Question for our respected older and wiser members. - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

JordaanDMC-12 · #1 11-22-2009, 11:23 PM

I love listening to people talk about the "Olden Days" and ask my parents questions all the time about the 60's, 70's, 80's and my cousins about the early 90's... They get tired of all of my questions lol

I have asked my parents where Mercedes-Benz and BMW were at those times. Now my parents growing up in La Puente and San Gabriel, California tell me that they didn't really remember noticing them until the 80's and even then really didn't pay attention to them... They told me when they did see them they immediately thought "Those people have money to afford that car" So I didn't really find the answer I was looking for.

So specifically 60's and 70's where was Mercedes-Benz and BMW at that time? Were they popular? Many on the roads? What was their reputation known as, how were they thought of? What was your perspective on them?

What was your reaction to Diesel Mercedes coming out? How available was Diesel at pumps back in those days? (Can you see where my parents get tired of me

) If anyone can answer some of these questions, it would be MUCH appreciated, I'd find it very interesting and fascinating!

Did anyone ever walk around the showrooms in the 60's 70's and 80's checking them out? Has anyone ever test driven a brand new 300E w124 when they came out? or any Mercedes or BMW for that matter?

#2 11-22-2009, 11:36 PM

They were pretty rare in the 60s where I grew up. By the 70s I remember seeing a few Benz around (and a few on TV), but I don't remember seeing a lot until I moved to Boston in the early 80s. I do remember looking at 123s, 126s, and 107s at a new car show in the early 80s, they cost about $30-40k and I think I was making about $20k per year. At the time I was more interested in porsches.

#3 11-22-2009, 11:40 PM

Also, my girlfriend at the time bought a new 81 320i. I drove that car for a couple of years until she moved out. At the time, I was driving a 73 914/4.

pj67coll · #4 11-22-2009, 11:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JordaanDMC-12

So specifically 60's and 70's where was Mercedes-Benz and BMW at that time?

Depends very much on "where" you were in those years. What country etc.

- Peter.

Fulcrum525 · #5 11-22-2009, 11:49 PM

Well i'm not one of the older and wiser members but I do remember one saying that back in the day (Pre-90s) seeing any Mercedes was a big deal. Think of it this way, if you saw an AMG today, no big deal, but if you saw an AMG prior to 2002, it was a pretty big deal.

JordaanDMC-12 · #6 11-22-2009, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craig

They were pretty rare in the 60s where I grew up. By the 70s I remember seeing a few Benz around (and a few on TV), but I don't remember seeing a lot until I moved to Boston in the early 80s. I do remember looking at 123s, 126s, and 107s at a new car show in the early 80s, they cost about $30-40k and I think I was making about $20k per year. At the time I was more interested in porsches.

How awesome!! that's so cool you got to see them at a new car show! What did you think of the Diesel models when they came out?

JordaanDMC-12 · #7 11-22-2009, 11:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pj67coll

Depends very much on "where" you were in those years. What country etc.

- Peter.

To me it doesn't, any input from anybody anywhere of these cars at that time is good enough for me!

Do you remember them in RSA? How were they thought of there?

JordaanDMC-12 · #8 11-22-2009, 11:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fulcrum525

Well i'm not one of the older and wiser members but I do remember one saying that back in the day (Pre-90s) seeing any Mercedes was a big deal. Think of it this way, if you saw an AMG today, no big deal, but if you saw an AMG prior to 2002, it was a pretty big deal.

I hear yeah, I was watching "The Chase" with Charlie Sheen and Kristy Swanson and my dad pointed out how she is looked at as having money because she drove a brand new at the time 1993 BMW 325is..

Chas H · #9 11-23-2009, 12:03 AM

I began working in shop repairing Benz, BMW, Porsche in 1971 when corporate life and I had enough of each other. There was enough business to keep 4 of us busy. This was in a sleepy town in NJ on the Delaware River. Benz and BMW were never remarkable as far as I remember.

