I dont know about you guys, but whenever i go over big bumps and see cars in front of me bouncing out of control, and my car is rock solid, i feel superior to that "other" automobile, even if it is worth 10k more then my 300SD. When i drive 80mph on the interstate and friends make comments "wow, this rides smooth", and their car is worth 10k more, it makes me feel more superior than the "other" cars. When friends comment on how long the car has lasted and still looks/drives good, i feel superior to their "other" autombiles that cost 10k more. Not to mention these things act on rails when put in an emergency situation, like happened earlier. Big marquis came right out in front of me, i hit brakes, horn, and steering, car stopped straight in front of me, i swerved into the middle lane(which i knew was clear) and avoided it. I feel if i was in any other car i may not have been able to avoid the incident. That is why i feel superior than my friends " other automobiles" that cost 10k more.
Ryan

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83 300SD.......sold
96 integra SE....sold
99 a4 quattro....sold
2001 IS300.......sold
2002 330i.........current.
2004 highlander limited....current.

No matter how old a Mercedes is, it is still a well-engineered car to begine with, one of the most important aspects when cosidering a car purchase.

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Ali Al-Chalabi

2001 CLK55
1999 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins Diesel
2002 Harley-Davidson Fatboy
Merlin Extralight w/ Campy Record

Howdy All,
Because it is badder than a Hummer and it is a chick magnet

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Frank X. Morris
17 Kia Niro
08 Jeep Wrangler 4 door unlimited

The newer ones are chick magnets and seem to piss off other guys (jealous I guess).
However the older ones both turn off girls and guys (who don't understand)

Why I drive an MB?
Because I simply love it. I agree that it feels very solid despite its age.. The 300CD also has distinct looks and i've had people wonder what it was.

No matter what I seem to drive pretty fast. The 300CD is a restraint for me. It's good! If I had a bad ass BMW M5 I might've been involved in some sort of accident or at least piss some people off.. :p

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2008 BMW 335i Coupe

Howdy Holson,
You just have to drive the right "old" one

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Frank X. Morris
17 Kia Niro
08 Jeep Wrangler 4 door unlimited

Holson,
I never seem to have a problem with my 87 300E, Chicks love my car. Usually hate me though I ask most people i run into that inquire about my car what year they think it is. Most of them say between 95-99,, I love it!!
Adam

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Current Stable:
01 ML55 AMG
92 500E (a few mods)
87 300E (lots of mods)
00 Chevy 3500HD Diesel Box Truck
68 18' Donzi Marine
06 GT i-Drive7 1.0 Mountain Bike (with GPS!)

PREVIOUSLY OWNED:83 300SD, 87 420SEL, 88 420SEL, 90 420SEL, 86 560SEL, 86 190E 2.3-16V AMG, 94 E320

Howdy Adam,
I think we are a cult of 2 Women never stop to talk to me when I walk down the street

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Frank X. Morris
17 Kia Niro
08 Jeep Wrangler 4 door unlimited

not me boyz, chicks just love the stinky old diesel.....NOT!!! now when i drove my dad's bimmer out one night more girls hollared at me then all the other days of my life combined. i've decided chicks are shallow, with the exception of my girlfriend, of course.(in case she happens to read this somehow..... )

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83 300SD.......sold
96 integra SE....sold
99 a4 quattro....sold
2001 IS300.......sold
2002 330i.........current.
2004 highlander limited....current.

for me, it's the way the car comes into its element on the highway that appeals to me mostly. Things about the car that seem stiff and ponderous in the city begin to make sense on the highway. Unlike other lesser cars i've driven that begin to feel insubstantial as the speed increases.

and the way it takes bumps at speed without losing composure, making solid, low-frequency sounds.

and the knowledge that the engine is bulletproof and designed to cruise at redline all day long (knock on zebrano wood ).

i love the classic looks of my 201, which looks like no other car out there (the Jetta tried to emulate its raised/pinched tail treatment). I can spot it in the parking lot just from the shape of its roof, especially the rear.

i love my mbtex, which does not show its age and looks classy. I love the hard seats. I love the complete, no-gimmick, classy-looking instrumentation.

i love the panoramic wiper, even if it is not very effective in heavy rain.

i love my 5spd manual, which i am finding out to be very rare.

and of course, those solid-slamming doors, which i slam hard in the parking lot so other people can hear how solid a 13yr-old car can still be (my car is a teenager!)

