Mercedes Youngtimers

Not only I wrote about the light idiocy in my post but my colleagues, too. The concrete manifestation can be caught during buying the car.

I work as a businessman but for an advanced youngtimer petrolhead this fact is not really more important than the address of his grandma. So my colleague decided to sell his W124 coupé. Since I had asked him long before if he would sell it, it became obvious for him that no ad is necessary, he already found the perfect fool. Mr. Perfect Fool started to check the internet, papers, Eurotax, consults fortunetellers, etc., but all these are only alibi activities, because in 80% he is lost. He would push up the price if he could. Since he is not yet in the foaming stage of madness, he takes the car to the local autodriver´s club for a buyers test. In 90 minutes some issues are discovered and printed, one could start bargaining, just for the show. In my case the car had no major issues. This meant that it was absolutely evident that I would buy the car. Well, what could have stopped me?

- Being a W124 instead of a W126?

- Having only four cylinders?

- Having a manual transmission?

- Being black inside and outside with leather upholstery but no AC?

- My dear colleague who only paid for oil and brakepads in the past five years?

- Having no accident but all side body parts painted because my colleague was unable to park?

- Considering that in Austria only idiots buy a gas fueled car with an engine bigger than 2 liters? (insurance)

 

I also had good arguments for the car:

- Could be my first Mercedes and it´s a coupé.

- 130.000 kms only

- COULD BE MY FIRST MERCEDES AND IT´S A COUPÉ.

- History documentated with bills.

- COULD BE MY FIRST MERCEDES AND IT´S A COUPÉ.

- Rather small engine, therefore the insurance is only a moderate horror.

- COULD BE MY FIRST MERCEDES AND IT´S A COUPÉ.

- Fair technical condition and an interior above average.

- COULD BE MY FIRST MERCEDES AND IT´S A COUPÉ.

 

Even a blind stockbroker would see that there were more pros than contras. And during the test weekend my wife would be convinced anyhow. "...the interior looks sooo grandpa-like..."

 

Test question:

What do you have to buy immediately for your first Mercedes?

a) Oil and oil filter

b) An original Mercedes-keychain

 

For all those who are as blind as I am, I recommend to taste following sentences when buying the first Mercedes. They are absolutely necessary to convince the family and to keep ourselves dreaming. 

1. No matter that it´s a diesel (what more, a 200 D), fuel consumption is low.

2. No matter that it´s rusty/badly hit/won´t start, these are nice things for bargaining.

3. No matter that it has an LPG system, driving will be cheap and sooner or later we will throw away the LPG system. 

4. No matter that the interior is terribly worn and stinky, I will clean it or get other seats from the junkyard. (Sure. You can find a cremebeige velours interior anywere, for pennies.)

I will ask my friends to add similar arguments, there are a lot. I will not tell here how much I spent on the car but it still does not look like I would expect it. Only one thing matters: it´s mine, mine, mine. I brought our newborn son with the coupé home and told my wife that it has a much softer suspension than the company car´s sport chassis. Right, because the coupé has a Mercedes sport chassis.

I bought my second Mercedes under even more scandalous circumstances but this will be the topic of my next post. 


Epilogue:

When I ask my wife on the weekend which car to take the answer is Mercedes. If it was up to her, the company A6 Audi could be delivered to the junkyard. She tells every Mercedes youngtimer and oldtimer she saw from her workplace and would immediately trade both our W124´s for a W108. She found her peace. She is infected. .