Posted on 12/24/2022 6:11:36 AM PST by FLNittany
Mercedes Benz W123 is the best-selling Mercedes-Benz of all time - 2.7 million made. It radiates old-school spirit of quality engineering.
**You don’t necessarily drive a Ferrari to the grocery store or lumber yard.**
Exactly. People are too worried out what other people think, as though everyone is watching them like they are some enormously overhyped celebrity.
My son’s late model F-150 was totaled by a drunk driver who hit Ute gilet he truck was parked.
He just bought a 1990 something S-10 from a friend to replace it.
My kid is an OTR trucker so he only need it on the two days a week he’s home.
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Cousin had/has one other than baby blue its a great car.
Yessss, I know this car, well. It’s the automobile that teaches patience, with the diesel engine starter light. The doors were large and heavy, with a distinctive “thunk”, hermetically sealing you in. The seats were large, top quality leather which felt like sitting in a huge catcher’s mitt. It drove like a luxury tank, only comparable to the Bentley of the time - or like tacking a sailboat on the road.
I had a 1981 300D 4 door sedan for about 5 years down here in FL.
I will say this - I don’t think they’re great cars for Florida for a couple of reasons. 1) the A/C wasn’t designed or built to run constantly. Prepare for costly replacements of the main components at some point. 2) if you’re on the ocean or the gulf and it’s not garaged rust is in the car’s future.
What did mine in was the sunroof drainage system clogged and caused some rust in the roof. I’m sure that engine is still running somewhere, doing something still today though. It had about 275K miles on it when I traded it in on an Explorer.
Bought my ‘85 Mercedes 300 TD in 1991 from a Lexus dealership on Long Island, NY. They had taken it in on trade for a Lexus.
One owner with 51K miles on the odometer. Today, 30+ years later 248K miles. Have kept it in immaculate condition all these years and occasionally show it in local car shows.
First automobile I ever owned was a 1953 170S MB, a four-door sedan that looked a little bit like a 1938 Packard Clipper. L-head four-cylinder engine, four-speed manual with shift lever on the steering column, and a central lubrication system for the front steering linkage and suspension that was actuated by a foot pedal. And “Mox-nix” flipper turn signals. This while I was stationed in Germany in 1957-1960. A year later I sold it another GI, and bought a 1954 220A, which was the next design model and resembled very closely the 1956-1958 220-S model, which was the performance version with multiple carburetors. Best automobile I was ever to own, and I used pretty rough, taking it out across trails and down back roads better suited to a Jeep. Sold it and bought a 1949 VW with the 900 cc engine, so I could afford to get married to a foreign national. The VW was the worst automobile I ever had, until I got a 1981 Dodge Aries K-Car.
I had one of those! Took it on many adventurous camping and ski trips before I gave it to my brother during my nasty divorce.
He loaned it to his wife who went out drinking with a friend. Wife says she’s too drunk to drive, so tells her drunk girlfriend to drive. All is going well until wife starts puking, distracting friend who piles it into a barrier.
Car did it’s job, not a scratch on the two drunk cows inside. That led to my brother’s nasty divorce.
Good times!
No, the late models of the W108 that preceded it were better. Essentially the same car as the sedan in the top picture, but with a 4.5 liter gasoline engine crammed in and in the “L” models backseat legroom and comfort unmatched
+++++++++++
I’ve owned both - 1973 280SE 4.5 and a 1979 240D. Mercedes has certainly lost its way. Those cars were a joy to own. The 240D (manual trans) was a dog but that was not its purpose. It was made to last 300,000 miles before you even thought about doing any engine work. Great memories.
Never watched it
an E 350 passed me the other day & except for the model number on the rear end, it didn’t look any different than today’s lincolns, acuras, nissans, yotas.
today there’s nothing distinctive that says mercedes like my old 240D
Tractor seats. Put 450k on my 80 non turbo it’s still running today I just got sick of driving it
I agree, and I drive an E350 4-matic. I used to see Elin Woods in my Publix from time to time when she lived down at Seminole. One day she was filling the trunk of her white E350 convertible w/ ice and food heading to the beach. In a white bikini.
Nothing stood out about the car.
My friends all drive Porsches.
...which felt like sitting in a huge catcher’s mitt.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Perfect description of those seats.
Our 2019 Ford Escape Titanium had it’s engine replaced at 50k miles. Ford wouldn’t do a new engine warranty, just until the existing warranty runs out which is 60k miles. Service manager recommended we get rid of it before then.
Bought a 2023 Volvo XC40. We’ve had it 2 months, 1200 miles and it’s had 3 S/W upgrades and was still acting up. Been in the shop since last Tuesday and they said they’d give me a call next Wednesday. 961 page owners manual.
All the new cars are crap. Way to much computer shxt on them to ever run right.
The 2008 F250 runs fine. I call it the Windows XP version so it runs. The 75 Vette runs fine, original engine and trans. I could rewire the entire car with three 20’ extension cords... Owners manual is about 60 pages.
When car design is driven by fuel efficiency and collision standards, the designs begin to merge.
Sedan all look the same. Same for SUVs. And the few cars that show some difference are either bloody expensive, or don’t sell enough to make it.
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