I’m actually unhealthy at holding vehicles for a very long time. I purchase them in search of an expertise and once I really feel like I’ve gotten probably the most out of that have, I transfer on. Historically, if I’ve stored a automobile greater than a few years, it’s been the exception to the rule, and that is positively true of my 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280SE.
I’ve had this huge inexperienced hunk of West German steel for nearly a decade, however now it’s time to ship it on to its subsequent proprietor. I’ve discovered myself within the thick of emotions concerning the course of, although, and I assumed that perhaps it will be good to speak it out with you, strangers of the web. So, right here’s a love letter and a goodbye to the automobile my spouse and I named the Big Baby.
Way again at first of time, I obtained a significantly gnarly rushing ticket with my Fiesta ST that I’d been utilizing as my each day driver. I beloved that little automobile, however as just about anybody who owns one will inform you, it encourages you to do unhealthy issues. It had additionally been a very long time since I’d owned a basic automobile and I missed the expertise, so I figured it was a superb time to promote the Fiesta and purchase one thing that was rather less hazardous to my license.
At that time, I’d owned a handful of basic vehicles. I’d had a 1966 Volvo 122S, and a 1977 Alfa Romeo Alfetta, amongst others. I’d owned BMWs and an Audi, numerous different Volvos, an RX-7 and even a Honda Accord, however I’d by no means had a Mercedes, and one thing concerning the stacked headlights and large upright grille of Mercedes’ W108 and W109 chassis made me fall in love. As a bonus, the sedan fashions had been (and nonetheless are, for my part) fairly undervalued. So, I satisfied my spouse to hitch me on this flight of fancy and we began purchasing.
After in search of a month or so, we got here throughout a inexperienced over tan 1970 automobile with the straight six engine and a life spent in California. That final bit was key, as a result of these vehicles like to rust. We drove out to the sunny San Fernando Valley to drive it and fell in love. We fell a lot in love that we broke the cardinal rule of shopping for a used European automobile, and didn’t get a pre-purchase inspection. This was a mistake, and an costly one at that.
We purchased the automobile for a good worth and set about driving the hell out of it after organising an preliminary service appointment to vary fluids and filters, look the whole lot over and provides the chassis a much-needed greasing. Things had been good for round six months till we began having issues with the cooling system. First, we discovered that the water neck had corroded to the purpose of failure when it dropped all its coolant in an underground parking storage. That was a number of hundred bucks to repair with a used half.
Then we observed it getting heat with regarding velocity, however chalked that as much as somebody in some unspecified time in the future eradicating the fan shroud. We added one for round $100 and whereas it helped, one thing was nonetheless not proper. Then the bomb dropped and what I assumed was a blown head gasket ended up being an aluminum cylinder head that had corroded internally to the purpose the place it was blasting coolant into the combustion chamber.
This was not solely a shock, however an costly one as a result of my octogenarian very German and really grumpy mechanic instructed me that to search out and refurbish a superb used cylinder head and set up it together with all the opposite “while you’re in there” elements could be virtually $7,000. While most individuals would have walked away at this level, my spouse and I doubled down and okayed the restore.
Now, I don’t wish to get into your entire historical past of a basic German automobile breaking, as a result of there isn’t sufficient web on this planet to cowl that intimately, however I discuss these big fixes as a result of they bonded me to this automobile in a means that no different automobile I’ve owned has. Trauma-bonded, positive, however bonded nonetheless.
All these things occurred earlier than I turned a journalist, too, so the automobile was getting used commonly, which is nice for any automobile, however particularly a basic. Before too lengthy although, I obtained my first journo job at CNET and began getting press vehicles, which implies that the Big Baby began sitting, so much. First it was exterior on the road when my spouse and I lived in LA’s Koreatown. Then in an underground lot once we moved downtown. Sure, I’d try to begin it up and let it heat up each couple of weeks and drive it at any time when I didn’t have one thing else that I wanted to drive for work, however the huge outdated Benz took a backseat.
Fast ahead to now. My spouse and I are renting a home in Pasadena. I’ve my 911 which I exploit largely as a each day, since I don’t e book myself many press vehicles, and I’ve a challenge motorbike which goes to take up plenty of my time this summer season. The Mercedes nonetheless doesn’t get used sufficient, solely now I’m beginning to really feel actual guilt over it prefer it’s some sort of unhappy, uncared for canine that spends life chained to a tree.
Every time I’m going out to begin it and heat it up, I’m stunned and excited that it fires proper up and idles superbly. When I take it out for a drive occasionally, it at all times appears prepared to stand up and go, to be out on this planet and make individuals joyful. Frankly, it deserves higher than I can provide it and that’s why I simply listed it on the market.
I by no means thought I’d promote the automobile, nevertheless it’s unfair to simply let it sit underneath a canopy for the following decade, undriven, whereas my spouse and I and the world change round it. It deserves somebody as excited as I used to be once I purchased it and somebody who perhaps desires to get into basic vehicles however doesn’t wish to cope with one thing else that’s too sluggish, too ponderous or too invaluable to drive and revel in.
The smartest thing I can do for this automobile that I like is to let it go, and that hurts. I really feel relieved at lastly itemizing it, and really feel responsible for being relieved. The smartest thing I can do at this level is to aim to manifest the correct of purchaser and provides them one of the best likelihood for achievement that I presumably can and as soon as the Big Baby is gone, look to the horizon for the following nice automotive expertise.
Source: jalopnik.com