And there’s the problem right there. If you don’t maintain an old Benz, it will bite you in the ass just trying to get your wallet. Put a bit of effort into maintaining them, and they’ll last you through 3 family members & still be a reliable DD like my ‘88 260E......

Not-quite-lawyer here...... If he’s willing to learn yo do some basic work himself, then consider a vintage Benz. I’ve got a W124 that I adore. Repairs & parts will be expensive, but worth it. Plus, a good condition one will run at most $10,000 to $15,000, which leaves a good bit left over for repairs &…

Heh... Reminds me of a tale from a friend who worked at a tire place. He had a guy who had gotten a new car, and kept having to constantly replace the rear tires on it.

I don’t know about it being the closest save, but this one certainly had the highest pucker factor for sure. For one thing, I was driving a rental car in a foreign country.

You can’t drive RWD in snow? Then please explain how, a few years back, my FWD Civic and beater truck got stuck in the snow on my driveway but the ancient Mercedes got out without a problem.*

I got the same advice, but for different reasons. Admittedly, one of them was that you never know when you’ll end up stuck in traffic.

And you just hit on the reason some German cars, especially older ones, require higher octane gas. I noticed on my last trip there that lowest grade gas available was 91. Here at home I drive an ancient Benz, and the lightbulb above my head finally clicked on.

I admit, it drives me up a wall. My family is German, and my parents were “original” Porsche people—they had a pair of 356s back when everybody thought they were Kharmann Ghias. A part of it was me sick of people mangling someone’s name, since that happened to me a lot, too, and the other part was mostly people…

Well, at least any ‘possums at the track should be safe....

Gawd I love that sound. Goosebumps and chills every time....

Well that’s no fun.....

Because it’s not supposed to be easy. It’s a Porsche.

My Dad bought a 1988 260E my junior year of high school (mostly because it was cheaper than a new Buick). It was his baby—he treated it like it was a museum piece. When he & my Mom retired to Florida, they did indeed take a nice long drive every Sunday.

Actually, with careful positioning, a handbag combined with the seatbelt in the passenger seat works pretty well.......

$8000 is more than a little high, but if I had the cash, I’d be all over that thing like a cheap suit. The W124s are fantastic cars, and as well-cared-for as this one looks, it’ll last you for years to come if you treat it properly.

That’s because in German (the language) proper nouns, like

Admittedly, I have an old/vintage (1988) car, but I’ve tried to split the difference between the two-the car doesn’t move until I see the temperature gauge noticeably move, and I keep the revs low and drive carefully until I see the temp hit the low end of the normal running temp range. Seems to work well so far.

If memory serves, he finished 11th after going to the back of the field twice. Works for me. Also, the first lap incident wasn't his fault-he got punted by another car.

I've got my late father's 1988 260E (W124) that he bought when I was in high school. It was impressive as hell then, and it's still pretty damn impressive now. It's just now getting to the point where some of the plastic is getting a little bit fragile with age, but not much. It still loves nothing better than for me…

I was thinking along similar (if older) lines...... One of the classic ‘80s era Mercedes SL convertibles. Far as I know they’re pretty reliable, and parts should be easy to find. Maintenance costs may be a bit higher, but you could find a good one for less than the top limit of the price range & use the leftover to…