What do people think of us clunking along in our clunkety clunkers?.
In a few days my classy shiney fast 97 SAAB Aero will be sold and I will be back to driving my 85 300D.
Right now, my 85 300D truly does clunkety clunk, it definitely is not like my 87 300D was, but I do expect to have that issue resolved by fine tuning the IP and alda.
I know many of you will say, "Who cares what other people think, just make yourself happy!" I think thats true to a point ,but consider this. If you needed Heart Surgery, and you saw your surgeon pull up in a '89 Plymouth Minivan with dead paint, no AC and balding tires, wouldnt you switch to the first surgeon you encountered with a 2005 Lexus!

Regardless of what we think, cars are an important social statement today.
My final solution? I will drive the 85 300D..the SAAB is going for my kid's tuition---.but I do realize the ramifications of my driving it. I am sure as heck going to paint it! (myself)

I guess I am in the "who cares?" category. To me, a car is a means to an end. If it gets me from point A to point B, I am happy. There are much more important things to worry about in life.

As to your situation, I think an education for a SAAB is a tremendously good trade.

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Keep everything as simple as possible-but no simpler--Albert Einstein

Perhaps people just wonder if we are firing on all our injectors? Really though 123 diesel cars make a statement I think but unfortunatly have not found anyone that can interpret it or will go out on a limb to vocalise it yet. Perhaps it's as my youngest daughter mentioned years ago when I drove our very first diesel into the driveway. Her statement was, dad perhaps you can apply for an agricultural grant now that you are driving a tractor. Since nobody other than the wife really ever mentions anything (not always positive mind you) I require this site as a support mechanisim. Although there must be something as my daughters report getting more attention when driving one of my oil furnaces than when in there own contemporary flashy cars. Perhaps I should just throw in the towel and join diesels anyonomous.

When I go to work, my boss's opinion of me is important because he signs my paycheck. My coworkers opinion of me is also important because they contribute to my getting the work done and thus my paycheck.

The opinions of others who don't contribute to my car payments, insurance, fuel, maintenance, well........ Opinions are like azzholes. Everybody has one. Some stink more than others.

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01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

I don't know yet....I've not yet got my car roadworthy enough to clunk clunk clunkety

But I am SOOO looking forward to that approaching day!

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Rob M
Norwich, VT USA
1980 240D Euro delivery 4 speed manual silver/blue
~160K miles

When I was a kid growing up, I lived near a family that was in Contracting and quite wealthy at one time and they traded in their new Cadillac's every year. This was in the late 60's/early 70's.
At one point they had a new Fleetwood Brougham, new Cadillac Convertible,and a new beautiful Buick Riviera in their driveway. They also changed their furnitute every three years.
They still live in that house today.
Their business hit the skids and family had some tough personal problems (its unlikely anyone who knows them will read this post) The house is falling apart now and has barely any furniture in it and they share one used car.
The story makes me very sad, because when i was a child, I played with their children a lot, and they were really nice people, and I still drop in to see them ever year at Christmas. I dont think they ever really did anything wrong, they just had terrible luck...Nevertheless when I see people mortaging their future away on expensive new cars, it makes me feel bad and I think of them...What little money I have I hope ends up in the bank--no shiney brand new cars for me..with the skills I've learned on this site, I always feel I can make some $2000 bargain run as long as a new car...

My daughter says it sounds likea school bus....and she's right!

I could care less what anybody thinks about my car.

Danny

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1984 300SD Turbo Diesel 150,000 miles

OBK member #23

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(='.'=) This is Bunny. Copy and paste bunny into your
(")_(") signature to help him gain world domination

I don't think most poeple know one MB from another, other than it being old or new. Most people will know what a new model looks like, but will not have a clue about and older car in good shape.

I'm the opposite......My wife was asking me what our car looks like....She's seen it but in the garage wheels off hood up etc....I've started pointing them out.....The other day we were walking down the road and I hear from behind us the distinctive music...and said here comes a car like ours....A nice wagon drives by and she says "close....but that's a wagon"

The newer MB's don't really do much for me. I'm more into salvaging and maintaining old stuff than buying the latest disposable stuff..Perhaps in 15 years I'll be admiring todays MB's

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Rob M
Norwich, VT USA
1980 240D Euro delivery 4 speed manual silver/blue
~160K miles

Thats true, I enjoy salvaging stuff too. I have respect for all cars, but I wouldnt be spending this amount of time and detail on a 1985 Toyota Corolla. Its true, these cars do go clunkety clunk, but they are marvelously engineered gems, and there looks and aethesthics ahve better taste than many 2005 cars. I would hate to be caught in a 2005 Cadillac Escalade, wasting gas and defiling the environment. The 85 Mercedes isnt a real clunkety clunker, its more of tick tickity tiicket tunker....like a Rolex watch

and my clunkety clunk doesn't prevent me from getting dates. Most women once inside don't notice the noise outside!! I do have to get the smoking problem fixed before winter. Once the windows are open, it will drift into the car. But the 20 year old Mercedes looks good. I've gotten plenty of compliments on it.

I try not to worry too much what others think...I love my car...it's paid for!!

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Tom in AZ

1985 300SD, smoke silver, blue interior, 146K
1973 280, 85K (sold)

I drive in a sea of new leased Mercedes but I really don't care. I drive my car because it's different, it won't cost $185 every time it gets driven to Target and gets dented by a haphazard SUV driver like the honda does. I like having a car that has has no depreciation...at least none anymore Plus I don't have to deal with that lease payment.

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1974 240D 3.0L 4(M) - 250K -OM617.910 + 300D FW + Rajay turbo power!
1977 6.9 3(A) - 84k

All my friends in college LOVE my car. Their jaw drops when I tell them the mileage I am getting on my car. Heck, during a debate in class I was the only one that didn't mind FUEL PRICES going up.

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Audi TT

In my area, I get the impression that people admire well-maintained older cars and the people who do the maintaining, whether themselves or by having it done. I see a lot of W123's around, frequently driven by high school and college students who seem to have inherited a family heirloom--I've had parents tell me they've bought or are looking for a 240D for a kid because they are unlikely to get him/her in trouble. Driving a nice older Benz is seen as conservative, I think.

That said, there are certain professions where you'd better be driving a nice car, older or newer, because driving a clunker would reflect poorly on one's ability to do the job. I had a financial adviser who drove a conservative blue Cadillac (not an Escalade), and although I would not drive a new Cadillac myself, that gave me confidence in his abilities, because he had done well enough (from his clients' commissions, of course) to afford a nice luxury car, but hadn't bought the flashiest model. I think I could trust a surgeon who drove a well-maintained 300SD, but I'd have my doubts about a surgeon in a sloppily maintaned car, even if only cosmetically sloppy--there's such a thing as being too frugal.

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1981 300D, "a lot of" miles (broken odo)
"Engineered like no other 24-year-old beater in the world."

When People raise their brow at me owning a mercedes I show them my hands.

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Rob M
Norwich, VT USA
1980 240D Euro delivery 4 speed manual silver/blue
~160K miles