in the fun factor area.

Horsepower wins races, but low and medium range torque makes a car fun to drive. Those old cars had torque in spades!

Not only the muscle cars of the era displayed the torque factor. My heavy '64 Galaxie with a 289 and three in the tree feels really snappy. In a drag race it wouldn't outrun a 300D by much, but by comparison it feels like a rocket ship.

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2001 SLK 320 six speed manual
2014 Porsche Cayenne six speed manual

Annoy a Liberal, Read the Constitution

I also would not discount the fact that gasoline octanes where much higher than, a big block burning hot fuel was something to behold.

Yes, regular in the late sixties was higher octane than today's premium. The higher compression ratios were indeed a contributing factor in the blood and guts torque equation. High compression makes an engine "snappy."

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2001 SLK 320 six speed manual
2014 Porsche Cayenne six speed manual

Annoy a Liberal, Read the Constitution

And back then you could work on cars with basic hand tools instead of a laptop!

Remember when you wanted to add horsepower, you would install a pair of headers...not a computer chip!

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2009 ML350 (106K) - Family vehicle
2001 CLK430 Cabriolet (80K) - Wife's car
2005 BMW 645CI (138K) - My daily driver
2016 Mustang (32K) - Daughter's car

I like the way the new benzes (most of them) look but am put off by the lack of servicability of them. I like the 123s best because I can work on them. It is getting harder now though to find good ones.

The US cars of the fifties are what I grew up with and can name year and model of most of them....sixties too but in the seventies I start losing out. I can come pretty close on the year and make of a lot of the cars of thirties and forties too if they are fords or chevys, but the minor makes I can only come close.

I like em all pretty much.

If I buy a new car though I want the warrenty.

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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.

modern design is a function of passenger and pedestrian safety, fuel efficiency, mod cons, space, etc etc etc.

Invariably, they will all look the same at some point as we strive for better efficiency figures, better pedestrian safety, etc etc etc.

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'O=00=O'
bmw 2002.
long live the legend

"Pedestrian safety"
Pontiac had some front end designs back in the 70's (IIRC) that looked like they'd present serious danger to pedestrians.

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1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags

I do think it is a function of age but not necessarily in the way you mean. I think it is the age of the design - some of them stand the test of time and just look good / better as they age. The Ford Mondeo is a good example (in my opinion) - I thought it looked really really crap when it was launched but now it seems to have a bit more character about it.

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!