My 420SEL was totalled in the summer of 2004 at 198K miles. While it was parked, some *&*(&()&*(*& % teenager, probably drunk and probably yakking on her cell, scraped all the body panels along the driver's side. It still drove, but restoring it was beyond what I was prepared to get into.

Knowing I wouldn't be there to see it towed away, I left a note in the glove box:

To the new owner of this 1986 420SEL:

You’ve bought an excellent car. If you intend to fix it, drive it, and maintain it, as I hope you will, it will repay you with many miles of wonderful service.

I bought this car in May of 1999, and was forced to turn it over to my insurance company in August of 2004. In more than 5 years, this big grey beast never let me down. Keep it clean, change the oil and other fluids, and you will have a car to be proud of and which will collect many compliments from other drivers.

When you reach the 200,000-mile mark, or if you have questions about its condition and the services I’ve done, please drop me a line at [email].

Enjoy!

I never got an answer. Probably it wound up in a yard somewhere, instead of living out more of its Teutonic life on the road. I don't miss the mileage (17 mpg on premium), but otherwise I wish I still had it.

Funny, I never had the urge to leave a note for the next owner with any of my other cars. . . .

__________________
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-- Paul W. (The Benzadmiral)
('03 Buick Park Avenue, charcoal/cream)
Formerly:
'97 C230, smoke silver/parchment; '86 420SEL, anthracite/light grey; '84 280CE (W123), dark blue/palomino