Ex-lurker exposes himself

[Mesmer]

Hello everyone,

Technically I joined this merry throng last summer while nervously considering my first Mercedes-Benz - in fact my first car for two decades - and benefited from some much needed reassurance that I wasn't simply going through some kind of mid-life crisis. For which, much thanks.

Living in Central London and working largely from home meant car-hire was the only sane response whenever the need for four wheels loomed and the idea of actually owning a car held out little more than the prospect of a slow hemorrhage financially. Health- and money-wise, I really ought to stay with the push-bike and London Transport, surely? Until one day the clouds parted and I saw the light... gleaming off that three-pointed star... and a heavenly chorus seemed to strike up... and I was in love.

While my wonderful low-mileage 2006 CLK 280 will continue to accrue mileage only slowly, i.e. 2500 miles in 6 months, I know that you will all understand when I say that I would not be parted from it now. I don't suppose I'm too typical of MBClub.co.uk denizens but I know that we share a passion.

 

[WOODYTHEWISE]

Hello and welcome.

 

[neilz]

Welcome, glad you saw the light! 5000 miles a year is what I put on my car, roughly, with 4500 per year by the previous owner (both in London) so that's about average for local London driving I guess. What was your previous car all those years ago?

 

[trapperjohn]

Welcome buddy. Its not the miles in a year that matter its the style in which you do it. I like your style. Some members move away from the marque but stay with the forum, no one has any issues with that either.

CHEERS

 

[s500colin]

Hello
Welcome to the Forum

 

[Benzster]

Hello everyone,

Technically I joined this merry throng last summer while nervously considering my first Mercedes-Benz - in fact my first car for two decades - and benefited from some much needed reassurance that I wasn't simply going through some kind of mid-life crisis. For which, much thanks.

Living in Central London and working largely from home meant car-hire was the only sane response whenever the need for four wheels loomed and the idea of actually owning a car held out little more than the prospect of a slow hemorrhage financially. Health- and money-wise, I really ought to stay with the push-bike and London Transport, surely? Until one day the clouds parted and I saw the light... gleaming off that three-pointed star... and a heavenly chorus seemed to strike up... and I was in love.

While my wonderful low-mileage 2006 CLK 280 will continue to accrue mileage only slowly, i.e. 2500 miles in 6 months, I know that you will all understand when I say that I would not be parted from it now. I don't suppose I'm too typical of MBClub.co.uk denizens but I know that we share a passion.

If you are smitten with it now it's probably a marriage made in heaven.

 

[TDE1]

If you are smitten with it now it's probably a marriage made in heaven.

...Or a mileage made in Heaven!

Welcome Mesmer, great first post. Hope you have many happy days with your MB.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

 

[Bennyc320]

Hello and a warm welcome

 

[Mesmer]

Welcome, glad you saw the light! 5000 miles a year is what I put on my car, roughly, with 4500 per year by the previous owner (both in London) so that's about average for local London driving I guess. What was your previous car all those years ago?

Thanks for the welcome, neilz. Your comments on mileage are interesting and surprising. The previous owner of this particular 280, a lady Londoner, put on just over 4K in two years, too. Prior to that the original owner, from Wales, clocked up 30K in three years, which I took to be about the national norm.

Since you asked, my previous vehicle was a 1960s Series II SWB Ex-army Land Rover. Canvas. Olive drab, with International Rescue stenciled discretely on the rear panels. Good for a laugh. Never cleaned it. It wouldn't have seemed right. All it ever wanted was petrol and oil. If I had looked after it any better I'm sure it would have scorned me.

Prior to that a series of bikes, kept in exemplary condition, working backwards: Yamaha XT500 single for dispatch riding duties in and around London; and before that four Kawasakis: Z1000, Z650, KT125, S1-250 for wringing every last MPH out of. Apart from the KT, of course, which was more for off-road larking about. From age 13-17 a 1956 AJS500 single, stripped down to bare-bones and ridden around country lanes and across fields, Steve McQueen-like, (sigh)... whither youth?

Back to cars, at age 17 a knackered old 'B' reg Mini bought for £50 off a desperate mate (desperate to get rid of it) which lasted for a total of 5 days until the increasingly un-cooperative CV joints went kaput on a lost weekend in Manchester. Utter madness; Manchester, that is. I scrapped the Mini there for... £50!

So there you have it: the sum total of my vehicular experience. Which all goes to explain why I felt it best to maintain a low profile. You can see now just how useful I'm going to be to other members around here, can't you.

 

[d w124]

Hi and welcome to the forum

 

[steve333]

Hi,welcome to the forum

 

[neilz]

Am I right in thinking the Series 2 was a pain to drive? I know the gear-change on some of them can be terrible (and some not so). Sometimes actually finding the gears is hard. I'm also sure it wanted more oil than petrol! Quite a nice collection of old bikes, sure they were better in every way than the Mini. My son's in the top year at secondary school (about to go to university), he's in the 'motor club' there and they have an early 80s Mini - never seen rust like it! I don't see the fascination in them by many, at least you got to drive yours until it was dead and get back what you paid for it!

Thanks for the welcome, neilz. Your comments on mileage are interesting and surprising. The previous owner of this particular 280, a lady Londoner, put on just over 4K in two years, too. Prior to that the original owner, from Wales, clocked up 30K in three years, which I took to be about the national norm.

