I know what you mean. I recently bought an 87 300TD with just 36k garage kept miles that looks new and everyone at the plant makes fun of me. Then I drive home and I think WHO CARES. Just glad to be in the right place at the right time for a deal of a lifetime. Keep going they are just jealous!

36k miles! Pics/story please!

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Well,

I always think that driving an older mercedes shows style and class that people just can't run out and buy. Sure, you can just buy one, and many do, but you have to be the kind of person to buy one, and you have to know that even though they are expensive to fix, they don't need it very often if at all. Often that experience comes from being in a family where a new mercedes was looked at as affordable.

I mean, we bought a 280se new, and it was in the shop so infrequently over 300,000 miles it is ridiculous. Since it was my teenage car, many of those trips were due to my heavy hand as a new driver. Many were also for brakes, etc. standard wear items. It was sold due to terminal rust, an unfortunate side effect of that many miles in the salt belt.

If you didn't have that experience, how would you really know if you should believe the guy that says they are cheap, or everyone else you know that says they are money pits.... only for rich folks.

In a sense, I think driving an old mercedes makes one kind of mysterious in a nebulous old money sort of way, where people never really know do you drive it because its all you can afford, or because you put all your money into investments and are too smart to buy a new car.

That is probably where the jealousy stems from, they just don't believe you when you say you are broke and figure it is all offshore or something. Plus seeing your nice car makes them question why they spent $50,000 on a piece of crap when they could have a mercedes for peanuts.

take care,

Jester

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Current MBZ:
1970 280s - no rust california car
1966 230s - Dad's merc. big honkin sunroof, in family since early 80's

Departed MBZ:
1986 300sd - Mom's killed by a wreck @ 200k or so
1976 W123 300d - Slow, sold due to rust @ 275k mi
1970 280SE - Bought new, my first car in 1986. died from rust @ 300k, ran like a top.
196? 230 - My brother's college car. Rusted to pieces & egnine put in 230s we still have.

i love my '82 300d ive owned her for a year now. i am an aprentice so everyone at work knows how much (or little) i make. When i turn down overtime they always make a comment like, "oh yeah well he drives a benz!"

i've gotten to the point that when people try to give me flak about owning a benz i give them the one liner "that car's a year older then i am." people tend to quickly shut up almost as if the math problem 23+1 is advanced calculus only a super computer could hope to tackle. by the time they figure out it's a 24 year old car the conversation has moved on or i have left.

Remember that MacIntosh advertisement? Different is good. I am tired of generic Camry and Accord everywhere on the road. Mine is 1995 E320 in Black. I do get lots of attention all the times