When I was a kid I had a collection of matchbox cars. When I got too old I had to give it away but I kept a few of my favorites. One of these was a Mercedes-Benz 300E.
So when looking on Craigslist for a winter beater I came across a "300s" with photos of a 300E and a low price, I had to check it out. A day later a nice older gentleman who didn't know what he had sold me this 300E for $1600.
It's not perfect; The ABS doesn't work, the Air Conditioning is dry, it has a penchant for leaking oil, when I first got it it refused to shift into 4th gear, and it drinks premium gas like it's 1990 gas costs only 49 cents per liter and I can actually afford a Mercedes. But I love it.
Every inch of this car exudes quality, it doesn't squeak, doesn't rattle, it barely makes any sounds at all, the cabin is toomb quiet at any speed. Everything in it was engineered to be the best that it can be. Mercedes-Benzes at that time were made to a standard, price didn't matter, if you couldn't afford it, you couldn't have it and there was no better car you could have. It feels like a fine antique; real wood, with real varnish, everything has that well oiled (oil leak), heavy feel, and that chrome emblem sits at the front slowly rising and sinking as the car gradually changes speed.
Unlike the Japanese luxury cars I've owned, which were nothing more than re-badged Accords and Altimas with some leather seats and a sunroof, this car feels substantial; like I could drive it through a brick wall and it wouldn't get a scratch. Incidentally this car was the original basis for the Euro NCAP five star rating, i.e. every car was benchmarked against how this car performed in a crash and it wasn't till very recently that they upped the standard.
I don't know if it's right or wrong but driving this fine automobile really makes me feel better about myself, like I'm a better person and not just some out of work actor in a tinny econobox.
One of the other Matchbox cars I kept was a Spaceshuttle car, I wonder if I'll ever get to own one of those.
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So when looking on Craigslist for a winter beater I came across a "300s" with photos of a 300E and a low price, I had to check it out. A day later a nice older gentleman who didn't know what he had sold me this 300E for $1600. 
It's not perfect; The ABS doesn't work, the Air Conditioning is dry, it has a penchant for leaking oil, when I first got it it refused to shift into 4th gear, and it drinks premium gas like it's 1990 gas costs only 49 cents per liter and I can actually afford a Mercedes. But I love it. 
Every inch of this car exudes quality, it doesn't squeak, doesn't rattle, it barely makes any sounds at all, the cabin is toomb quiet at any speed. Everything in it was engineered to be the best that it can be. Mercedes-Benzes at that time were made to a standard, price didn't matter, if you couldn't afford it, you couldn't have it and there was no better car you could have. It feels like a fine antique; real wood, with real varnish, everything has that well oiled (oil leak), heavy feel, and that chrome emblem sits at the front slowly rising and sinking as the car gradually changes speed. 
Unlike the Japanese luxury cars I've owned, which were nothing more than re-badged Accords and Altimas with some leather seats and a sunroof, this car feels substantial; like I could drive it through a brick wall and it wouldn't get a scratch. Incidentally this car was the original basis for the Euro NCAP five star rating, i.e. every car was benchmarked against how this car performed in a crash and it wasn't till very recently that they upped the standard. 
I don't know if it's right or wrong but driving this fine automobile really makes me feel better about myself, like I'm a better person and not just some out of work actor in a tinny econobox. 
One of the other Matchbox cars I kept was a Spaceshuttle car, I wonder if I'll ever get to own one of those.
