I got my first taste of the MB haters when I was young. My father, the mechanic, bought an early 70's 450 from an insurance co. The car had an engine fire and needed body work, but was basically brand new on the inside. We (he) worked on this car for months, rebuilding and refining. Finally she looked better than show-room new with white leather interior, real wood, and smoke ext.

He drove it around to show it off. The car was egged, stoned, scratched, and kicked. Finally, after about three weeks of abuse, someone broke all the windows out, kicked in all the fenders, jumped up-and-down on the hood, top, and trunk, scratched all the paint, and non-surgically removed the leather and wood trim!

We always had a new Ford in the driveway, as well as nice trucks and the occasional Muscle car. Only one other person in our town owned a MB - he was the owner of an oil company. No one in the town ever treated us this way before, because we had NORMAL cars in the driveway. We were branded as 'those rich people that are too good for us'. Rich?!? My father was a school teacher that fixed cars in the evenings!

I had a couple of other MB in high school and college, but I basically bought them cheap, fixed them up (cleaned them up), and sold them to the preppie kids for a considerable profit! I drove them around just long enough to make someone want it.

When I got married, we drove 'normal' cars. I bought my wife a Taurus and it was totaled by a negligent 'little-ol-lady'. I bought her the 240 and then traded her up to the 300 the next year.

When I bought the first MB, people did treat us like Lepers. But, soon they realized that we were the same old loveable a--holes that we have always been.

When driving to work or in the big city, I get mixed looks. Some people look, point, and say what a 'nice old car'. Others just flip me off.... I just smile and wave back.

The MB STAR on the hood does cause some people's blood to boil. I do not understand why, it's just a car (yeah, right). Other people just stare or point as if to say, 'hey, there goes a guy that made something of himself.' But they probably own MB themselves.

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William
76 240D (W115) - 550K miles
78 300D (W123) - 200K+ miles

[This message has been edited by WmHarlow (edited 08-15-2000).]