"the car won't start" says my wife.

[Kjhall65]

Yep Jason, that's what it's all about and the driving experience all that delivers...

[Tony66_au]

. . .


So as a rule they [Mercedes] dont leak.

You sure?

I'm yet to see one that does not have a leak or leak developing.
But I'm told that the leaks were designed and calculated in for longevity and reliability.

My 450SE is as dry as a Nuns Nasty mate and the SEL didnt have a leak until the oil line let go.

Im a bit funny about oil leaks owning a few range rovers have having had Jags in the past so I tend to look for weeping or dripping components and so far I have been lucky apart from the 50 PSI fountain lol

[Tony66_au]

And Mercedes is my Crystal Meth because it encompasses Engineering, Safety, Performance, Art in design and driving pleasure all rolled into a sub 5k car, and they are family friendly

I couldn't agree more Tony.  This is the reason for my passion also.

Mine started very early when dad bought the W115 when I was about six. We had a bad accident four years later when a Torana came round a blind corner sliding on the wrong side of the road and hit us head on. We all opened the doors and walked away. Both in the Torana were badly injured with the girl in the passenger seat putting her head through the windscreen.  I will never forget her face with blood pouring out of it and toughened glass embedded in it as the ambos pulled her from the wreck.

I love the safety, the engineering and the driving experience.  I've been driving them since I was 20.
Ken

That Telly Advert they showed in the mid 80's for the W126 certainly stuck in my mind and was a part of the reason I bought my first Benz and the S124 and although the W116 doesnt have the same levels of safety (ABS/Airbag) I do know that they have passenger cell engineering and are crash tested which compared to Domestic brands of the era is a huge leap forward.

Both my driving 116's are currently on Club registration but atleast one of them will in the future become a daily driver on full rego because my experiences in them so far have shown that they will exceed my requirements.

And I am just so damned comfortable driving them!

[ZCarFan]

...

Hubbys reply to all the hysterics was to re-state that he was dead against it and just gave her what she nagged him to and washed his hands of the whole deal and even now she is quiet about the subject of cars.

...

Yeah, I did that once.  We had little money after I got done with my degree and we were looking at two different Buicks for my wife to replace her totaled Cabrio.  One was a basic Century wagon and the other was a LeSabre Limited, fully optioned, 3 years younger with fewer miles and everything worked.  I'm partial to these cars and they still tug at me (yeah, I know... but I have my reasons, after all they have real door handles and a bench seat!).  I tried to get my wife to look at the LeSabre and she simply walked away.  She demanded the little white wagon, so that's what we got.  After a year or so of fixing the dozens of common A-Body items on the wagon she complained that " now the horn stopped working on this p.o.s."  I replied "Don't complain to me, I recommended the other car.!"

...then the fight started 

There is a happy ending though as after some years and more patching up on the wagon and saving money we got her a new VW Beetle.  This one we both could agree on.

Never could get her to drive the 300SD.  Like others have indicated, the deal-breaker was the Diesel quirks.  Looks more likely for the 380SL though.  She's a sucker for a convertible.

[djenka018]

My 450SE is as dry as a Nuns Nasty mate and the SEL didnt have a leak until the oil line let go.

Nah...

If it has no leak you either did not see it yet or your car is faulty?

[Tony66_au]

My 450SE is as dry as a Nuns Nasty mate and the SEL didnt have a leak until the oil line let go.

Nah...

If it has no leak you either did not see it yet or your car is faulty?

Well one of them IS out of oil.........

[gingerkid]

I'm doing the first overhaul on my '79 and my fiance keeps asking why i've had to get so parts and are we going to have to spend this much all the time... blah blah.  Really only spent a few hundred dollars but the point i made was "babe.  see this pile of hoses, parts, etc... they are almost all original, 30+ years old.  do you think your new Ford will be around in 30 years?"

[Tony66_au]

LMAO! Good point.

Then again I have a 20 year old Ford, 24 yr old Volvo and a few 43 year old Chryslers soooooo