I hate it when people find out that I drive A MERCEDES then they go WOW what do you do.They think Iam rolling in A brand new s55 amg or an sl 55amg or something really expensive something you would see on MTV.well I do drive A MERCEDES and its 20 years old with over 300,000 miles on it but its still a MERCEDES! my 20 year old car is worth more to me than A brend new kia,hundia daewoo or saturn, are their car clubs for these brands do they hold their value can you still get parts for them 10 or 15 years down the road? MY 2,000 dollars is going to go A lot farther than their 10 or 15,000 .I cant help it if their stupid.By the way look at unimogs their total work horses and whats on the front of the grill thats right A STAR! so when someone asks you that question find out what they drive and tell them that they got ripped off, after all its not how much money you have its HOW SMART YOU ARE WITH YOUR MONEY!!!

I no longer tell people what I drive -- I've gotten tired of prying the starry-eyed youngsters off my wallet.

Most of them seem to think my 300D is new, too. Nice that a 16 year old car looks new.

I don't have any money.

Peter

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1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!

NO PROBLEM. Do what I do. You see it is usually the girls who get so wide eyed upon hearing you drive a benz. Well, pick her up, take her to your place, have wild sex, and boot the ***** out the door!!lol HAve fun with it man

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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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
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

I use to get this when I was driving an older BMW. People asked me.... "DID YOU GET A RAISE".

I told them the truth. "NOOO" I sold my NEW Hyndai to get a real car and saved BUNDLES of $$$

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"Know other lessons I need to learn? TELL me. Tired of learning'em the hard way".

Glow Plug Wait: [i} Time of silence in homage Rudolph Diesel. Longer you own a diesel. more honor you give". [/i]

Life; SNAFU Situation Normal All Fouled Up, & FUBAR: Fouled Up Beyond All Repair

-Now: Snafued Jeep TJ w/OM617 2Be daily driver & building SS M1079 w/Ambo boxed /live in Adv. Truck, Diesel KLR conversion
-Sold 62 UNIMOG Camper w/617 Turbo, 85 300SD

peter I aggree thats another reason mercedes are a good buy THEY AGE VERY WELL a 15 or 20 year old benz looks really good look around at others brands of the same vintage they look like ****. being smart does have its advantages.

People just act funny when they find out you have a Benz, regardless of the age of the car. They think it's like a 91 or something slightly new because of the body style production years (1979 to 1994, 94 in South Africa), when in reality, it's 22 years old. My teacher jokes around, and told someone, "hey, Joe got a 99 Benz!" He's cool though. But some people, they think I'm rich or something. The truth is, I'm not. We got it used in 1988 for a low price, and it's probably worth $2,500 now. There are only a handful of people I know who don't hate me because I drive a Benz. They like the concept of a classic Benz being driven to HS. They call it, the "big body benz." I have a friend who drives a 94 Lexus to school, and the people don't really like him either. They're what us younger generations call "playa haters", or, people who hate you because you have something nice that they don't have. For instance, my dad drove me to school in my Benz about a month ago, and a friend of mine saw me. He asked, "was that your Benz?" I said yeah. He said "you need to go to Maaco and get it repainted." I told him "at least I have a car to drive", and asked him, "where's yours?" His reply... "CARMAX!!!". Carmax is full of nothing but overpriced, raggedy used cars. I think he was just jealous because I have a Benz. Well, some people at school are jealous, they just don't know that I know, I can sense it, but when I come up to the school in a few months with a shiny new paintjob and my tires glistening, and chrome shining, they'll be SICK!!! My only friend will probably be Jesus by then.:p And I once got funny looks from a girl when I driving through the church parking lot trying to leave. I was smoking, klattering, typical diesel stuff. She gave me a funny look. I said to myself, at least I don't have to wait for my mom to pick me up. That's my experiences.

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'81 MB 300SD, '82 MB 300D Turbo (sold/RIP), '04 Lincoln Town Car Ultimate

Sooner or later every car falls apart, ours does it later!
-German Narrator in a MB Promotion Film about the then brand new W123.

You know that is the only one who counts anyway!

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1981 300D 147k
1998 VW Jetta Tdi 320k
2001 Dodge Ram 2500 141k
1979 300D 234k (sold)
1984 300D "Astor" 262k(sold)
Mercedes How-To and Repair Pictorials
I love the smell of diesel smoke in my hair

I had completely forgotten about this thread, but something did happen recently that ties directly into the subject. We now own a 911 SC. We also recently got a puppy Golden Retriever, which as any puppy will do, gets excited and likes to jump up on people when they approach. I know that he will out grow this. Well my daughter took the dog for a walk down the street and someone made the comment that we should take it to an obedience school. My daughter basicly repeated what I had said about not wanting to spend the money for something that he will mostly likely grow out of anyways. Well the reply my daughter got was ".....well, you own 3 Mercedes and a Porsche. Money shouldn't be a problem". I can afford to send the dog to "school", but that's not the point. What people don't realize is that all 4 of my cars cost me a total of, $16,000. A hell of alot less than the $32,000 they spent on ONE Chevy Tahoe.

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1999 MB SL500 (110,000 mi)
2004 Volvo V70 2.5T (220,000 mi)
2014 Tesla Model S 85 (136,000 mi)
MBCA member

Tell the noisy neighbors to go back to their cable tv and get out of your business.

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1981 300D 147k
1998 VW Jetta Tdi 320k
2001 Dodge Ram 2500 141k
1979 300D 234k (sold)
1984 300D "Astor" 262k(sold)
Mercedes How-To and Repair Pictorials
I love the smell of diesel smoke in my hair

I was reading this thread this morning, smiling, because I thought I was the only one. I live in a pretty rural town in eastern North Carolina. My only neighbors are 1/4 to 1/2 mile away (within rifle range) and our house is surrounded by tobacco and soybean fields. We bought our house a year ago out of sheer luck. Its an 1860s farm house completely restored/renovated, on 2 acres for a song (divorce/almost repo). I drive a 81 300D and an 85 Toyota 4Runner, and my wife has a Toyota Highlander. The local farmers around here act really goofy towards me and my car, dirty looks, comments, weird stuff. I heard the comment "there goes rich boy" when I was leaving the store one day. The guys at work act funny too. What they dont realize is: I paid 1000.00 for this car. I sold a Subaru WRX I was paying 375.00 per month plus outrageous insurance, and bought her with my income tax return last year. My car has paid for itself, and due to having it, my wife and I can afford to make our house payment. All of those farmers drive newer pickups, and Ford tractors, and probably bust thier humps to make payments.

Now heres the best part. On New years Eve, I slipped in some spilled beer and fell down a flight of stairs at a restaurant. I broke both of my hands, and my left arm. I have been at home since, not working. My long term disability insurance pays some, but the extra money just isnt there right now. Our 300D has saved the day, by just running on a regular basis, and not costing me anything but diesel, oilchanges, and 88.00 a month for FULL coverage with no deductable. They can give me all the dirty looks they want, but if mainstream America really knew how good and affordable these cars are, you wouldnt be able to find one in a junkyard.

This is my second 300D, my third Turbodiesel car, and Im not looking back to a gasser anytime soon.

-Ob
1981 300D "Melba"
1985 4Runner "Billygoat"