I remember it was in the early 80's. I grew up in a small town, and back then American-made cars still had most of the market , except for the Volkswagon Beetle. You never ever saw any other kind of car. People on the high end of life, doctors, lawyers, executives bought Cadillac Fleetwood Broughams. I mean once in a while you might see a Saab or one of the first Datsun 500's but this was a grand time for American cars.
I knew there was a brand called Mercedes out there, but only by word of mouth and it was always mentioned in awe, as the next promotion after the Cadillac.
I do remember a few years later, we had a wealthy neighbor and the wife had a new Mercedes, it was a 1983 Diesel. Her husband was a prominent Architect and he bought it for her as an anniversary present.
I remember hearing all the older men in the neighborhood talking about it in awe and sneaking furtive glances at it whenever she drove by. " A Diesel", they would say, quietly to each other, as they huddled in small groups on the driveways after Saturday afternoon lawn care. They were proud hard working people, I think they would have rather been caught sleeping at work then get caught staring at that car. The way I heard them say it, the engine's its smooth clatter and rattle implied something phenomenal and mysterious and made of platinum and titanium under the hood.
All of us kids told each other we wished we would own one someday. Well wishes do came true, but in funny ways. It didn't own one until 1999. I paid $500 for a 1985 300D in 2000 at a junkyard. In that sense I'm glad my wish to be a Doctor didnt come true, I probably would have been a forensic pathologist instead of a surgeon.
I remember none of us kids dared play street ball near it or even go close to my neighbor's Mercedes and I always saw it from a distance. I mean no one ever went on their lawn, let alone their driveway or look in their garage.
This was in the days when some families only had one car, and my Mom never drove, she barely had a license. I remember my Mom was kind of sad when ever she saw that lady driving her Mercedes out everyday to go shopping or to the clubs, she was depressed becuase she felt that it was her personal failure as a house wife.
Boy, my neighbors flouted their wealth. Trips to the Carribeen and the Bahama's. Country Clubs and Golf Clubs. And they rarely even said hello to anyone and their four daughters were princesses with two cars between them.
Anyway, their marriage ended in Divorce, the husband ran off with another younger lady.
Not that I had any feelings about it. By then I was in high school, bent on escaping small town life. Of course now everyone yearns and dreams of living in a small town and a feeling of community in an era where you don't even know your next door neighbor....
I do remember 20 years later ,when I had to go back to my hometown 4 years ago to repair the family home and to sell it for my parents, I saw that lady still living there by herself, her home was missing shingles and siding and the once incredible lawn was choked with weeds now and she had an old Toyota Camry, and it wouldnt start in the winter, because the choke was stuck and one morning it was freezing, so I went over and fixed it for her. .
Of course she still never said hi for the few weeks I was in town after that, but i don't think it was because she was being snooty, she was just cold and miserable from old age.

A doctor that lived on my street purchased a new 450 SL, I was in love at first sight....

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1984 300D Turbo Sedan (Hilda) 272,115 miles.....
Anthracite Gray/Palamino Leather, I am 3rd owner

2001 Dodge Stratus (Silver) (wifes) 55814 miles...

1982 280TE Wagon Astral Silver Metallic/
Anthracite Velour
260,512 miles (Eva)

1969 230 Sedan Olive Green/Black MBTex
4 Speed Manual
84,213 miles ????
Haus Frau


2004 Boreem Ninja Pocket Bike
Highly Modified 49cc (Ling Ling)

Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit

Diapers.

Dad drove us home from the hospital after I was born.

As stated by Carramewow:All of us kids told each other we wished we would own one someday. Well wishes do came true, but in funny ways, I paid $500 for a 1985 300D in 2000 at a junkyard. In that sense I'm glad my wish to be a Doctor didnt come true, I probably would have become a proctologist.


HA HA I used to dream of marrying Raquel Welch or Joey Heatherton. of course that would make me 40 and they would be like 65

In 1973 I visited my new Step-Grandparents in NY. The word was that they were mob-related. Nice old guy let me (at 13) drive his 280 (maybe?) around the "estate." I remember a huge steering wheel and the car being very smooth and quiet compared to the Olds Cutlass we'd driven up in. Bragged to all my friends that I'd driven a Mercedes.

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1984 300Sd 210k

Former cars:
1984 300D 445k (!!) (Strider) Original (and not rebuilt) engine and transmission. Currently running on V80 ( 80% vegetable oil, 20% petroleum products). Actually not, taking a WVO break.
1993 300d 2.5 275k. Current 120/day commuter
1981 300SD 188k (Hans) Killed by a deer

Yea I remember back in 1957 at my uncles place one of his freinds came over and i think it was a 180. I fell in love with that car i was 10 at the time and it took me untill 1970 to get my first benz a 200d i drove that car 500,000 miles and next week its going to its final resting place the crusher. Have a 220d also it is also on the way to the crusher.Kind of fell sad about that.
But on the brite side there my sd's making me feel like my first benz did.
Bill

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94 dodge cummings,86 ford 6.9,75 mbz 240d[ sold], 82 mbz 300sd,83 mbz 300sd

Middle School in 1971- one of the teachers had a '59 190D I think, and in the winter, he would leave it idling all day in the staff parking lot. I'm not sure what he would have to go through on a winter morning to get it started, but he was never late for work! Must have had a heated garage.
Dave

'76 White 300D W115 "Pearl"

Standing on the front seat of my mom's 53-54 Plymouth, straining to see over the dashboard.

