longston in reply to your post about being 18 and driving a benz. My brother had his first benz an 85 190e at 17. At 18, he had a 1976 porsche 911s and at 24 he got his current car an 85 380SL.

When I was 16 I had an 83 GMC Jimmy K5. After that a 1980 MGB at 18. Then a 1989 jeep cherokee at 20 and at 25 I got my first benz.

Now when I was 16, the first car I drove when I got my license, and the car I drove to take the test, and my first time driving at night was in that 1985 190E my brother had.

When I was 18, I got to drive the porsche to school for the last week of school, and almost got expelled for zooming past the front of the school not once, but twice at 90 mph. - yes I know it wasn't safe thing to do, but I was young and stupid back then.

Of course coming to school in a different car every day that week didn't make the dean like me too much either hehe. That was back when my dad owned 10 cars - (but that included moms car, and brothers car and my car)

My father has always been a huge car fan. he loves his toysand is always on the lookout for more.

Some of the cars he has had were very exotic and rare, others were just really cool cars.

Many, Many years ago he had a lamborghini jalpa. really neat car, I was not even born at the time, but I have seen pictures of it.

BTW my dad is one of the only people I know that can shift a manual car without using the clutch and still didn't grind the gears. ehhe

out of the cars he has owned that I have gotten to drive, here is a list of my favorites - not in any order of preference.

1968 vette stingray convertible - 327, 4 speed hurst, weiand manifold, holley 4 barrel carb. thing was fast as hell. and a chick magnet.

1966 caddy deville convertible. - Need I say boat? hehe

1987 560SEL - great car, fast, beautiful, can't say enough about it.

1987 maserati biturbo spyder - sweet car, but really doesn't live up to its reputation as the poor mans ferrari. the car is more expensive to maintain it than it is to buy one.

1971 Jag E-type V-12. That thing could suck you into the seat and is a georgeous car.

1986 Jag XJS V12 Convertible - not the fastest accelerating car, but its one sexy smooth cat.

1983 Rolls Silver Spur - Beautiful car, and drives like a dream - but expensive to repair.

1994 SL600 - Need I say more? hehe ever wondered how quick you can get from 40 mph to 120 on sunset blvd? Well all I can say is DAMN QUICK! hehe

Now you would think that out of all those cars I have a favorite, and you are right. I still love that old E-type jag.

he still has the Rolls which he hardly drives now, and he spends most of the time in the SL60 which he loves tremendously.

Alon

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

I just wanted to be a little more specific. When I drive hard, I don't gun it right up to a traffic light and then jam on the brakes. I try and time lights so as to save gas and the car. I also don't stomp on it then pull of the gas real hard. So I would say that I'm a fairly smooth hard driver. Though not all the time, as with anyone. HOpe that cleared it up a little bit. But for the most part, my question has been answered. So just concentrate more so on smooth 'hard' driving... got it!

__________________
2006 E350 w/ 155k miles (Daily Driver)

Previous:
1993 300E 3.2L Sedan w/ close to about 300k miles
2003 E500 Brilliant Silver (Had 217k miles when totalled!)
1989 300E with 289,000 miles (had for <1 yr while in HI)
03 CLK 500 cabrio (Mom's)
2006 C230k (Dad's)
1999 S420 (Mom's/Dad's)
2000 C230k Sport sedans
2001 CLK320 Cabrio (Mom's)
1995 C280 My First Mercedes-Benz... (155k miles. EXCEPTIONAL AUTOMOBILE. Was Very hard to let go of!)

After reading this, two things come to mind.

1.Youth is wasted on the young.

2.She'll have fun,fun,fun until daddy takes the C280 away.

Be smart, be safe and have fun!

__________________
Mr. BILL

91 300E 120K
90 300SE 275K (sold)
92 BMW 525iM 120K
90 BMW 525iA 175K
85 300D 175K (sold)
84 300SD 245K (sold)

I always knew these cars were to be DRIVEN from the first time I drove one at age 54. Ten years later, I'm still doing it with MB and choose MB because I know that they will stick with me better than anything else. I put a lot of miles on the back roads and 4-lanes. I've been thru ditches and corn fields and never feared that I'd be let down. And the newest one yet is a '78. These things are animals. They were designed for the harshest critics-the insistant Germans who demanded they drive full-out on the Autobahn. Sure, longevity is attained by care. But a full life cannot be had by staying too close to the hearth.
(Anybody know where I can find a 6.9 rocking chair?)

