My first Mercedes was a 59 190SL that I bought in 1974.
Since then, I've had at least one MB in the fleet, currently at six.

I've paid a little, and I've paid a lot. I've bought cheap cars and I've paid a premium.

Consistent patterns:

1. When I didn't have a lot of money to spend, I had to invest many, many hours of labor, and lots of parts to bring a car up to good operating and cosmetic condition.

2. When I spent a premium for a car, I ended up with a very nice car that I didn't have to do much more than wash, wax, and provide routine maintenance.

3. You can never buy a run down cheap car that needs work and make it as nice as a well maintained car without far exceeding the cost of the well maintained car. And your labor was free. I've tried many times, and it was a hard lesson to learn.

Jim

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14 E250 BlueTEC black. 45k miles
95 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 66k miles
94 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 152k miles
85 300TD 4 spd man, euro bumpers and lights, 15" Pentas dark blue 274k miles