Since you asked, my previous vehicle was a 1960s Series II SWB Ex-army Land Rover. Canvas. Olive drab, with International Rescue stenciled discretely on the rear panels. Good for a laugh. Never cleaned it. It wouldn't have seemed right. All it ever wanted was petrol and oil. If I had looked after it any better I'm sure it would have scorned me.

Prior to that a series of bikes, kept in exemplary condition, working backwards: Yamaha XT500 single for dispatch riding duties in and around London; and before that four Kawasakis: Z1000, Z650, KT125, S1-250 for wringing every last MPH out of. Apart from the KT, of course, which was more for off-road larking about. From age 13-17 a 1956 AJS500 single, stripped down to bare-bones and ridden around country lanes and across fields, Steve McQueen-like, (sigh)... whither youth?

Back to cars, at age 17 a knackered old 'B' reg Mini bought for £50 off a desperate mate (desperate to get rid of it) which lasted for a total of 5 days until the increasingly un-cooperative CV joints went kaput on a lost weekend in Manchester. Utter madness; Manchester, that is. I scrapped the Mini there for... £50!

So there you have it: the sum total of my vehicular experience. Which all goes to explain why I felt it best to maintain a low profile. You can see now just how useful I'm going to be to other members around here, can't you.

 

[Mesmer]

Am I right in thinking the Series 2 was a pain to drive? I know the gear-change on some of them can be terrible (and some not so). Sometimes actually finding the gears is hard. I'm also sure it wanted more oil than petrol! Quite a nice collection of old bikes, sure they were better in every way than the Mini. My son's in the top year at secondary school (about to go to university), he's in the 'motor club' there and they have an early 80s Mini - never seen rust like it! I don't see the fascination in them by many, at least you got to drive yours until it was dead and get back what you paid for it!

Timewise, the Mini was no more than a 5-day adventure really. It was fun, but it was in fact a total heap. Nevertheless, it earned its way into my long-term affections. Partly because it was my first car - if five days qualifies as ownership - and partly because of What Happened In Manchester, the details of which I am blushingly reluctant to divulge on a forum devoted in the main to discussing classy vehicles. An ex-girlfriend had a Mini, too, a Mini City E automatic, I kid you not. It was truly dreadful to drive, and as a passenger, well... Would I ever have another? No. Never. Certainly not pre-BMW in any case, not even for £50. I'm sure your son will, one way or another, learn some valuable lessons best learned when one is young.

As to the Series II, my recollection is that, certainly after the Mini, the Land Rover was a joy to drive and it lasted a lot longer despite all my efforts. The only 'idiosyncratic' aspect gear-wise that I recall was in engaging 4-wheel drive, and that was more often than not down to technique. Not that I used 4-wheel drive very often. I really don't remember putting anything much more into it other than petrol and oil, either. My next-door neighbour was a mechanic and was more like an older brother and did all that messing around under the bonnet stuff seemingly for kicks and a few pints. Now those really were the days! My Land Rover was more like his hobby. Go on, fill yer boots, Gus!

Ah yes, the bikes. We're talking about the 70s and early 80s, so apart from the 1956 AJS, those ''old'' bikes were actually brought new or were contemporary bikes at the time. They were each different, and in their different ways great fun, and along with acquiring some inevitable road-rash they taught me some invaluable roadcraft and survival techniques.

I'm sure I'm a better driver due to my years as a biker. For example, I can compute the racing line through a series of bends at speed quicker than I otherwise could/would. You should see the looks of admiration I get from oncoming drivers! I can often anticipate the erratic behaviour of pedestrians and other drivers before the event, particularly when tailgating.

So, on reflection, despite the twenty-odd years break I seem to have lost none of my road skills, what with my ability to weave and change lanes at will and cut in at junctions and roundabouts, my bikers' approach to driving and road ownership apparently remains undiminished (just kidding).

 

[BTB 500]

Hi & welcome, I commute into London by train so my SL only does about 2000 miles a year!

 

[camerafodder]

Welcome

 

[DaveR]

Hello and a big welcome

 

[Mesmer]

Well, that's me. Anyone else care to confess their woeful car/bike/personal history by way of introductions while we're here?

 

[Mesmer]

No? Righto, that's enough of that, then. On to the forums...

 

[neilz]

well, I can try - see how much I can remember...

At the end of the 50s I got y first car - an Austin Cambridge. This was quickly replaced with a Ford Popular which put me off Ford for the next 50 years, I then started buying more 'interesting cars' (a Panther DeVille, one of the very first Ferraris in England) and as my interiors business took off and became 'fashionable' in the 60s I started buying new Ferraris whenever they came out and selling them after a couple of months. I had a Rolls Royce Silver Spirit, a Lagonda Rapide and (hated it) a Porsche 911 Turbo. The turbo kicked in too quickly for my liking. My first Mercedes was (I think it was the first, I nay have had one before that?) a Pagoda 280SL but I also had a W123 coupe and a 560SEC and a 600SEL and a 500SEC before buying a 3 year old Jeep Wrangler 4.0 Limited Edition in 1997 (most unreliable and fuel inefficient car ever!) followed by a '94 W202 C200 in 2006 or so and a W124 '95 E220 coupe in 2008 or so (rustbucket!) and a W140 S320 LWB ('97) in October.