I'm 17 and I enjoy every second of dieseling around in my 300D. I don't drive it like a maniac because it is an 18 year old car.... but I do give it the occasional Italian tuneup to get rid of carbon buildup. Who says that young people can't appreciate a Mercedes? I've always wanted to own a W123 diesel since I was 8 years old!

There's nothing more enjoyable than driving a car to YOUR limits but you'll have to pay for that fun.

First to mind is the full throttle driving. The engines bottom end can stand the load; it's the top that can't and give long valve life. At full throttle the combustion chamber pressure is at the max. The valves are slamed closed against the valve seats. That's the price for a heavy foot. This is a typical condition found on imported used Benz from Germany. Expect to have the valves ground and the guides replaced prematurely.

Then comes the drive train. The standard transmission cooler isn't adequate for your type of driving. Possibly a secondary cooler would help with the higher trans temps.
Flex-couplings, mid drive shaft bearing.
Rear axle shafts.

We've all gone through what you are enjoying now.
Now at age sixty-five I drive like the typical little old man. And I'm trying for 200,000 miles on my spark ignition '87 300E without any cylinder head or transmission repairs.

Go ahead and have your fun but don't blame the Benz should you need repairs.
All of your fun doesn't lend itself to a long lived Benz.

Happy Trails Beep Beep from Houston.

Donald, an old stick in the mud

Clint Eastwood said it best as S.F. Police Inspector Harry Callahan.

David, You started this thread with this statement:

"...I drive it very hard. I floor it often, accelerate fast, brake hard (when needed!), put the shifter into selective gears and sometimes hold it there at high RPM. I know all this is not necessarily good for my car..."

Didn't you answer your own question in that statement? And did you really think that we wouldn't get on the age and safe driving bandwagons with a 10,000 watt sound system? If so, then you should realize just how much there is left for you to learn. I, for one, see a pattern developing that I found quite disturbing...

I will never apologize for bringing up the age issue. ( And I am ashamed of all of you who have tried to "soft pedal" it!) I have more respect for you than to try to coddle you like a little baby. You are a man now, and as such, need to face up to the realities of life! And one of those is that we do have one major advantage over you with regard to age. It's called perspective. You only have the perspective of 18 years being alive. But we have several other perspectives to bring to this discussion.

I, as well as several other members of this forum who have offered you advice on this thread, have been 18, lived to tell the tale, and are now, well, uh, older, ok? I'd like to hope that we are also more mature, wiser, and considerably more responsible than we were when we saw our 18th year.

One of my suggestions was a driving course from a professional driving school the likes of a Skip Barber or Bob Bondurant. And major thanks to both BobbyV and Q for echoing what I was trying to tell you by suggesting it. And if (when?) you take such a course, you'll learn more about yourself, your car, and what Dirty Harry was talking about than a 50 page thread will teach you. Do the research, find the right course for you, and spend the money. It will be the best insurance you could buy against the youthful poor judgement we all are heir to.

I personally prefer Bondurant (just prejudiced, I guess). Bob moved from Sears Point to Phoenix a few years ago. Go to his website, http://www.bondurant.com for details on his courses, for your needs, they range from $650 to $3995. I would suggest you call them and ask for their advice. Maybe you could take a multi-day course, and get them to let you use your Mercedes the last day. In addition, I would suggest taking a serious defensive driving course from them.

At least go to the public library and check out some books on the subject. I happen to recommend The Smith System of defensive driving.

Now, please do yourself a big favor - don't get defensive about the suggestion that you should be taking driving courses, or react with the testosterone-charged "Hey, man, I already know how to drive". We all know how to drive, David, but HOW WELL do we know how to drive? Can any of us drive so well that we can FULLY compensate for the atrocious driving habits of the "other" drivers on the road?

I want to relate a brief story about Retired Staff Sergeant of the United States Army, Raymond Barrios. I never knew Ray Barrios, but I'll never forget him.

One bright summer day a few short years ago, I was driving about six car lengths behind Ray headed south on a two lane country road in Santa Rosa, CA. Traffic was light, conditions perfect, we were driving the speed limit, and it was a great day to be alive. Another young man about your age was also enjoying this bright California sunshine with his girlfriend, but he too was driving his vehicle "hard" as they were headed west on an intersecting road.

When that young man suddenly realized that he was pushing his vehicle too "hard" to stop in time for a clearly marked stop sign, his sober judgement told him to "floor it" to get through the intersection instead of possibly skidding out of control while trying to stop.

He later said that he never even saw Ray's car until it was too late. The young man and his girlfriend were both thrown out of their vehicle by the impact (no seatbelts). The girl's injuries were so severe that she had to be airlifted to the nearest hospital that had a trauma unit. The driver was only slightly injured, and just happened to be a volunteer fireman who was completing training as a paramedic.