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'82 300SD - 361K mi - "Blue"

"Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement."

listen, look, .........and duck.

I don't really remember...

but back then in Indonesia, the only common MBs around were 190s, W123s and W124s.

The first one I saw had to be the 300E - because my dad pointed out why it's a 300E (300 stands for 3000cc engine capacity with E standing for fuel injection) - from then on I just kept pointing them out (124s)

until I saw a 200 struggle to climb up a hill *those carb'd 2.0l 124s*

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2008 BMW 335i Coupe

My cousin, who was 25-30 years older than me, bought a new silver 280SE in the late '70s. He brought it on a trip when they came to visit us in Florida. I remember everyone marvelling at how expensive it was at the time - I believe it was $25K or so, but not sure.

We drove it everywhere and then I rode back to Memphis with them. I'll never forget how nice it rode and how good the seats were compared to the GM cars my parents had at the time. After the trip, we all felt great. Not stiff or sore...

First one I ever drove was a new '85 380SE that my uncle bought. What an incredible car at the time. That hooked me for life!

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'87 300D 183K
'06 E320 CDI 10K

When I was about 12 one of my dad's buddies came to visit in his new 450SL. I remember thinking how the dash looked to me like a fighter cockpit.

The next one was a friend's mom used to give us rides in her 250 SE Coupe. Great car.

At 15 one of my friends and I used to sneak out his parent's light blue 108 280SE while his parents commuted to work in their VW Dasher to save fuel. Got that thing stuck in a snow bank once and were lucky to get away with out any damage.

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Anders

1995 E300
2015 VW TDI Sportwagen 15K
1977 240D (197K)
2002 Subaru Legacy L Wagon (115k) (Wife's)
Gone but not forgotten:
2005 Buick LeSabre
1998 C230
1984 300D
1983 240D
1981 300SD
1974 240D
1974 Fiat 124 Spider
1968 Triumph TR250

First saw a mercedes benz before high school, cannot remember where though.
First time I drove one was a friend of mine's 240D Manual (I have to hold the key to glow? what?) His glow plugs didn't work well either as I recall.

I drove the car, first time driving stickshift on the street (early years of high school..I drove an auto) out of a parking space in reverse up a hill
Around the parking lot and parked his car on the sidewalk in front of a the art/drama building blocking the doors and thus anyone from getting in or out
That was a night to remember.

2nd one I drove was mine
...3 or 4 years later

I think I saw some ponton models at the Kansas City, MO Auto show, probably in the mid-1950's. My father worked for Cook Paint & Varnish, and they made paint for Nash, Hudson and Chrysler in Detroit and gave the people in the front office passes.

At the 1958 Show, they had several finbacks in conjunction with Studebaker. As I recall, I liked the Golden Hawk better.

Also there were Borgwards, Goliaths and Lloyds.

Several years later, my Dad introduced me to a couple of engineers who had volunteered to restore the ancient Watkins Woolen Mill, which had closed down in 1870 or so. They both had ponton Diesels, and considered themselves Diesel evangelists.

In 1963, one of my college roommates at NMSU in Las Cruces, NM was a former First Lieutenent at Fort Bliss who had left the Army after they didn't make him a captain and was working on his MS in math. He had a brown Finback with a thermometer style speedometer. When he went home for Xmas in Wisconsin, a bunch of us came along, making stops in Dodge City, Wichita and Kansas City, and we all took turns driving.

His Diesel was a stick and it was the best handing car I had ever driven, far better than my 51 Chevy or even my 54 Hudson convertible.

Only 37 years later, I bought my first Benz

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Semibodacious Transmogrifications a Specialty

1990 300D 2.5 Turbo sedan 171K (Rudolf)
1985 300D Turbo TD Wagon 219K (Remuda)

"Time flies like and arrow, yet fruit flies like a banana"
---Marx (Groucho)

As a kid in the 70's I'd probably seen MB's, just didn't think too much about them other than they looked kind of funny with that round ornament, on the hood with a star in it. In 1981 I rode with my father to Waco, Tx. to pick up his first MB. 1981 300D, along with two other men who all went in together with the dealer to purchase 3 MB 300D's. Dad had owned a 1980 Cadillac Seville, and I think he traded it in on the car. When I first drove it, I remember thinking it was an "Armored Car" compared to the Seville. I liked the Seville because of the fancy stuff. I remember the lights on the Cad would could off automatically after you would walked away. I always got a thrill of hearing people say, "Oh you left your lights on" and at that moment or so they'd go off and they'd look so puzzled. However, as time went on I really liked the MB better, it just felt so strong which gave you a sense of pride. Now 20 years later i'm driving a 126 Diesel.