Your 1st Mercedes

[benzjarr]

I was 16 it was a 1983 380sel 340,000 miles completely slipped 3rd gear and burned and leaked out of every place you could think of. I paid $500 for it from my grandad. It had 4 working seat heaters and the rear adjustable function still worked. It was nice having a big car  for all my friends to fit in. I sold it got a  BMW 323i sold it a month later then got a Caddy STS with the Northstar V8 yet I still missed my old junk Merc, I traded my STS for a w140 S320 and never again will I drive any thing but S Class. How about you?
               
     
                                                                             My Rant for the day 

[goldacre]

My first Merc was the 280SEL and served me well for 4 years. What amazed me about this car was its size and features especially when compared to my Holden Torana 173 red motor.

The Holden weighed 1300kilos was bog basic (read - NO Features what-so-ever) and the best fuel economy was 13 liters per 100 and only when traveling at 90kph 

The 280SEL weighed 1700 kilos, had modern features especially AC and would return between 13 liters to 15 liters on average and that is doing 100 - 110 kph 

No contest there.

Now i have a magnificent 450SEL which uses 1 liter more fuel and regularly drives past modern cars with their bonnets up, even a brand new Suzuki Swift was parked at Gull on the way to Bunbury on a stinker of a day with its bonnet up, overheated and the best a passing mechanic could say was sit on 80kph and turn the AC off...OUCH 

G

[oscar]

I'm still on my first    My folks bought the 350SE in 1990 for $25k.  I got my hands on it in 2003 and started resurrecting it.  It's a comfortable DD and whilst I'd like to try out other benzes I couldn't do it at the expense of offloading the 350.   With all the time and money spent on it and still so much to do, I've never driven it and yearned for something different.  Well apart from wanting a 6.9 at other times occasionally, but I'm well content with the 350.  Lack of an overdrive gear for the highways is the only thing that bugs me occasionally.

[johnnyw116]

my first mercedes was an 1976 280S that was more than 20 years ago and i owned manny of them trough the years and also manny other classic mercedes but my favorite always will be the W116

regards : johnny  .         

[flutes]

I'm still on my first too.  The 450SEL is such a good daily driver there is little pressing need for anything else however on the list is: a 6.3 (about as close to a Pullman as I'll get at the moment) and an '86 560SL.  My biggest problem is storage...

[John Hubertz]

My first DRIVEABLE benz was my much-beloved rascal in metal and chrome, Max Headroom (sunroof delete option, 77 450SEL, ortho seats in Brown oh beauteous Brown):



My first benz was approximately 3/4 of a 1974 450SL that had been AMG modified  (wheels and rear spoiler) by a later owner.

I bought it for $400 - it was amazing to me, the doors, glass and decklid all still fit perfectly.

The crumple was totally isolated to the front subframe and mounts - yet local lore has it that the son of a local Trucking scion (entrepeneur) got out of PRISON for a DUI, then three days later test drove this car - got drunk as an Irish pallbearer and had an encounter with a telephone pole.

He departed to Florida - where, due to warrants vis a vis this event, he remains to this day.

11 years later after languishing in a hidden truck yard (the family bought the car for cash to avoid the scandal as best they could) I bought it for $400 USD

Sold the three good and one broken Ronal Pentas for $350 via eBay, then sold the car locally for $300 partially disassembled.  Engine ran but was dependent on a separate fuel source as I'd pulled the old rotted lines from around the rear of the car.

It popped onto ebay a week later and sold for TWELVE HUNDRED  ......  OMG

Yet good running but rusted ones sell every day up here for around $3500 or so.  (shrugs)

JH

PS:  I also ghetto-barn-saved a black over tan 6.9 a few months letter, that left for the notable skills and endless optimism of Al Abassi - he who can rescue all but the most dreadful cases.

[alabbasi]

John

This car passed my hands and into the hands of a fellow in Wisconsin who is working diligently at restoring it. He's a much better welder and has stripped the car down to bare metal. I hope to see it as a driver this year.

All the best

Al

[Nutz]

My first was a '69 250S back in 1990. White with black interior and was a pleasure to drive until those damn twin Zenith carbs turned on me.

[Martin 280s]

I still have my first Mercedes, a W116 of course. Bought her almost 7 years ago and she still puts a smile on my face! 

[Yesmar]

my 79' 280s is my first benz. still puttin around in it even just this morning. now we've got another benz also.
its funny it seems everyone that has a mecedes either has more then one or will always have at least one.

[Papalangi]

My first was a 1971 250/8 (W114) sedan with a blown motor.  Paid $500 for the car, $500 for a motor and had it running pretty good.  The second wife traded it in on a a brand new 1993 Land Rover Disco.  Which she later traded in on a used Toyota FJ-62 Land Cruiser.

A few years and a different wife later and it was a 1976 280C (W114)  rustmobile.  Running boards and frame rails made of milk cartons and Bondo.  Paid $1200, sold it to a needy co-worker for $500.  It did run very well and had $3500 worth of stereo in it 'till I removed it to sell the car.

A year later it was the 1971 250C (W114).  Wonderful car, horrible paint.  It was so bad the you would require stitches if you ran your hand across it.  Sold it to a guy that intended to pull the motor for another project.  He called me when he got home after a 120 mile drive and told me he would never take the car apart, it was way too nice to destroy.

I sold the 250C as I couldn't fit a child seat in the back.  Found a rust free 1976 450SEL in Texas, bought it sight unseen and drove it home to Seattle in 4 days and it is still my "daily" driver.

Michael

[motec6.9]

My first mercedes was a 1999 model 312 sprinter maxi taxi in canberra tx 910 6 months later i bought my first sedan #4895 6.9 which i still own i also now have a second 6.9 parts car 

[flutes]

Straying off topic slightly, I drove my first 300E last night (w124, I think it was '88) which I was surprisingly impressed with, and this one wasn't in the greatest condition.  Really like the shape, and it drove very well.  This would make a good backup to the 450SEL while I keep an eye out for a 6.3 (which I'm determined to buy within the next two years).

[Big_Richard]

certain w124 models would be considered very sensible, reliable daily drivers for sure.

No idea why anyone would want a 6.3, unless you feel enormous pain from carrying around a wallet full of cash - because it'll soon fix that problem

[flutes]

Every now and then I go to the M100 board, read some stories of woe and expense, feel the pain, and slap some sense into myself!

There's what looks like a close-to-pristine 6.3 '72 at a car showroom just down the road from my office.  This is at a showroom that is known for being wildly overpriced - he wanted just over $60k for this one.  Reckons it was a concourse winner 4 years ago.  Didn't bother checking it out as there's no way I'd buy from a dealer like that and no way I'd pay that much!