Possibly the reason many people give us Mercedes owners a "break" on the road, is so that they could get a good look at good looking cars. Think about it, if you pulled up to an intersection that a Ferrari was at as well, wouldn't you let it have the right away just to get a longer look at it?

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1999 MB SL500 (110,000 mi)
2004 Volvo V70 2.5T (220,000 mi)
2014 Tesla Model S 85 (136,000 mi)
MBCA member

This morning I went to the pharmacy.
When I came out there was a used diaper smeared across my hood.
Some people are nasty.

Thank goodness it is snowing, the filth washed off my 300SD clean.

__________________
ASE Master Mechanic
asemastermechanic@juno.com

Prototype R&D/testing:
Thermal & Aerodynamic System Engineering (TASE) Senior vehicle instrumentation technician.
Noise Vibration and Harshness (NVH).
Dynamometer.
Heat exchanger durability.
HV-A/C Climate Control.
Vehicle build.
Fleet Durability
Technical Quality Auditor.
Automotive Technical Writer

1985 300SD
1983 300D
1984 190D
2003 Volvo V70
2002 Honda Civic

https://www.boldegoist.com/

That was very rude and uncalled for. Around here, they do not seem to target any particular make of automobile to vandalize. Luckily I live in a good neighborhood, but you never know when riff-raff may still come into the area and rake havoc on the cars. What happened to your car was downright wrong!

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2004 Toyota Sequoia Limited 4wd
1991 Lincoln Town Car Executive
1991 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1988 Mercedes 300SEL
1972 Chevrolet Caprice Kingswood Estate 9-passenger wagon
1973 Pontiac Grand Ville
(Prior MB's: 1974 240D, 1985 380SE, 1984 190D, 1993 400SEL)

nice reserection of an old long gone post whunter ...

i swear if i finda ding in my door the same color as the car next to me im going to knee their door.. i dont care what car it is or who did it..

I was furious when the realization of what it was hit me.
Checking with the manager, their cameras only cover the store door, not the parking lot.
The manager gave me some towels and a bag to clean the worst of it.

The motive bothers me, was it envy, hatred or vandalism???

I was on slow boil thinking about the incident when this thread came up during a technical search.
My thought after reading the thread was:
What happened to my car is nasty, but nothing compared to having a swastika gouged into the hood.
To be honest; I feel better having read this thread.
I hope others get relief, reading or venting on this thread.

man i the school i go to is in the african american section of the town and the mexican area.. their are eqaul parts white spanish and african american.. i would like to think people would respect a classic benz since they do look nice with a decent wheel combo on them .. as long as its no bigger than 16 and no smaller than 15

This is a GREAT book. I think about it sometimes when working on the MB.

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86 560SL
With homebrew first gear start!
85 380SL
Daily Driver Project

http://juliepalooza.8m.com/sl/mercedes.htm

Yesterday I was eating lunch in a restaurant in Austin. It was a nice day and I was driving my BMW Z3. I look out the window and see a guy in a Ford pickup with his door open against my car while he was leaning in the cab looking for something.

When I went out and confronted him, he said he didn't hit my car. Then he moved his door and saw the mark along with a dirt streak from his door. Aw, a little rubbing compound will take care of that. Then he closed his door and continued digging through his cab from the passenger side.

I wiped it off and had a nice dime-size ding and a chip in the paint. I went over to him, told him it wasn't coming out with a little buffing and asked if he'd like to come over and take another look.

He said, "No, I wouldn't". I asked if he'd rather I call the cops to which he replied, "Call someone that gives a sh##" and headed into the restaurant.

I resisted the urge to bury my shoe in his driver's door which I noticed had been keyed pretty heavily. I called the cops and they sent someone out. The cop had us exchange insurance info, etc. and gave us a form to file.

While the cop is outside, the guy says "I suppose you think I got some kind of big insurance, all I've got is liability". I told him if he hadn't behaved like such an a**, I might have let it go. When the cop came back in he told him to check his door, that he'd noticed it was keyed. The cop asked if the key marks weren't there before this happened and he said, No.

Nice guy.

I've had this happen before in the Z3. Came out of an outlet mall and see a 250 pound lady loading Christmas presents in a Honda with her door open as far as it would go against my Z. Then she nearly backed over me as I came over and she realized I was the owner.

I don't think either of these people put their door on my car because it was a BMW but I think they're reaction after the fact had a lot to do with the kind of car I was driving.

People are funny. For most of my life, I was in the music biz. I was a road manager and later a manager for hard rock and heavy metal bands. I had hair down past my shoulders, a beard and the usual leather, jeans, t-shirt wardrobe that comes with the territory.

In those days, anyone else with long hair would always say hello or give you a nod. A businessman in a suit had nothing to say. When I cut my hair and changed the wardrobe it was a complete reversal. Guy on an elevator in a suit and tie is suddenly talkative and friendly. And to the long-haired kid with the metal band t-shirt, suddenly I was 'the man'.

I'll say this about owning an MB or BMW, many people in this country have an intense dislike for rich people. It's nourished by some politicians and some in the media. I see it in the Astros forum I hang out on where most of the posters talk about the rich and greedy owner. And every time something like an Enron collapse happens, that automatically means these are the typical actions of rich people out to screw everyone else.

Personally when I see someone with a nice house or a nice car, it makes me think 'if he can do it, I can do it, too'.

Bill

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_______________________________________
1988 MB 560 SEL 138k - Desert Taupe w/ Cream Beige Interior.

Mods:
Euro Headlights w/Smoked Corners
New seats from a `91
ASA 15-Hole Replicas
Sony HU, JL Audio 400/4 Amp, JL Audio 2-way Components on rear deck, JL Audio 3-way Components in door & dash.


