Get in car. Start car. Back and forth a few times to get out of parallel parking space. Drive 100 feet. Stop. Wait for a few cars to go. Drive 300 feet, accelerate to around 20 before coming to another stop. Do that six times, maybe sitting and waiting for other cars or pedestrians. Then sit at a light for a few minutes. Then do the drive 300 feet and stop thing another 6-8 times. Park. Get groceries. Drive home. 20mpg is hypermiling. 16-18 typical, especially when cold outside.
But why taking a car for this while you could walk, use skates or ride a bike ?
I guess my wife and I dithered around long enough that I am going to have to take the TDI in and get things done to it like alignment, oil change, and maybe even new tires, now that no one can sell us a TDI Sportwagon and the AW TDI Sportwagon's arrival is probably slowly disappearing into the distance.
Or I could buy one of these. Diesel. Sportwagon. AWD. Same same. Just a small upcharge.
Note: I just test drove the one a friend in Virginia just bought, and I probably should not have done that because that car is nice. Very. Nice.
Just bought a new car... well, new to me, a 1991 560SEC. Last year Mercedes Benz made the W126 chassis.
I just feel better when driving that car. Maybe a little overly complex, but comfortable. I feel even better
when I think about the price... $2,500. Some rust but it looks good, has low miles, and I believe all the systems
work just fine.
The 560 is like a fine custom tailored suit. Excellent fit and elegant while still being comfortable.
Of course for ultimate comfort I would still like to have a brand new, totally rebuilt, 1972 Volvo 142... again.
That car was truly wonderful.
-Max
The redoubtable Mrs. Speedwell could be happier.... she has been unhappy with all our cars for decades.
Would dearly love to see a pic or
two of your 'new' SEC! Brilliant cars, such presence.
Raining today. Maybe when I return to civilization.
Right now my wife is keeping the car down here in
the city. I'm using an old Ford Ranger. I'm having
a great time in retirement. A few days ago I was
doing about 20 mph & just starting to head down a
long dirt & gravel driveway. About seventy five feet
ahead I flushed-out mom and her two cubs. Just a
trio of black bears and they were small. I wanted to
keep them in sight so I was running them down. They
were totally silent and going at least thirty mph. It
suddenly dawned on me that I had done a few smarter
things in my life. Just not the thing to do when you're
on a mountain bike.
As for the car....
I may have it sold. Put the following ad on Craig's List.
Yep, just bought it but my wife has persuaded me to sell it.
I've gotten some comments on the ad. People may just
like my ad more than the car. So, here's the ad:
Whoops... looks like I have too many characters. Follow-up in the next post.
This has been our second Mercedes Benz sports coupe. These are wonderful cars, very easy to work on
(I'm no mechanic but I can do most every repair or service needed). I truly love it. My wife, however, is
driving me nuts!!
We have a very happy marriage... except for when it comes to cars.
She wanted a Volvo and pestered me incessantly. So, for her birthday I bought her a (beautiful) Volvo.
“Here it is!” I announced.
“Oh... uh huh....”
“Don't you like it? I bought you a Volvo!”
“Oh... uh huh....”
“Well, what's wrong? You said you wanted a Volvo... I bought you a Volvo....”
“I wanted the old style.”
(UGH!) “Ok... (me doing a slow burn) I'll look for the old style Volvo.”
A few years later (of diligent searching) I found the “old style” Volvo.
“Here it is!” I (yet again) announced. “A spectacular 1977, almost show-room
condition... only 63,000 miles! It's the last year of the “flat hoods” and is a
very rare find! It can go to Volvo club gatherings and be an instant trophy winner!
“Oh... uh huh....”
“Don't you like it? I bought you a Volvo... you DID say
you wanted the “old style” Volvo....” (As my words trailed off....)
“Well not now!!”
(WHAT?? Oh man...! It's not like the sex is all that good (she does NOW
put-down the remote, newspaper, and Cheetos) but it's “cheaper to keep
her”, and I am trying to keep her happy). Sold that wonderful Volvo. Time
to keep looking. She did always dream of a 1965 Mustang. Red with white
interior. I found a '66... white with red interior. The car had been “in the
family” for decades. The owner had his own shop and did his own repairs.
Flawless show winner? No, but still, a very spectacular car.
“Could you come and see me? I'm at XYZ car
repair, hair salon, and mini mart”.