I was the first one on the scene of the resulting broadside collision. I found Ray's car upside down with him still strapped into the drivers seat. I also happened to be the last human being to touch Ray, as I tried to find a pulse on a man whose life literally slipped away from him as I tried to see if I could save it.

Later, as I left the scene of the accident with my wife and then 4-year-old son, I was muttering about how such a senseless and tragic loss shouldn't happen, etc, when my wife froze my backbone with one chilling statement. She said, "You know, if we hadn't stopped to make a quick phone call a few minutes before, that might have been us".

Needless to say, I HAD to know who this man was, and I later found out that he was a highly decorated war hero, Vietnam Veteran, a father and a grandfather, a loving husband, and a man who was both loved and respected by everyone who ever knew him. On the day he lost his life, he was just going out to play a little baseball with some friends. That day was also his wedding anniversary. I doubt that his widow, Cathy, will ever forget it...

You have had advice from some people on this thread who are in law enforcement, are pilots, scientists, former military, and at least one professional driver. We care enough to offer you our very best advice, to relate painful stories of losses we have known, and to share some moments of our fondest memories (thank you, dtanesq). Please listen carefully to us.

I was never worried about your Mercedes, or about the wear and tear you knew from the beginning that you are subjecting it to. I was, and still am worried about my family, the woman and her kids that JCE told you about, Q's cousin and his best friend, Ray Barrios, and you. But you know what? I'm more worried about what it would do to your parents if they lost you. See, it's all about perspectives.

And just so this doesn't get written off as some old guy giving advice, I'll qualify my driving credentials. Among other things, I have raced stockcars on dirt oval figure eight tracks. I was a former deputy sheriff; I was a pursuit and evasion driving trained personal bodyguard for corporate executives and celebrities. I have repossessed cars in the worst parts of Oakland and Richmond, CA. I have driven class-A heavy commercial vehicles on every type of road, on ice and snow, over every mountain pass, in every state in this country, in Canada, in Europe and in Australia; and, in at least one case, in winter conditions so severe that the RCMP once closed a road on a mountain pass in the Canadian Rockies behind me, and told me they'd come looking for me if I didn't come out the other side by the next day! I possess every available driving license except the instructor's, which I used to have, but is only valid while you are employed by a driving school. As a licensed instructor, I have taught defensive driving, commercial vehicle operation and even traffic violators' school. I have trained driver examiners for the California DMV, lectured at the California Highway Patrol Academy, been called in to work with the CHP on several MAIT (Multi-Dicipline Accident Investigation Team) investigations, trained commercial class drivers for all branches of the military, as well as several state and federal agencies and numerous corporations. There isn't a vehicle with rubber tires on it that I can't drive, and few I haven't driven. I could drive my Ford Aerostar minivan more effectively and faster through any obstacle course than you can drive your Mercedes. I guarantee it!

It's not just all about driving smoothly when you drive hard. It's really all about knowing how to drive hard safely and how to fully optimize the vehicle's full potential as well as your own. You won't learn that by just thinking you can do it, or even by reading some books. You will only learn that under the strict guidance of a professional driver trainer who can teach you skid recovery, how to do a 180 degree turn at speed, and how to control your vehicle in emergency situations.

The best defensive driving tips I can add are these: always expect the other driver(s) on the road near you to do the stupidist, and most irresponsible thing you can imagine that they could do in any given circumstance, be prepared to compensate for it, and see how many times they prove you right; never do anything abruptly; and when you start to lose control, smoothly and quickly stop doing whatever you were doing that made you start to lose control in the first place.

I will apologize to the membership for the long post, but I am stone-cold serious about this subject, and quite passionate about my driving.

You see, David, I have always loved to drive hard and fast, but I also love driving enough to have taken every driving course I could so I would be the very best driver I was able to be. Then I found that the real joy came from passing on what I had learned to others. Again, it's all about perspectives....

Have you had your Father read this thread? I really think you should, and get his guidance. He's your Father. Have him reply, I want to hear what he has to say.

One last thought from "The Duke", John Wayne:

"We must always look to the future. Tomorrow...the time that gives a man just one more chance...is one of the many things that I feel are wonderful in life. So's a good horse under you. Or the only campfire for miles around. Or a quiet night and a nice soft hunk of ground to sleep on. A mother meeting her first-born. The sound of a kid calling you dad for the first time. There's a lot of things great about life. But I think tomorrow is the most important thing. It comes in to us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday."

