I moved in Quietly during the winter, toolboxes under cover, welder in a chest, engine hoist dissassembled, parts and fenders and windshields and air compressor quietly shipped during the wee dark hours...
Its spring and time to break in my new Neighbors..Dieselhead in town...!
Lucky me! The Homeowner Association president is my direct neighbor!
First of all--excuse my cynicism--I'm over 40 and worn and torn over people ....
To me, Neighborhoods just aren't like the Friends TV show or the Beverly Hillbillies where everyone drops in to help or pal around or chat or have a beer or play touch football with you.
To me neighbors are kind of like your carpool mates who act like they married into your family for the 40 minutes you ride with them and tell you everything about their wife and their son and their marriage, slam the door and don't recognize you in the office or skyscaper you work in-or even say hi in the elevator or a meeting-all they want to do is gossip about you and undermine you and the smartest thing to do is to be aloof from them .
Its far wiser to act like you are from an Eastern Republic and haven't assimilated yet and just grin at them goofily and act like you don't understand a single thing they say or know what a golf club is or a TV is yet and when they come over and introduce themselves, you say "What is nice day have good fun like be here like you and make prosper and lot of money ha ha.." in a thick accent.
Dont be soft.
That charming warm nice coulple that just knocked on the door to say "Hi" are the one's will take you to Court in one year when they sue you for the two inches of land that was misurveyed and want you to pay them big bucks or they will take your fence down!!
These sweet cute people in the Yellow Cape Cod across from you with the cute little boy will be the ones who groom that nice charming son of theirs into the behomoth that they coach to knock your kid's teeth out in the Soccer Games and then brag about it...
That handsome woman who invites you over to her barbecue will borrow your tools and never return them.....and she will build a swimming pool and use it at 3 am in the morning in the middle of the week...

Well I have started already.
I've done a few oil changes already and a brake job or two.
I have kept everything really neat and clean.
I have also fired up my air compressor and suffered anxious looks from people craning to see what the hell that sound is...
And I have moved my fleet of wrecks in slowly...first it was the nice car, then the 300D and then I strategically built up turf as i claimed parking spaces on the street for my wrecks and parts cars....(for a while I parked them at work and they complained..) Now all Five are here!!

Well the big day is coming. I have an engine to change in two weeks on my SAAB. Ther's quite a difference between changing oil and hanging the guts of a motor with every kind of fluid dripping out of it 9 feet in the air with your engine hoist while you neighbors calmly cut their lawns and glance disgustdly over their shoulder...

I know its coming. First the ominous letter... then the Court Notice... then the hastily hung For Sale by Owner sign...sighhhh...whats Life without aggravation? . Seriously though, I am a good neighbor and I haven't had much trouble over the years and sometimes people will surprise you with their good side. Some of this is humour...but always be alert...tall fences make great friends...

That's why I will never buy a house in a neighborhood with a homeowners association. My neighbors are indifferent or supportive of the auto work that I do in my driveway. Heck, one even offered to pay me to work on their car.

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1979 240D- 316K miles - VGT Turbo, Intercooler, Stick Shift, Many Other Mods - Daily Driver

1982 300SD - 232K miles - Wife's Daily Driver

1986 560SL - Wife's red speed machine

Exact reason I moved out of one of them and out to the country. It's an hour drive to work, but that's more time I get to spend with the Benz.

I wouldn't be able to handle that... I've lived at least half a mile from the nearest people my whole life and at least 50 miles from any town larger than 10K people, where folks are friendly and mind their own damn business... Now I'm in school and I know sooner or later I'm gonna have a run-in with the cops or whomever... Hell I routinely am grinding, welding, and blasting the music full on at 3AM... Don't get me wrong, I'd love to live in a packed neighborhood where people were direct, honest, interesting, and liked to shoot automatic weapons in the street (provided they exercise common sense and proficiency in marksmanship), blare music all night, and make all manner of racket, but unfortunately most people can't handle that level of freedom. It scares them. Bizarre, paranoid things people become when they cluster together... Its like sheep, but crazy, mean spirited, nasty sheep with sabre-fangs.. Possibly the inverse of sheep. Many humans in groups get panicky, nervous, dangerous, reactionary, scared, and aggressive. All at once. Hows that for a messed up herd response?

Good luck with the bastards Hope they turn out to be good!

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99 E300 Turbodiesel 100k

Yah right


YOU LIE LIKE A RUG!!!

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=187930

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

I like this method!

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<insert>clever statement</insert>

I can and do get away with this myself.

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DJ


84 300D Turbodiesel 190K with 4 speed manual sold in 03/2012