Test drove my first mercedes

[The FNG]

I've been looking at getting a diesel mercedes for somewhere around 8 months now, but haven't been able to work out all the kinks in my life to make it work yet. I have a truck that I need to sell to fund the car, but like I said it hasn't worked out yet.

Anyway, I found a guy who had an '84 300d for sale who was looking to trade. It had 300k on the odo (before it broke), but the interior was in great shape as was the exterior (no dents, tears, rust, etc). I called the shop that had been servicing it, but they hadn't seen it in 4 years (300k...). Like I said the car LOOKED in good shape from the pics. So I got ahold of the guy and we set up a time to meet.

When I got there, it was dark, so it wasn't ideal for looking at a car. The exterior and interior were mostly what I expected. The front center air vents had been replaced with non-functional gauges, but otherwise was relatively flawless. Then we popped the hood. I guess I had higher expectations then I should have, but it was pretty nasty. I could tell there was fuel leaks on the ip, exhaust leaks by the turbo, vacuum issues (had to use the "stop" button), and 300k worth of grime on the engine block. I guess I half-way expected it, but was hoping otherwise. There was also remnants of a veggi oil kit that had been partially un-installed.

I decided that I would test drive the car, so we fired it up. It was already kind of warm, so it fired right up. There was a slight haze from the exhaust and some unburnt fuel smell. The idle was smoothe and the engine sounded strong. I backed out of the drive way and away I went....

...very, very slowly. I floored it and it was like a turtle at a drag race. Then all of a sudden, it was like a drag car at a drag race and it was cool for like 5 seconds. Then it shifted, and oh boy did it shift! I can't describe how it felt, but it was scary. Then it was fine.

I drove it back to the guy, popped the hood and killed the engine. It was late, so we agreed to finish the deal the next day and call it a night. I didn't end up going back (my son was sick and I couldnt), but I don't think I would have done the deal anyway.

I'm not sure how I felt about the mercedes overall. Even if it had been in better shape. The mb tex interior was stiff, the front seat was saggy, and the suspension was mushy (not soft, but bad shock mushy, almost like driving a boat type feel where the car dips and sways). I just felt like I was out of place driving it. I'm not saying I didn't like the car, it was just a different experience than I expected I think.

Anyway, that's my story. I still hope to find a diesel mercedes I like though.