I love the solid feeling of the benz over any other car on the road.

The sheet metal is thick, the car is solid, the steering is heavy but responsive. The car loves high speed, and you can easily feel the car's limits when it is reaching them.

Plus, no other auto tranny I have every felt shifting feels the way this one does. I'm not sure if its me, but the tranny seems to shift more like a manny when in d. I can feel the tranny clutch and shift and all between shifts.

Really gives it a smooth shift and nice power during the shifts.

Alon

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'92 300CE - Sold
2004 C240 - 744 - C7 Wheels - Android Radio
2002 C320 - 816 - Sport Wagon

That's pretty interesting. On the Fourth of July, my cousin and I took the 380SE (which had recently been washed and detailed) to Lake Chelan in eastern washington, specifically to the resort community of Chelan. And surprisingly, two 19-year-old guys in an older S-Class Mercedes-Benz got a good deal of positive attention from the female gender of similar and slightly younger age. Of course, it could have been all us and not the car, but I'd like to think that the nearly flawless anthracite flanks of the car along with the chrome and big traditional Mercedes grille was part of the reason for it.....

Maybe things are different where you live, but when I first drove the 380SE to high school, people definately gawked, and came up to me to ask questions about it (What year is that, a 1995? How much did it cost? "Less than your Integra".) Of course, this is an Eastern Washington town of 45,000 people that we are talking about here, but there is an ML-55 AMG that runs around....along with many W126s and W123s, so it's got its fair share of Benzes.

And damn, the solidity of the driving experience is truly like no other car. 100 mph is a little scary in my parent's Volvo 740 turbo, but the Benz shrugs and asks "What's the big deal?".

Many of my friends here at the University of Washington are endeavoring to make enough money to scrape up a down-payment on a Honda Civic or Acura RSX or whatever. For the 15K for a basic Civic, I could find a 1991 560SEC in good daily driver condition that would be much faster than a Civic in a straight line, and be much more composed during high-speed handling (sweeping corners on mountain highways). And it'd be a Benz. They don't understand (save my friend with the 1989 BMW 325iX who understands used German cars to a degree...)

-Sam

I drive a Mercedes because I like the solid engineering.

It makes me feel good driving it.

It fits my personality.

I feel safe driving it.

I keep my cars for a long time, even over 200,000 miles, and I was tired of maintaining Japanese cars over the long haul, only to find the cars are completely worn out, chasis vibrate like crazy, plastic interior pieces falling apart, and a whole host of other things that can't be remedied. You reach a point where they're not rebuildable, and not worth it.

The Mercedes, even at high mileage, the chasis don't wear out. They don't creak, groan, or vibrate. They are infinitely rebuildable. They depreciate to a point, and then level out and seem to keep more of their value than any Japanese car or most American cars (with the exception of special cars, i.e. Corvettes).

This is my first MB, and I'm so spoiled, I can't imagine owning anything else.

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

Ryan,
I like you have developed a sort of superiority complex when i drive my 300D. Not snobbish, but just passing other cars knowing that when they are 20 rys old, they will be junked or scrapped metal. I drive a benz because i feel that it is the best value you can find. And keeping the thing running and looking good is a testimony to the cars durability and quality. I enjoy that, and is why i drive it. And its something different. I dont like driving the "in" car of the year, or what "looks cool" or what is popular. Its a reverse status symbol while still remaining a status symbol car, i find that appealing to me.

Because I can!

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2008 S550
2010 GLK350
1997 E420 (retired)
2005 CLK500 (retired)

Chicks really love my car, until they see the great looking passenger seat cover - my wife.

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Jason Priest
1999 E430
1995 E420 - retired
1986 420SEL - retired