#10 11-23-2009, 12:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JordaanDMC-12

How awesome!! that's so cool you got to see them at a new car show! What did you think of the Diesel models when they came out?

At the time I had never even been in a Benz, one of my "rich" friends had a VW rabbit diesel that his dad had bought. We thought that was pretty exotic. I remember being very impressed with the first aid kits in the new Benz. This was only a couple of years after gas "shortages" of the 70s, so diesels were the latest and greatest inovation. I probably would have bought a 911 or a 6-series BMW if I had any money to spend on a new car.

MTI · #11 11-23-2009, 12:18 AM

My brother had a 1600 BMW which eventually became a victim of rust out here in the middle of the Pacific. The BMW's of that period were not of the same build quality of Mercedes and the interiors were very spartan. However, the tall "greenhouse" and very thin pillars made it seem very open and light.

#12 11-23-2009, 12:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MTI

My brother had a 1600 BMW which eventually became a victim of rust out here in the middle of the Pacific. The BMW's of that period were not of the same build quality of Mercedes and the interiors were very spartan. However, the tall "greenhouse" and very thin pillars made it seem very open and light.

I still like the (round tail light) 1600/2002 BMW better than the 3-series that replaced it. A friend of mine had a tii that was a blast.

tonkovich · #13 11-23-2009, 12:36 AM

2002's were popular here (los angeles) in the early 70's. a friend's father had an SLC (probably a 450? in that "brown" color) about '78. (was considered very cool) also lots of SL"s and i remember first seeing a 600 in the 70's (tho maybe it's memories of african dictators of the 70's - seemed to be the car of choice)

maybe because we (the family) traveled to europe a lot in the 70's, i was more aware of other lands, cultures, cars etc.? (or maybe i was weird and obsessive even then?

a little of both)

oh, also, bavarias (actually a 5 series, kind of cheap version) were popular, and 2800's and 3.0 coupes were around. and a few 116 sedans. my mother's cousin (my second cousin?) had a "yellow" 280e, new, about '77? (is that possible?)

oh, and richard gere had a 450sl in "american gigolo" - which was really l.a. in 78?

pawoSD · #14 11-23-2009, 12:37 AM

They were pretty popular where my dad grew up...

Because that was just outside Sindelfingen, Germany.

His parents both worked at MB from the late 60's through the early-mid 90's....and he worked there for about 4-5 months a year from 1980-84 or so....in the paint dept, offices, and seat making (rear benches) dept. He put together the rear lower tex bench seats. So its quite likely that he made quite a few of the seats or did some primer paint work on many of the cars owned here in the forum.

Probably not many folks on here that can say they actually worked on the assembly line their car traveled down.

mytmousemalibu · #15 11-23-2009, 12:42 AM

Well Im bout 27 now, getting older but wiser...meh....maybe! But Ive grown up around cars my whole life. We have a small family owned carlot. Ive always been a european car fan and diesel nut for that matter. Of some of the ones we had back then when i was pretty young, a few stand out. I remember in the late 80's riding in a fairly new BMW E30 M3 with the revvy S14! That was fun to ride in with dad! It seemed like a supercar to me back then! He also got a brand new Vette that he had a whole week before Mom got to upset. And we've had a number of mean street machines. I had a tendancy to get my dad to drive diesels for his daily drivers. I pursuaded him to drive an iirc 83 240D 4spd he got. And i would go to the carlot on saturdays with him. So that saturday on the way to the lot, on one of the most conjested roads in town the Benz started to hiccup! Now he had expressed how it was a nice car but no power and it was irritating, now it was running out of fuel! The gauge didnt work! So we pull over and he gets to a phone and has mom bring diesel and some gas. Filled the tank and used some gas on a rag over the intake to help get it started. After alot of cranking it started (we didnt know about the primer pump) and went to put the gas up and the neck broke and sloshed gas all over dads pants. So it was just a glorious day, and he never drove the 240D again, it got sold!

Whats ironic is the same cars i grew up around, is the same group i work on and drive/own every day....