WoW! I feel like I found a sanctuary! Well, it is such a pleasure to return German Engineering at it's finest.
Here's my notable auto transition history (starting with a benz of course) :

1995-1996: had the pleasure owning and driving a 1985 grey market 190e-16v. Blk. smoke/Blk. leather interior, all stock save for blk.sheepskin, dark smoke tints, a 10" self amplified bazooka tube trunk mounted, and a pioneer cd player......after have grown up around german cars (my father and I used to import) I realize the impressiveness of this small sedan (Always am and will be a MB lover at heart)...7mo. later I lend it to a friend, car gets stolen and is severely crashed, I simultaneously achieve the feeling of loss for a close companion (cossy)..after years of high speed therapy I move on.....

1997: I purchase a second gen. Anniv. RX7. I immediately consume myself in modifying the Rotary rocket. (Notice the heart/powerplant of the car is originally the wankel engine the one Felix Wankel from mercedes designed . Anyway, in the end, after killing 3 stock turbos and detonating & blowing the apex seals, I achieve hp. in the mid to upper 500's at the eccentric shaft (TO4S, Fuel, IntC., Streetport, piping, among many other mods.), I bring the car into the world of drag racing, both in the streets at night and on the track. I get my SCCA regional license and hit the racetrack with a posse of RX-7's.....I blow the ported engine (bleed valve locks and the turbo erradically spools past 25psi. (the#mygauge goes to!!)). I make off with something and sell the car for $4800(w/damaged eng.)....I wave off to the world of Japanese sports cars.....

1999: I purchase a 1996 Mustang SVT Cobra, Laser Red/blk. int....I only do a few touches for looks (clear corners, red/blk elegant seat covers, few other misc. things) I clean an already dropped in K&N airfilter, I do not do any mods. being that I am too busy at the time. Powerwise the car is impressive, I know it has the potential to push a little over 600hp. if done right. However her weight is too much and her ride height is too high, seats aren't comfortable, steering radius stinks, and high speed stability is weary. I achieve 145mph a few times although not too comfortable.....thoughts of MB linger at heart.....I sell the american horse with a satisfied handshake to the car...

2001 end of July: I stumble across a 190e-16v sitting on the curb corner of a mechanic shop while driving my little 1988 900 Saab. It's a love longed for...she throws her hair and looks back at me, a dark grey smoke color she is w/ a black interior, she invites me with her yellow fog-light eyes and her mounted 17" AMG monoblocks w/P7000 Super Sports, she's lookin good. However, theres no forsale sign!! A quick and complete sadness overwhelms me for a moment before I straighten myself out. I go in the shop, casually ask about the car, and the mechanic explains to me its in for a waterpump replacement but the owners having thoughts of selling it, he works right down the street, before he even finish his sentence I'm already at the owners place of employment shootin at the situation. Turns out he is the second owner of the car which has 120K mi. on it, he owned it for 2 yrs. but only took it out on weekends because he has a volvo 850turbo that he drives now. I excreet all my years of loneliness and focus on aquisition of a love once lost. I buy her for $3K !!! and run to my love.....

This is my story guys. Since the purchase of the car I have found that making love to this car daily is what I have been searching for my whole life. And of course it is mutual to the car , upon purchase I immediately changed the fuel filter, oil filter, checked all the fluids dropped in a K&N, platinum plugs, and new rotors & pads & painted the calipers an aluminium color. I would have purchased slots however my girlfriend works at a huge mechanic shop and got the rotors for $13 rear & $20 fronts (besides it's not on the track...yet).

So far I've hit 134mph. and she feels solid and eager (much much better stability than the Cobra had at this speed). The noticed differences I've seen between the grey market I used to have and the one now is powerwise the grey market had 10.5 versus 9.7:1 comp., the rear is shorter on this one 3.27 versus a 3.07. The grey market one had air adjustable (3 levels) euro-headlights, it also had a fire extinguisher under the drivers seat. It also didn't have a breaklight under the wing, seemed a little lower and gauge-wise the speedo only went to 140mph but the redline on the tach was 7,000.....WHEW!!! Well, thats my intro. in a nut shell. I'm glad to have found the forum and..... IT'S GOOD TO BE HOME!
-Adam
86' 190e-16v