I wish you countless more "tomorrows".

__________________

Scott Longston
Northern California Wine Country...
"Turbos whistle, grapes wine..."

Wow. Reminds me of the time I was driving "hard" in a '73 Olds Delta 88 hardtop sedan that had just had a front end alignment. They had taken out some of the negative camber from the front wheels.

Well, I ended up losing it doing 75 through a 65 mph curve, doing several 360 skids that were later measured by the police at 688', hitting a tree sideways with the left rear wheel and flipping the car into a 20' deep ravine after crushing several small saplings. I was 18, and I remember thinking "this is really going to mess up my car." When the car landed, upside down, at the edge of a soybean field, the roof on the passenger's side crushed to within an inch of the top of the headrest. Every body panel on the car except the trunk lid was damaged in some way. I sure did mess up the car.

I was left hanging by my seat belt, the stereo still playing Blue Oyster Cult's "Hot Rails to Hell". I myself was uninjured except for a small piece of glass in my right eye. I was given an immediate ride to the hospital by a passing classmate whose mother worked at the Hospital. (fortunate) I shudder to think what would have happened to a passenger or if the roof had crushed on the other side. Yes, you can say a Mercedes roof wouldn't crush like that etc etc, but I'll never forget my father's look as he met me in the ER.

I will admit that at age 18 I didn't slow down much after this, but my next car was a W108 '72 280SE, and I wore seatbelts religiously. (The statute of limitations has run out on anything I did in that car.) I drove it hard for 18 months, raced every car on the road that was game, and am lucky to have never killed anyone. Then I traded the 280SE on a '78 Datsun 280Z (brand new, still kicking myself for trading the 280SE). Driving the 280Z as "hard" as I drove the 280SE for a year and a half, I had two speeding tickets within six weeks.

I remember the speeds that I used to drive, and today, as a 42 year old father, it makes me shudder. Just begin to think of all the things that could find their way into your path, and just thinking about all the options will make you slow down, hopefully. Remember, any intersection, any driveway, any parking lot, is a place where another vehicle can screw up and pull out in front of you. If you're flying down the road, people who only look 150' up the road before turning or pulling out in front of you may be in for a real surprise.

There was an article in a car mag a while ago claiming that one reason Montana reinstated the 75 mph speed limit was the fact that the average driver isn't used to a Corvette closing in on them doing 170 mph. The difference in closing speed would be like being passed by a 95 mph vehicle, with you standing still.

I still drive fast occasionally, but only on a limited access, well-lit, smooth, dry, police-free stretch of road. I drive hard a bit more often, but I have a diesel. I need to floor it, and when I do think I'm going fast enough, I glance down at my speedo and notice I'm about 2 mph below the speed limit.

Is it true that it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow?

__________________
Bob Roe
Lehigh Valley PA USA
1973 Olds 88, 1972 MB 280SE, 1978 Datsun 280Z, 1971 Ford T-Bird, 1972 Olds 88, 1983 Nissan Sentra, 1985 Sentra, 1973 230.6, 1990 Acura Integra, 1991 Volvo 940GLE wagon, 1983 300SD, 1984 300SD, 1995 Subaru Legacy L wagon, 2002 Mountaineer, 1991 300TE wagon, 2008 Murano, 2007 R320CDI 4Matic 52K, some Hyundai, 2008 BMW 535xi wagon, all gone... currently
2007 Honda Odyssey Touring, 2014 E350 4matic

Wow longston,

Bravo, well said.

I think you may have said everything there is to have been said on this thread!

Thank you for opening my eyes to your perspective and sharing!

And Robert, thank goodness you came out OK! I have never been in anything more than a minor fender bender. Reading these stories makes take a long look at my own driving habits and see some room for improvement.

From Robert, "Is it true that it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow?"

Yes, indeed it IS!

Ross

[Edited by roas on 01-27-2001 at 09:25 AM]

Even though I don't think I'll never get into an accident, I know that it's VERY possible. Those stories were impacting and I am glad that I heard them. I understand that you are just passing down wisdom. But, no, I can't and will not show this to my dad, sorry to say. I do not have that kind of relationship with him. I know that I still could, but I prefer not to.
As for the defensive driving course, I think that those would be very beneficial (i'll check out the link later), as you stated. I will be looking into those. Though I do my fair share of skidding around in empty parking lots when it's raining. But I never do anything fast because I was in an accident with a friend 2 years ago, and it scares me doing tricks too fast, thank god! ANyway, I know that only defensive courses and years and years of experience can make me an absolutely "good driver." I have more to say, but can't think of it!