2000 BMW Z3 2.3 Roadster 33k
2002 Toyota Rav4L 50k

the black sdl is the worst for getting benz envy/ benz haters.

many times i have had people give me the finger when i did absolutely nothing to them.

all they know is it is long and black and a benz. i suppose they figure i paid the 50k or so it cost new.

but i often tell folks when they say something enviously that i only paid 4k for it (or whatever it was), it doesnt matter, they still feel that way.

i am pretty sure i dont drive benzes cause i want them to envy me. i drive them cause they are excellent and safe.

tom w

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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.

Shortly after I bought my MB, I was TRYING to pull into a Quizno's Sub parking lot (which is inside another parking lot off of the main highway), when a old lady in a Dodge Neon was coming out. She was in the middle of the entrance, trying to turn left and I was having to turn left in front of her (I was in the main lot) but then I realized that there was a huge curb on the right side, so I would have to wait until she came on out, so I could move left a little to miss the curb. I set there waiting for her to move, when I saw her lips moving a million miles a minute. She was very cross indeed! Don't know why, I had the right of way, but could not take it, as she had the entire road taken.

She finally moved forward, SLOWLY & I was trying to point to the curb in front of me, so she would know why I was not moving, but she would not hear of it, then proceeded to stick out her tongue at me as she passed!

I kind of shrugged it off and thought it was a bit amusing. However, if she had of been anything but elderly, I may have rolled down the window and spoke to the driver.

All of this may not have been because I was in a MB, as she probably did not even notice and it I had of been in my 89' Pontiac, she probably would have done the same thing, but thought I would mention it.

My MB is so old and faded, no one takes notice.

that last line is a little insensitive.

personally i have never had the misfortune to need welfare. and i have never had any illegitimate kids but i did have a grandchild that was. we all love that one as much as any of them. things happen.

one of my sisters was a single mom and was on welfare for a while. she went to college during that time. and her child's father (and her ex husb) didnt pay support. so i dont much criticize someone on welfare. most that are on it would much rather have a good paying job.

so for myself, i would appreciate such thoughts not be expressed here. this forum for the most part is pretty friendly and respectful.

although i would be tempted to hurt someone i caught vandalizing my property regardless of their social or marital status.

tom w

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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.

All of these happenings occur for the same reason. Insecure people who are jealous of almost everyone in the world who seems to have more nice things or be more successful -- always vent their insecurities on anything they can.

I live in Dallas and spend quite a bit of time in the SW Pa. area and have never had any problem with anyone at any time -- in regard to my Mercedes.
I drive three different ones and of course in Dallas about every 10th car is a Mercedes or another high quality foreign make.

Be proud of your cars and drive happily !! Ben Carter

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Ben Harrison Carter
1999 Mercedes ML320 87K
1992 Mercedes 300CE 89K
1995 Corvette 29K -- Sold Dec 09
1989 Mercedes 420SEL 99K -- (Sold 4/08)
1968 Mercedes 230S (106K) (Sold 9/06))
1976 Mercedes 450SEL 130K (Just sold - 06)
1961 Mercedes 220Sb (sold years ago)

About how many Mercedes dealers are they in Dallas? I wonder if any of those Mercedes that "J.R" drove in the TV series "Dallas" still exist and where are they now? He drove a 78' 280SEL in the 78-80 season, and a 81' 380SEL in the 81-83 season, then a 500SEL in the 84-85 season, and then a 86' 560SEL in the early-mid 86' season, before they gave him an 87' Cadillac Allante in the late 86' season. "Bobby" drove a new Mercedes "SL" convertible until 87', then again in 90'.

I know this because my mother was an avid watcher of the show when it was airing in the 80s.

I think I like to see it now just to see the older European cars on the show- that were NEW then - I am also a fan of Sheree J. Wilson (Walker Texas Ranger in her later years - also a great show).

Sorry - did not mean to get off track there.

It happens but how the heck cares what they think? I had a guy in a Kia flip me off for no reason. I was making a turn at a stop light and noticed the green Kia in the other land had his hand pointing in my direction with his finger up and a pissed look on his face. Screw him he drives a Kia he has something to be pissed about!

Another time I was crusing along on a local road with the SDL. I came up on a very old Chrysler minivan doing about 27 on a road with a 35mph limit where 90% of the local traffic does 40. I wasn't ridding him but I was closer then usual and trying to figure out what he was doing? So he gives me this back off wave and I am like what are you a cop? A legal passing zone came up, the road was clear and I made a perfectly legal pass. He flipped me off and I stuck my finger out the sunroof and sent it right back at him.

It depends where you are, but in more rural places you tend to atrack a lot of unwanted attention in a preceived expensive car. Maybe I am used to it I have been doing the MB thing for awhile, it really doesn't bother me.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

You know their is a good side to driving a MB. People tend to treat you differently but not always in a bad way.

For example I am trying to break into the local realestate investment market. If you are young (like me) and pull up in a nice conservative S class they seem to view you in a more positive light.

For example usually they had one back in the day its a great ice breaker. Or they think you may have something to have such a sensable and pricey car at such a young age.

A) 20 year old pulls up in a Toyota wearing jeans and a T shirt and wants to talk about locating investments.
B) 20 year old pulls up in a nice S wearing a nicely done suite and wants to talk about locating investments.

In the marine world I can say that having my cars has helped me get jobs. Not that I wouldn't have gotten them anyway because I know my stuff and do quality work. But I find people are more inclined to trust me alone working on their $1m boat once they see what I drive. They see me in a different light. Sometimes it helps you get your foot in the door, and that can mean a lot!

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200