“What is it, a Mustang?”
“Just come and see. It's a surprise.”
She arrived a few minutes later.
“Oh... a Mustang....”
“Say the word and it's yours. You've always
wanted a Mustang. What's the word?”
“No.”
“No?? You've always wanted a Mustang.”
“No. I don't want a Mustang anymore.”
(Well... I tried).
I did find a Ferrari 400i. The 400i is nice... very nice. This is a car that doesn't say, “Hey, look
at me! My husband has a hot wife and he bought me a Ferrari!” It's a car that says, “I have a
hot wife, a Ferrari, you don't, and I'm rubbing your nose in both of them!” I soon discovered that
the Ferrari came under the “Don't even think about it or I'll send the baby sitter, Lorena Bobbett
to see you” category. Well, at least I didn't spend money on that Ferrari.
Knowing the 400i was out, I thought a 308gts (slow learner) might be more to her liking. “What do
you think, Dear? A Ferrari 308gts, just like on Magnum P.I., and look, it's a hard top but this panel
removes and it suddenly becomes a convertible. You can drive around topless... ha ha! Get it?”
“Are you out of your mind?”
“Why do you keep changing the subject?”
I did find her a fantastic Mercedes 420SEL. Nice car and the price was excellent. Again, a car built
on the wonderful W126 chassis. She said THAT would work for her. (WHEW!) I told the seller I would
take it AND THEN she said, “No, I guess I don't want that one.” Had to appease the seller and make
“it” right. I had already told him I would take the car (Aww, man...!)
Next up... Rolls Royce (yes... really). A 1993 Silver Spur. “It's a 1993... one of the last Crewe built cars!
A few quirks with Rolls Royce, and a person had better know what they're doing if they want to own a Rolls
Royce but I can perform the search on the service history, and provenance, read the logs, and do much of
my own work. It really doesn't get much finer than this!”
“No!!” (came the response) I would have to put “Madam” in
front of my name if I drove that thing!”
(WHAT IS GOING ON?? IT'S A ROLLS FREAKING ROYCE FOR CRYIN' OUT LOUD!)
So finally (after more than a decade of this frustration) I found her a nice 1991 (the last year of the “oh
so spectacular” W126 chassis) Mercedes 560SEC. (Yep, a Sonderclasse. How good can life get??) Yes,
a little rust but not something that couldn't be easily and inexpensively treated. “THAT car would be fine”
she announced. (You're sure...?). I told the seller (also a long-time Mercedes man, and a top rated, long-
time Mercedes Benz, and Rolls Royce, factory trained mechanic) I was gun-shy and not of the car, but of
the probable response. We talked for hours about the service history and details of the car. Feeling very
comfortable, I decided the car was too nice to pass-up and she DID say she wanted it.
We've only had the car a few weeks....
Yep, you guessed it.
Re-aggravate another salmon....
The car is leaving. I really like the W126 chassis, and the SEC model is a monument
to fine motoring. I really do like this car but... I've had more of this than I can enjoy.
I plan to sell this fine Mercedes Benz (a car that by-the-way cost more new than our view home
did in 1991). I plan to buy her a Yugo. Yes, the Yugo WILL BE WRONG but I know that going in.
So, all that said, here it is, “top of the line”, last year (1991) of the
phenomenal W126 chassis. A 560SEC Mercedes Benz sports coupe.
*Interior – Not a concours show winner but very nice. Almost like new.
*Miles – Low. 155,000.
*Body – Some rust but the repair is fast, inexpensive and easy. (This is the reason the car isn't $17,000).
*Drive train – Again, very nice. I need to replace a part on the fuel system. I already have the part and
again, a fast and inexpensive service. I can do that (unless it unexpectedly snows) before I sell the car.
If it snows? Well, you can do it. Fast and easy. Only take a few minutes. I'm too old to get under the
car in the snow. Anymore, my bones just don't like that.
*The Awe Factor – Off the chart? No, but close to the top. I would
be lying if I said this car wasn't a real blast to own and drive.
*Wheels & tires – Very nice. The tires are almost new. The big mono block wheels with NO
curb rash. The wheels & tires are not worth as much as I'm asking for the entire car but they
are priced way up there. If you don't mind being seen with lesser wheels you could take these
off, buy a cheap replacement set, and with the difference send your son to college.
