I'm currently having an argument with my brother, the Jag nut who lives in England about the merits/demerits of Mercedes and Jaguar. It got me thinking about how we like what we like etc.

I recall my father when I was a kid going on about how useless, nebulous, junky etc modern cars were wheras the cars of the 30's and 40's when he was young were instantly recognizeable individualistic classics (at least to him). To me they were just weired looking old things I could never distinguish apart. Whereas to me the current 1960's thru 70's etc Mercedes were the epitome of instantly recognizeable individualistic classics etc. I'm 44. And to me the W140 was the "last true Mercedes". I will never own one made since that series as quite apart from the quality issues I just don't like the look of them. To me they are nebulous Jappanese inspired blobs. They "do" absolutely nothing for me when I see them in the street.

Just wondering if age has anything do do with this? Do we automatically prefer the vehicles of our formative years over newer stuff that will appeal in turn to the next generation etc? What do the rest of you think?

- 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

We always like the things we liked when our testosterone was flowing at its peak.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

That would be a 1970 Belvedere GTX

Belevedere and GTX are different models..both Plymouth's..but different animals.

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CHILCUTT~
The secret to a long life. Is knowing when it is time to leave.

My teenage son and I are in agreement that the new Merc's are impossible to tell apart from Japanese-Korean appliances, especially now that the star is hard to see from a distance, the only exception possibly being the two seaters, whatever they're called. I'm not so sure it's a function of age.

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You're a daisy if you do.
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84 Euro 240D 4spd. 220.5k sold
04 Honda Element AWD
1985 F150 XLT 4x4, 351W with 270k miles, hay hauler
1997 Suzuki Sidekick 4x4
1993 Toyota 4wd Pickup 226K and counting

I was born in 1991, and my favorite Mercedes are most certainly not The W210, W220, W202, W163, etc etc.

The first Mercedes I ever drove was when I was 10, and it was a W108 280SE.. I still find that body style the most beautiful Mercedes ever devised. However, my favorite 'modern' Mercedes are the W126 and W140. Also a special place in my heart for a W201... the things I'd do to toss one around the streets around me...

But I do share the inability to discern models of cars years past-- the way my dad can tell from 50 feet at a glance a 1963 from a 1964 Camaro is mind boggling until I put into perspective I can do that with a W126

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1987 560SEL (210,000 miles)

Sorry Snake, but they didn't make Camaro's in '63 OR '64. Since you weren't around then, you get a pass. No harm, no foul.

When I was a kid in the fifties, my Dad would call off the models of the cars from the thirties and forties and it amazed me that he could tell them apart. They all looked the same to me. When my kids were growing up, they were equally amazed that I could tell apart the cars of the fifties, sixties and even the seventies.

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

Annoy a Liberal, Read the Constitution

The Camaro came out in 1968...Yup, you're 20. LOL

My favorite Mercedes era was the 1970's and 1980's. It was a car that showed the world that you finally made it to the top.

Today's cars, regardless of the make, have lost true styling...they are all basically the same, with the exception of the sports cars.

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1987 560SL
85,000 miles

the camaro came out in 7, I got one of each- droptops

Apparently we had more privileges back in the day as well!

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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

Here are a couple of pictures for you to rekindle that early memory and I agree with you about the body style as being a beautiful Mercedes.





Regards,

280SE Guy

For me those two pic's say it all. There is nothing on the road today from this manufacturer that competes in terms of presence, let alone aesthetics.

- 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

Yeah and before you guys go waxing all nostalgic about those '60's and '70's chunks of Detroit iron remember;

Ignition points which broke, burnt or slipped at the most inconvenient times.
Drum brakes on performance cars ,
20K miles on a set of plugs? Forget about it!
"Automatic" chokes which "automatically" decided WHEN they were going to work.
100K on an engine? What are you smoking? Yeah, yeah, I know, "My Uncle Harvey had a '52 Chevy which went a bajillion miles". One out of a 1000 cars, maybe.
10-12 mpg on most of those "performance" cars.
Carburetors, carburetors, carburetors. Did I mention carburetors?
"Quadra-floods", "Auto-light on fire's", "Thermo-burns", "Holey shyte, it's on fires".
Distributors precisely engineered to funnel any bit of moisture into the cap shorting it out, at 3:00 AM, in your girlfriend's parents' driveway after sneaking her home three hours after her curfew.

Actually, the Camaro came out in 67.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Oops...don't like them enough to really care. I just knew that they younger than Snake stated.

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1987 560SL
85,000 miles