My car history (with a certain theme)
Discussion
Have read a few of these and found them interesting. Thought i'd start my own, as much to record it for myself and hopefully some may find interesting!
I'll only do the last few years as I'm lacking in photo's for the older stuff.
First my very first Mercedes which started my obsession with the three-pointed star. Bought as a 2 owner 81,000 mile car from a local specialist. When purchased it had hubcaps and it's original mint cloth interior, however being a 21 year old I wanted alloys and leather which were duly purchased! I then spent another £500 quid putting genuine Sportline springs on it which had to come from Germany. Possibly my biggest regret is selling the original interior and leaving the slightly worn leather in place. With age comes wisdom I guess! Sold to my dad after a year or so and bought back last year when he purchased a 129 SL. Conveniently just after I bought it back from him the head gasket blew, leaving me with a nice four figure bill. I don't think I could ever sell it. Now garaged and used in the summer. On about 122,000 now I think.
After that I decided I wanted a more practical Merc for everyday use so found a C250 Turbodiesel wagon for sale locally. Ran for a couple of years. Absolutely loved this old thing, the legendary OM605 upfront felt unbreakable. Ran it into the back of a Bentley on the M6 just before Christmas and nearly wrote it off, however the insurance company noticed how clean it was and authorised a repair on it! Came back with new front wings/bumper/bonnet etc all like new. Sold it to my Merc specialist who still runs it as a courtesy car now. Would love to buy it back one day........
After the S202 went I found a well looked after S203 C270 CDI wagon at the aforementioned specialist. 2 owners and only sold due to upgrading to a 212 E-Class. Bought on 149,000 and sold on after less than a year. The only Merc to leave me stranded (high pressure fuel pump failed). Was very clean but lacked heated chairs! Would regularly do 50mpg on my commute. Superb engine only let down by the poor quality of the 203. Still knocking about now locally so can't have been to bad. I did put some period AMG wheels on it but nothing more.
and below on a trip to France for booze for a family wedding
More in a bit.......
I'll only do the last few years as I'm lacking in photo's for the older stuff.
First my very first Mercedes which started my obsession with the three-pointed star. Bought as a 2 owner 81,000 mile car from a local specialist. When purchased it had hubcaps and it's original mint cloth interior, however being a 21 year old I wanted alloys and leather which were duly purchased! I then spent another £500 quid putting genuine Sportline springs on it which had to come from Germany. Possibly my biggest regret is selling the original interior and leaving the slightly worn leather in place. With age comes wisdom I guess! Sold to my dad after a year or so and bought back last year when he purchased a 129 SL. Conveniently just after I bought it back from him the head gasket blew, leaving me with a nice four figure bill. I don't think I could ever sell it. Now garaged and used in the summer. On about 122,000 now I think.
After that I decided I wanted a more practical Merc for everyday use so found a C250 Turbodiesel wagon for sale locally. Ran for a couple of years. Absolutely loved this old thing, the legendary OM605 upfront felt unbreakable. Ran it into the back of a Bentley on the M6 just before Christmas and nearly wrote it off, however the insurance company noticed how clean it was and authorised a repair on it! Came back with new front wings/bumper/bonnet etc all like new. Sold it to my Merc specialist who still runs it as a courtesy car now. Would love to buy it back one day........
After the S202 went I found a well looked after S203 C270 CDI wagon at the aforementioned specialist. 2 owners and only sold due to upgrading to a 212 E-Class. Bought on 149,000 and sold on after less than a year. The only Merc to leave me stranded (high pressure fuel pump failed). Was very clean but lacked heated chairs! Would regularly do 50mpg on my commute. Superb engine only let down by the poor quality of the 203. Still knocking about now locally so can't have been to bad. I did put some period AMG wheels on it but nothing more.
and below on a trip to France for booze for a family wedding
More in a bit.......
Edited by SilverStar on Sunday 12th August 18:44
So after I'd lost faith in the 203 I started to look at E-Class' and never looked back!
Found the below at a car supermarket where I wouldn't normally venture, however the spec drew me in (COMMAND, Nappa/heated/ventilated/memory seats/xenons/rear blinds). Test drove in the dark, glow plug light on. Blinded by the OM642's smoothness and power I bought it there and then. They offered me £800 part ex on the C270 (sold back to my indi for £2500!) Collected, dropped off at the specialist for new glow plugs/control unit and a couple of other bits. Fantastic wagon, never missed a beat in just shy of 3 years and 40,000 miles. Bought a Brabus D6 which upped the MPG and power to about 250bhp.
And somewhere up North with Pistonhead smiley on the back.......
Whilst i had that I had an itch for something older, so the hunt was on for a useable older classic so ended up buying this privately
Bought after being laid up for a couple of years, the bills that followed were quite something. However, after we'd been through the fuel/ignition system she was running well. Attended the Goodwood Revival 3 years in a row without missing a beat, including through torrential rain in 2016! However after 3 years the 190 was offered to me, which needed a garage so it had to go unfortunately.
A Goodwood...............
And one of the many trips being recovered to the MGOC workshop at Swavsea.......
