Benz Brother

I spotted this mid-eighties 300D Mercedes on my way to take the pup for a swim.  Since it's nearly the same make and model as my 1984 300 TD wagon, I had to pull over and take a look!  While my car is not common, it isn't actually rare.  The W123 chassis is considered one of Mercedes best, and the diesel engine has been considered one of the most reliable.  In fact, I've come across maybe four or five around town. A testament to the fact that this car was rightly voted a "Modern Classic" by the manufacturer, meaning they will continue to make parts for it since they anticipate it will live on for some time.

This one is the sedan version. The interior is black rather than tan, like mine.  Like my car, whomever owns this one stored a lot of cleaning supplies in the back.  I am guessing they had a water leakage problem, leading to stale carpet smell.  I solved that problem this past summer. It cost me about three hundred bucks, but a hole was finally found in the fire wall (which separates the engine from the interior).  Once that hole was patched and painted, my water problems stopped.

I haven't seen this car at the shop in weeks, so I am guessing it's back with its owner.  We'll have to keep our eyes open for it, but I think I might know where it lives because I pull over and check out any instances I find of this type of car.

TBG had a customer stop into his branch with parts for the same model. He had one in his garage and spare parts. His wife was on him to clean it all out.  My car has a cracked dashboard (the top), not unheard of in a 35 year old car.  The dash got further damage when the ignition core had to be sawed out (it seized this summer, another victim of time).  Much to my delight, this kind man dropped off a replacement dashboard cover, along with a kit to replace both front headlights.  The new dash will go in next spring, when I plan to splurge on a new radio.  Since the headlights are doing fine, we'll save the kit for the replacement in case something goes wrong with them.

When I first bought this car, a co-worker who really liked it confessed that he was looking to find a first generation Toyota Forerunner because he thought they were cool.   His son was aghast and told him he couldn't do it because if they drove an old car, people would think they were poor.  Can you imagine?  In any event, you can't own an older car like this if you're truly poor.  We need to have cash on had for repairs and it takes money to maintain any older car.  On the other hand, this is a lot cheaper to drive than a new car.

My old Benz will go into winter storage tomorrow. I will miss driving it!  We will be reunited in April, to coincide when the winter overnight parking ban is lifted on our street.  If we continue to take care of the car, carry out regular maintenance, and fix things when they break, this car should last another 20 years.  That's saying a lot.  Laws in the US require that a car manufacturer continue to make parts for ten years after a model is discontinued.  Many don't continue beyond that.  An older car like mine is possible to maintain, which is why we keep it.  It's six month hibernation will ensure its body doesn't rust.  But I am gonna miss driving it for sure!