__________________
2006 E350 w/ 155k miles (Daily Driver)

Previous:
1993 300E 3.2L Sedan w/ close to about 300k miles
2003 E500 Brilliant Silver (Had 217k miles when totalled!)
1989 300E with 289,000 miles (had for <1 yr while in HI)
03 CLK 500 cabrio (Mom's)
2006 C230k (Dad's)
1999 S420 (Mom's/Dad's)
2000 C230k Sport sedans
2001 CLK320 Cabrio (Mom's)
1995 C280 My First Mercedes-Benz... (155k miles. EXCEPTIONAL AUTOMOBILE. Was Very hard to let go of!)

TOO TRUE

TOO TRUE

TOO TRUE

No happy Trails Beep Beep for you from Houston.

Donald

It's more fun driving a slow car fast (relatively). I can attest to that with my "Speedy" 300D turbo, and so can my friend with his "not so speedy" 240D. Now one thing I'd LOVE to drive is a Ponton 190D. Imagine driving the hell out of that beast!

David,

I am sorry about how you perceive your relationship with your father. I don't know either of you, but you might be surprised to find out that it isn't what you view it as. It is very rare that a Father doesn't truly want to have a close relationship with his son.

Try not to be so defensive. I'm sorry if it seems to you that your driving skills need to be validated, but they don't. I believe that you are a responsible and capable human being, or I wouldn't take the time to respond to this thread. I think that TXBill said it very well "as the thread got longer and longer your driving seems to have gotten more tame.

No one EVER expects to be in an accident, that's why they are CALLED accidents. You really haven't got the point yet. Try to remove yourself from the "trees" long enough to view the "forest".

Do you think that Ray Barrios thought he was going to be in the accident that took his life? Even the best drivers cannot anticipate, predict, or compensate for the actions of other drivers on the road. The fact is, we really have no control over what other drivers do, only what we do. And if you are already pushing the envelope in your own little world, and someone else's little world suddenly intrudes into yours, then we have a prize-winning recipe for disaster. A truly defensive and safe driver avoids accidents by expecting that they could be in one every minute they are behind the wheel.

Take time to digest all of this. Don't feel you must respond every third post or so. Let it ferment for awhile, then reread the entire thread. But this time, pretend that the originator of the thread is someone other than you. See if that doesn't give you a fresh perspective.

And Robert, you should have sued Ozzy, man! It was obvoiusly his evil devil-music that drove you over the edge!

__________________

Scott Longston
Northern California Wine Country...
"Turbos whistle, grapes wine..."

David: perspective is also a function of our age. Save this thread and read it 6 months later with some quiet time. I rode hard and fast for many years on two wheels. By God's providence I paired up with a certified Keith Code race school certified instructor, now a close friend. I participated in many of his classes as a student, once because HE showed me how bad I needed it and many more times because I wanted to refine my skills. It was at this time that I realized how we fool ourselves into denial and think we are OK until someone else shows us a different "perspective". I realized that had I continued to ride in my present style (Kenny Roberts wannabe!) I would be pushing daises for a living. The training gave me a great appreciation for the motorcycle(s) (86 Ninja 1000 @ 151mph!) style, technique, finesse and a tremendous sense of satisfaction that comes from carving up a sharp "S" curve in the Texas Hill Country at my own level of competence. Now I take these skills and apply them to my 94 C280, love that car! (Birthday wish a performance course)
Summary: perspective, comes with maturity (age?! ) Relationships? Have never met a father that does not want a relationship with their son. I think it's the "manly man in us that makes us tend to drift away from close relations at times. Off topic but think it goes with perspective and attitude in our lives and our cars. Someone has to take the first step to admit a readjustment in how we will handle our cars and who will make the first move for that Kodak moment with dad. This very forum could very well be the ice breaker. would bet that he would LOVE to share his wisdom on driving if you gave him a chance!Although there has been very sound reasoning and advice shared here by to many to mention and this is a great community on line NO ONE can share their wisdom with you and have the same impact as your very own dad. AND if he likes cars we would welcome him also as a member to this forum!!! give it some thought, now and later down the road.
Keep the rubber between the lines and the tach off the redline! Best regards;Leon

OK, I've figured it out...Hottee is really a social psychologist testing a theory that us Designated Old Farts cannot resist providing gratuitous advice to the younger of our species.

Hottee, come out from behind your nomenclature and 'fess up...otherwise I'll be forced into a lecture on the morality of manipulating test subjects!

__________________
Dean Albrecht
"Lead, follow, or better yet, get out of the way!"E500 owners motto