I then started working for Mercedes-Benz and got tempted by their staff scheme so ended up in the following..........
Pre-delivery:
However nice it was, it just bored me. The pan roof/memory seats were great, the Bluetooth superb, It looked good. The LED headlights were great. But I just couldn't bond with it. After 4 months I paid an early settlement fee and handed it back for a V8................
Found the below at a car supermarket where I wouldn't normally venture, however the spec drew me in (COMMAND, Nappa/heated/ventilated/memory seats/xenons/rear blinds). Test drove in the dark, glow plug light on. Blinded by the OM642's smoothness and power I bought it there and then. They offered me £800 part ex on the C270 (sold back to my indi for £2500!) Collected, dropped off at the specialist for new glow plugs/control unit and a couple of other bits. Fantastic wagon, never missed a beat in just shy of 3 years and 40,000 miles. Bought a Brabus D6 which upped the MPG and power to about 250bhp.
And somewhere up North with Pistonhead smiley on the back.......
Whilst i had that I had an itch for something older, so the hunt was on for a useable older classic so ended up buying this privately
Bought after being laid up for a couple of years, the bills that followed were quite something. However, after we'd been through the fuel/ignition system she was running well. Attended the Goodwood Revival 3 years in a row without missing a beat, including through torrential rain in 2016! However after 3 years the 190 was offered to me, which needed a garage so it had to go unfortunately.
A Goodwood...............
And one of the many trips being recovered to the MGOC workshop at Swavsea.......
I then started working for Mercedes-Benz and got tempted by their staff scheme so ended up in the following..........
Pre-delivery:
However nice it was, it just bored me. The pan roof/memory seats were great, the Bluetooth superb, It looked good. The LED headlights were great. But I just couldn't bond with it. After 4 months I paid an early settlement fee and handed it back for a V8................
After the 4-cylinder left my life the following was purchased..........
And in it's natural habitat
An E430 Avantgarde, again every option bar a sunroof! Even ventilated seats in 2000! Bought off eBay for £800 odd quid from it's owner of 12 years. This was bought for a trip road trip to Amsterdam/Stuggart/Brussels which it completed without fault in 5 days (other than a bit of Mobil 5w). Visited the Porsche and Mercedes-Benz museum. Both well worth a trip. Aswell as Amsterdam and the Heineken tour!
Her she is on the Autobahn
[url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/bN1eemmP[/url
A car I'd ideally liked to have put in a barn for a few years and kept. Will Mercedes ever make a non-AMG V8 estate again?? I doubt it.
In between that came my first 124, a 300E-24v. Came to me via work as the owner thought it uneconomical to repair.
Fixed with a new distributor cap. Ran for 6 months or so and sold on to a classic car dealer.[url]
Then a trade-in at work was too good to resist. My second V70 (the first was used on a road trip to Monaco). 2 owners, 208,000 miles and a full Volvo/specialist service history. £200. Ran for a couple of months then 'no reserved' on eBay. Sold for £840.00. Still going now according to the MOT history at 240,000 miles! Superb car.
![](https://thumbsnap.com/sc/UDQlj8eV.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="https://thumbsnap.com/FVzVFWjt" Target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[img]https://thumbsnap.com/sc/FVzVFWjt.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="https://thumbsnap.com/FVzVFWjt" Target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[img]https://thumbsnap.com/sc/FVzVFWjt.jpg)
And in it's natural habitat
An E430 Avantgarde, again every option bar a sunroof! Even ventilated seats in 2000! Bought off eBay for £800 odd quid from it's owner of 12 years. This was bought for a trip road trip to Amsterdam/Stuggart/Brussels which it completed without fault in 5 days (other than a bit of Mobil 5w). Visited the Porsche and Mercedes-Benz museum. Both well worth a trip. Aswell as Amsterdam and the Heineken tour!
Her she is on the Autobahn
[url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/bN1eemmP[/urlA car I'd ideally liked to have put in a barn for a few years and kept. Will Mercedes ever make a non-AMG V8 estate again?? I doubt it.
In between that came my first 124, a 300E-24v. Came to me via work as the owner thought it uneconomical to repair.
Fixed with a new distributor cap. Ran for 6 months or so and sold on to a classic car dealer.[url]
Then a trade-in at work was too good to resist. My second V70 (the first was used on a road trip to Monaco). 2 owners, 208,000 miles and a full Volvo/specialist service history. £200. Ran for a couple of months then 'no reserved' on eBay. Sold for £840.00. Still going now according to the MOT history at 240,000 miles! Superb car.
After that things happened so quickly/overlapped I sort of lost track.
I bought this off eBay cheap. A 2 owner straight 6 320 CDI with a full main dealer service history. Tidied up and sold on for a few quid.
After that I fancied a petrol 211. Looked all over at a couple of 500's, nothing tempted me. Then found a petrol 320 with Nappa/sunroof/rear blinds/electric tailgate. Full MB history. Not silver. At an independent near Windsor. Drove down. Deal done, collected the next day.