Anything else? I do like keeping the car in a near flawless condition so (if I were the next owner) I would
change the left front control arm (quick, easy, and inexpensive. About thirty minutes if you DON'T know
what you're doing and (if I remember right) about $17), change the oil, take a look at the engine mounts
(also quick and easy and inexpensive to service. They are designed to wear as they are a safety feature
and are designed to break-away in a certain manner in the event of an accident).
That's about all I can think of. I really would prefer to sell it to a “Mercedes person”. You know, someone
who knows and appreciates these cars. At the very least be willing to learn about them and please do your
own service work as no one will care about your car as much as you will. They are very easy to work on,
and most parts are (surprise!) very inexpensive.
What else....
*A leather interior (of course). If you plan to own a Mercedes Benz, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE take the
free online course from Leatherique. It is easy and inexpensive to keep a luxury interior looking like new.
*Heated seats. I honestly can't remember if these are the AMG seats, or if the AMG seats were to be
pulled out of another car, and these seats were to be an up-grade for the AMG seats, but your backside
will fit like a glove. Oh so nice.
*Alarm system.
*Climate control system works well, and the AC is ice cold.
*It has wipers on the headlights. It makes the car fun to drive because the young women (no, I'm not
looking but it is... oh, well, never mind) see the wipers on the headlights and it just seems to give the
car a certain “cache'. (“It's gotta be very expensive, it has wipers on the headlights!”). Give it twenty
five years... you'll understand....
One final word of warning... keep an eye on the speedometer. It is very easy to be quietly, and smoothly
motoring along at sixty, only to find the State Patrol at your window informing, “You're being ticketed for
being twenty seven over.” Quiet, smooth, luxurious, and a lot of power. Easy to get into trouble. BTW...
in spite of this car having a 5.6 liter engine (yes, really... 350 cubic inches!) it does get very good fuel
economy. About 18 – 22 mpg depending on your foot being in or out of the fuel injection system. I'm
probably over 22 mpg but then, I don't like giving hard-earned money to Arabs, Russians, Guatamalans, etc...
I just decided (today) I've had enough and so I don't even have photos yet (coming early next week).
It's white and a real head-turner. Just so you know what these look like, I did post a photo of a white
560SEC off Google. Almost identical to the car in the photo but it is a different car than the one pictured.
Auto reply is fastest and I really don't want to post my phone number. I've been told the car dealers can
drive you nuts with their incessant calls. We can e-mail back & forth or I can give you a call if you'll send
along your phone number.
Chances are very good that I can deliver. Maybe for free, maybe for a few dollars (no, I'm not driving this
car anywhere near Tacoma) depending upon location.
Well, that's about it. A car you will truly enjoy, and like
the wife, these cars rarely require unexpected servicing.
i don't buy cars that are newer, i buy cars that are older.
this one 10 yrs older than my truck...price was right, especially for a B-body.
needs some basic things fixed. will have time to work on it soon.
not sure i'f i'm going to go more protouring-ish with larger wheels and better handling tires or do it more like a 60's srteet strip brawler..
i don't buy cars that are newer, i buy cars that are older.
this one 10 yrs older than my truck...price was right, especially for a B-body.
needs some basic things fixed. will have time to work on it soon.
not sure i'f i'm going to go more protouring-ish with larger wheels and better handling tires or do it more like a 60's srteet strip brawler..
i don't buy cars that are newer, i buy cars that are older.
this one 10 yrs older than my truck...price was right, especially for a B-body.
needs some basic things fixed. will have time to work on it soon.
not sure i'f i'm going to go more protouring-ish with larger wheels and better handling tires or do it more like a 60's srteet strip brawler..
As a C-body man I say right on. Just make sure the torsion bars are 100% before you uprate the tires.
As a C-body man I say right on. Just make sure the torsion bars are 100% before you uprate the tires.
yeah one of hte first things on the list.
will do larger t-bars and some XHD leaf springs in the rear, probably a front anti-sway bar
definitely needs some nice shocks on it
How come I never heard about the Mini Paceman? A turbo AWD Mini. I loved my Mini, I traded it in for the tacoma when I moved back west. But this could be my summer car.
Likes: 
"The Fantastic Mr. David!"
Re: Automobiles
Originally Posted by Jason Musgrave
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