How many of us have gone from a newer model to an older model?

Seems like MB is probably the only brand where people do not consistently upgrade to a newer model.

__________________
'90 300SE 298k
-300K and it gets put into retirement.
'80 300D 255k Purchased new by family in 1980.

Had a:
1973 220 (gas)
1980 300SD
1992 400E

Us old-school diesel drivers are a small minority as far as MB owners go. Most MB "owners" these days are actually leasers, who'll lease the new model as soon as it comes out. In Southern California there's handfuls of W211 E-Class being turned over because of the new CLS.

I'm cheap.............and I also do not have the problem of having too much money to get rid of.....so I doubt I will be upgrading to a more modern one....

Beyond a W126 that is.

__________________
Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
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Section 609 MVAC Certified
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"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

Agree with Speedy as far as the people here being a miority. Southern Californians are probably the most status conscious people in the country.

__________________
'90 300SE 298k
-300K and it gets put into retirement.
'80 300D 255k Purchased new by family in 1980.

Had a:
1973 220 (gas)
1980 300SD
1992 400E

The "highest" i'd ever want to go to would be a gas V8 W126 or R107. Then again im 17 and poor so my opinion here doesnt count for too much.

__________________
1985 CA 300D Turbo , 213K mi

I bet some of the locals here would give them a run for their money....

__________________
Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
---------------------
Section 609 MVAC Certified
---------------------
"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

Signature says it all. But I never got rid of the 300TD. Just went back to it as a daily driver

Got rid of the 99 E300 and now drive the 82 300TD and 88 560SL. The 240D is the Daughters.

Dave

__________________
1970 220D, owned 1980-1990
1980 240D, owned 1990-1992
1982 300TD, owned 1992-1993
1986 300SDL, owned 1993-2004
1999 E300, owned 1999-2003
1982 300TD, 213,880mi, owned since Nov 18, 1991- Aug 4, 2010 SOLD
1988 560SL, 100,000mi, owned since 1995
1965 Mustang Fastback Mileage Unknown(My sons)
1983 240D, 176,000mi (My daughers) owned since 2004
2007 Honda Accord EX-L I4 auto, the new daily driver
1985 300D 264,000mi Son's new daily driver.(sold)
2008 Hyundai Tiberon. Daughters new car

Recent article in Motor Trend:

The Asphalt Jungle: Means Streets
How can so many Angelenos afford to drive such amazing cars and eat?

By Arthur St. Antoine
Photography by Lionel Deluy
Motor Trend, June 2005

I have this acquaintance--to safeguard his anonymity, I'll call him "Homer"--who drives a 2004 Mercedes-Benz SL500. This fact makes me more than a little envious of Homer. After all, the SL500 may well be the greatest aphrodisiac since the diamond-flavored Valentine's chocolate or the Lenny Kravitz backstage pass.
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That said, I most definitely do not envy the price Homer has to pay to glide along in his SL500's rarefied cockpit. Each month, to cover his lease, insurance, and gas bills, Homer shells out more than $1800.
Illustration Troy Mendham

The thing is, Homer isn't rich. He inhabits a $735-a-month studio apartment in Burbank--a place so small that Verizon keeps trying to hang a pay phone inside. He wears cost-cutter suits that contain an alarmingly large percentage of unnatural fibers. And when he dines out, he's far more likely to drop into the local Red Lobster than to sup with Ashton and Demi at Spago.

Of course, you'd never know any of this if you saw Homer on the road. Out there, he's a master of the universe, ruling from the helm of one of the world's finest automobiles. Asked about this seeming lifestyle imbalance, Homer expressed himself eloquently: "You think I give a damn? C'mon. This is L.A. You either have a nice car here, or you are toast. I mean, I've had women beg me to take them out in this car."

Clearly, I was on to something. As anyone new to the city will tell you, the streets of L.A. are so awash with awesome automobiles that one's first reaction is to ask, "How did all these people get so bloody rich?" In truth, though, the parade of four-wheeled extravagance is largely an illusion--an example of life as Hollywood sound-stage facade. See, in this fair city appearances count. This, in itself, is not unique to L.A., of course. In New York, for example, it's possible to elevate one's status with any number of established hallmarks: a Burberrys trench coat, box seats at Lincoln Center, a gold-plated Mace dispenser. But in L.A.--that palm-lined jewel tied up in asphalt ribbons--the car is king. And many, it seems, will pay whatever it takes to ascend to the throne.

Also out on an automotive limb is "Bart," a 44-year-old computer-software developer. In most regards, Bart lives simply: modest house in Valencia, 20-inch Zenith, occasional weekend in Vegas. Open his garage door, though, and suddenly you'd think Bart has points in Microsoft Windows. On the right is an aging Chrysler LeBaron--"My chores car," Bart says. But on the left sits a blood-red 1988 Ferrari Testarossa. Purchase price, used: $91,500.
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Spying this stunning piece of Italian sculpture in such a setting is somehow unsettling--like finding a Picasso nailed to the wall of a Holiday Inn. But Bart doesn't see it that way. "I used to live in Minnesota, and with the winters and ice and all, you can't have a nice car there. But I promised myself if I ever got a job in California, I'd buy a great car. I've always wanted a Ferrari. Besides, it sure doesn't make it any harder to meet women."

Ah, a common theme. In L.A., clearly, a cool car is nothing less than an essential element in the mating ritual--cost be damned. I ask Bart if he thought about the possible "fringe benefits" before digging deep to purchase his Ferrari.

"Yeah, I guess you could say I did," he says with a smile. "Until I got divorced three years ago, the money was supposed to go for a bake shop."

__________________
'90 300SE 298k
-300K and it gets put into retirement.
'80 300D 255k Purchased new by family in 1980.

Had a:
1973 220 (gas)
1980 300SD
1992 400E

As I am now a broke college student I look forward to the day when I can afford a nicer car.

If I play my cards right and get a handful of rental properties to throw off ssay $1k a month I can let my renters lease me a new S class every couple of years.

Personaly I would never pay tons of money for a car I'd rather buy a boat.

__________________
2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200