Beautifully smooth, lovely old thing to run about it. Absolute bargain for just over £2,500. Sold after 6 months for what I paid for it. Felt like a proper Mercedes with the M112 upfront. Missed greatly.
I bought this off eBay cheap. A 2 owner straight 6 320 CDI with a full main dealer service history. Tidied up and sold on for a few quid.
After that I fancied a petrol 211. Looked all over at a couple of 500's, nothing tempted me. Then found a petrol 320 with Nappa/sunroof/rear blinds/electric tailgate. Full MB history. Not silver. At an independent near Windsor. Drove down. Deal done, collected the next day.
Beautifully smooth, lovely old thing to run about it. Absolute bargain for just over £2,500. Sold after 6 months for what I paid for it. Felt like a proper Mercedes with the M112 upfront. Missed greatly.
After that came something I'd always fancied. Another Swedish barge, but not a Volvo. A Saab 9-5 Aero Hot via the bargain cars on Facebook. Paid £475 for by far the most rapid wagon I've ever had. First time with heated rear seats aswell! Another car I'd like to stick in a barn for a few years. Went like an absolute rocket even with an auto box. And those seats, superbly comfortable.
After the Swedish episode I decided to stop playing bangernomics and buy a 211 I could keep long term. I kept coming back to them. They did everything I need and more. The hunt was on. I considered various 320 and 500 petrol's but diesel was really the only option with my commute. I then found what I believe to be the last Approved Used 211 wagon in the country at MB Coventry. Full MB warranty for a year. Yes it wasn't cheap but it was superb. 2 owners, full MB history, 2 gearbox oil/filter changes etc's. A deal was done. No SBC to worry about. Hopefully going to keep for a long time.......only picture I have so far.......
Before buying that and selling the petrol 211 I did have another 210. This time a 210 with 211,000 on the clock. Bought from a stately home near Newmarket who'd owned it from nearly new. Filthy but mechanically good. Sold on eBay to a couple of chaps who were doing a banger rally to Morroco in it, I have no doubt it'll make it!
After the Swedish episode I decided to stop playing bangernomics and buy a 211 I could keep long term. I kept coming back to them. They did everything I need and more. The hunt was on. I considered various 320 and 500 petrol's but diesel was really the only option with my commute. I then found what I believe to be the last Approved Used 211 wagon in the country at MB Coventry. Full MB warranty for a year. Yes it wasn't cheap but it was superb. 2 owners, full MB history, 2 gearbox oil/filter changes etc's. A deal was done. No SBC to worry about. Hopefully going to keep for a long time.......only picture I have so far.......
Before buying that and selling the petrol 211 I did have another 210. This time a 210 with 211,000 on the clock. Bought from a stately home near Newmarket who'd owned it from nearly new. Filthy but mechanically good. Sold on eBay to a couple of chaps who were doing a banger rally to Morroco in it, I have no doubt it'll make it!
Edited by SilverStar on Sunday 12th August 18:27
Edited by SilverStar on Sunday 12th August 18:51
After a few years of big automatic barges I fancied something small and chuckable. I had a garage available so storage wasn't an issue. I'd already had a MK2.5 MX5 and considered another. However I'd always fancied a Panda 100HP so hunt was on. eBay led me to a sensible mileage/history one a train ride away in Derby. A few days later i was on a collection mission..........
After 3 weeks of fun she went all Italian on me..........
Currently in the garage being fixed. Hopefully just a split pipe, but whatever the problem is it needs sorting. Such a fun thing to drive even after just 3 weeks. Another probable keeper.
Other stuff in our fleet include the old man's E350 CDI wagon. Took us to Germany last year and never missed a beat. Fantastic bit of kit. Here it is in Calais with a UK reg'd C55 AMG on our last night.......
And his 129 SL280 in the sunshine
And finally the fleet together. Including my step-brother's just purchased C63 AMG. Hopefully another keeper!
After 3 weeks of fun she went all Italian on me..........
Currently in the garage being fixed. Hopefully just a split pipe, but whatever the problem is it needs sorting. Such a fun thing to drive even after just 3 weeks. Another probable keeper.
Other stuff in our fleet include the old man's E350 CDI wagon. Took us to Germany last year and never missed a beat. Fantastic bit of kit. Here it is in Calais with a UK reg'd C55 AMG on our last night.......
And his 129 SL280 in the sunshine
And finally the fleet together. Including my step-brother's just purchased C63 AMG. Hopefully another keeper!
Great thread OP. 
You do seem to like a Mercedes (or 10).
I've only had 3, a W123 280e, 2.0 190e manual and a C280 Sport.
For me the 190e was far and away the best of them, and sadly the C280 was one of the most disappointing cars I've ever owned.
Which is why I've had BMWs for the last 15 years!
But I do like the idea of a W124 Sportline...……
You do seem to like a Mercedes (or 10).
I've only had 3, a W123 280e, 2.0 190e manual and a C280 Sport.
For me the 190e was far and away the best of them, and sadly the C280 was one of the most disappointing cars I've ever owned.
Which is why I've had BMWs for the last 15 years!
But I do like the idea of a W124 Sportline...……
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