"The Phoenix" rises.....it's a beauty.

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"It's normal for these things to empty your wallet and break your heart in the process."
2012 SLK 350
1987 420 SEL

that thing looks in perfect shape! I like that you decided to keep that phone, you need to re-purpose it somehow. make it into a garage door opener or something.

Nice car larry

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This post brought to you by Carl's Jr.

How about turning it into a cell phone scrambler.?

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"It's normal for these things to empty your wallet and break your heart in the process."
2012 SLK 350
1987 420 SEL

lots of potential and size. It could be a garage door opener, cell phone scrambler, and radar detector all in one.

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This post brought to you by Carl's Jr.

AND a bug zapper.....for those hot humid summer nights..I feel a new thread coming on...

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"It's normal for these things to empty your wallet and break your heart in the process."
2012 SLK 350
1987 420 SEL

Except for the fact that I do not blaspheme I felt pretty much the same way about GW albeit probably for different reasons.

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2001 SLK 320 six speed manual
2014 Porsche Cayenne six speed manual

Annoy a Liberal, Read the Constitution

I went to look at the 300E with a friend when they first came out. One on the floor had a manual and I commented to the Salesman on what a switch that was for US cars.

The Salesman was not happy since he figured he could not give them away. I told him BMW did not have the same problem but this did not cheer him up.

So my friend bought one but it had an automatic since it was a gift for his wife. He really wanted a manual.

All in all someone at Mercedes was thinking about how to give the customers what they wanted, but I guess there was too much negative feedback from the Salespeople since they had to really sell these cars and not just take orders for them.

It is good to see that one of them has made its' way into the hands of someone who can appreciate it.

A CRV isn't a left wing commie car, it's a high school girls car! (well, half anyways.)

Long time lurker, new member here, I've got an 1986 300E with a 5-speed manual transmission that just recently clicked 189K on the odometer! I've had it for the past 6 years and +90K of that total. If I found another one in great condition I'd buy it in a minute. Mine has a slightly different transmission than the 1988 model but the 103 engine and these manual transmissions are just a fantastic driving combination. The engine's power curve seems to be perfectly matched to the tansmission's ratios and the final differential ratio. It allows very smooth driving and changing gears.

The one thing I did do last year was completely rebuild the shifter and that was just icing on the cake! There are some small rubberised bushings where the rubber had deteriorated and separated from the steel outer and inner rings which made the shifter feel sort of "mushy" the new parts have tightened up the shifter and allow completely accurate shifter position now.

Nice to see someone else appreciating and caring for a great driving car!

Glad you're enjoying it Killer! Yes the '86 had a different transmission. Reverse was even in a different location.

The shifter bushings are different on the '86 shifter and easier to change. Luckily mine is still tight and smoothe.

In a collection of old Road & Track road tests, I have a road test of the '86 300E when it first came out and the test was done on a manual transmission car. They RAVED about it.

IMHO the manual TRANSFORMS these cars. They really come alive. I have given a few rides to other 300E owners that, of course, had automatics and they were always amazed at the feeling of power you can get from the stick.

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2001 SLK 320 six speed manual
2014 Porsche Cayenne six speed manual

Annoy a Liberal, Read the Constitution

We have a 1986 300E manual tranny as our race car. Rare in the US and winning Lemons Races!

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- Brian


1989 500SEL Euro
1966 250SE Cabriolet
1958 BMW Isetta 600

Well, remember, she had hit her head...

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Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.