Our first Merc was a secondhand 300TE

[Guy]

Bought in 1994, our first taste of Benz motoring. It was a late 89 300TE with 60k and a full history. Never missed a beat to 130,000 miles, when we said goodbye.
Looking at the pic, which I found today, I'm getting nostalgic and wondering why I sold it.
Car is parked at a hotel off the A26 in France, just outside Troyes, summer 1995.

 

[Koolvin]

Thanks for sharing that with us!!!

How does your new estate compare?

 

[Guy]

The new one's great, more economical, bigger, perfectly reliable.
But there's something about your first love...

 

[Maff]

Mine was an A160. Great little car. Kept if for just over a year, then traded it for an ML320. Worst thing I ever done! The ML was an early US model and the build quality was terrible. Needless to say, I only kept the ML for 5 months and traded it for a CLK230 cabriolet, a proper german Mercedes!

Here's a pic of the A160...

 

[Steve_Perry]

My first experience with the 3 pointed star was when my father bought a 3 year old metallic silver W124 - 200 back in 1990. It was an 1987 E plater with approx 40k on the clock. The car is still going strong today <img src="http://www.mbclub.co.uk/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''> my dad still has it. The interior feels like it's been hewn from solid rock.

When my father bought the car in 1990 I got his previous car which was a 1979 Peugeot 504. This lasted another 7 years before the sea air here finally forced me to sell it because the car was so tatty.

In '97 I replaced my much loved Pug with a 1986 190E in white and blue cloth interior (sorry no pics of it). A very solid car, the car had 80k on it when I first got it and 125k when I part-ex'd it for my current car which I bought at the beginning of January this year.

Ahh...the memories <img src="http://www.mbclub.co.uk/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''>

S.

 

[Maff]

Steve, is that picture of you and the 124 at the Birdlip meeting? &nbsp;<img src="http://www.mbclub.co.uk/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''> &nbsp; <img src="http://www.mbclub.co.uk/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''> &nbsp; <img src="http://www.mbclub.co.uk/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''>

 

[Steve_Perry]

Matt,

Hehehe <img src="http://www.mbclub.co.uk/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''>

That was actually taken in the Yorkshire dales, not that far from York. Judging by that photo I think my dad's car has aged with more grace than I have in the last 12 years <img src="http://www.mbclub.co.uk/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''> (I was in my early 20s then).

S.

 

[geoffk.]

I have had lots of German cars, mostly VWs, and 4 years ago a bloke from work whos dad was German, was selling his dads old S class. He brough it back from Germany, after his dad gave it to him, and he drove it for 4 or so years. Anyway he sold it to me, just before Christmas one year, and I bought it as a christmas present for my wife (putting the V5 inside her card, after putting the car just outside our house &quot;late&quot; christmas eve)
She was supprised, but not as supprised as me, when she took it for a drive at 6am christmas morning - without taking any instructions..... This S class - German origin, left hooker, 280SE with a 4 speed manual box on a B reg. (well it was VERY cheap)

In the end, it had 250,000km on the clock, and all the MOTs were fairly un-eventfull, although it needed some welding to the lower front suspension mounts on the first MOT we gave it.
We had it for a bit over 3 years, fine car, but my wife was getting a bit down with the amount of fuel it used..... So I bought her my dads french euro box (diesel) for her and my daughter.

Funny thing was, this left me with my Porsche 944 and the S class. Well as the S class was worth nothing, and as I couldnt see a good car go to waste, I sold my porsche and drove the S class for 6 months or so.
What a fine car, I really enjoyed this, but as I have mostly had Coupes as my daily drives, this made my want a CE sooo bad.......

 

[Guy]

I had strings of VW's too, before I bought a Merc.

Sciroccos before the kids, then Golfs and Jettas. My first MK1 Scirocco was the first car I ever owned that NEVER broke down.

Now that was rare in the 70's!

 

[SPS]

my first car was a ford escort 1.3 gl as a student back in 1979.
then it was a batch of peugeots-304,504,504,304 coupe,and then moved onto a vauxhall cavalier,then audi80 5 cylinder-what a pull when the twin choke carb came into song,then audi coupe 5 cylinder-superb five speed box and twin choke carb.then moved into an audi coupe fuel injection-lovely car,five spped box with so much punch.then bought audi 90 saloon-my worst buy,was glad to get rid of it.
then bought a e34-530ise auto-the best car i ever drove-sports auto mode was exhilarating.
also bought an e28 520i auto-solid car in red.
ended up selling it to an 80plus yr old retired anaesthetist -a relative of the de-haviland family.
then bought a 190e 1.8 auto-on a k-lovely town car-reliable and solid...
also bought a 200sport auto 1997-lovely car ,happy with performance and fuel economy.

prior to coming to england drove my dad's datsun160sss-in the mid 70s,citreon ds pallas,nissan 1200,toyota corrolla,peugeuot 404,and 504-tough rugged cars suited to the rough roads of kenya--now that is along list of cars-and learnt a lot about diy mechanics through the yrs.

 

[BaldGuy]

Ok here goes, I've had loads...
My first car was a Vauxhall Chevette 77/R then go down the list....



Alfa Romeo Sprint Veloce 1.5 80/V
Opel Manta 81/W
Toyota Celica 84/A
Capri 3.1S 79/T
Rover SDI Vitesse 85/B
Opel Manta 86/C
Audi 80 Quattro 84/A
Golf GTI 8V 85/B
Jetta 16V put a G60 in it!! 90/G
Corrado 16V 90/G
Golf G60 Syncro 91/H
Jeep Cherokee 4.0 LTD 97/P
Passat 1.8T 98/S
Jeep Wrangler 4.0 Sport 97/P
Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0 LTD 96/P
Mercedes Benz 240 Sport &nbsp;(Current) 2K/V

I want a C42 AMG next, as I prefer the older shape 202 C class..

 

[fuzzer]

My first car was an A160 auto elegance that i got when i was 17, kept it for 20 months &nbsp;and then i bought a C240 Elegance and have had that for about 8 months.

I'm still a young en, give me time.

I saw an ML270 i quite fancy next , so touch wood....

<img src="http://www.mbclub.co.uk/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''>

 

[V12]

I want a C42 AMG next, as I prefer the older shape 202 C class..

You mean C43... <img src="http://www.mbclub.co.uk/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''>

 

[BaldGuy]

Whats a 100 horses between friends!!!! &nbsp; &nbsp;<img src="http://www.mbclub.co.uk/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''>

Yeah C43...

 

[Matt Crooke]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Wheelie @ June 15 2002,22:52)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Ok here goes, I've had loads...
My first car was a Vauxhall Chevette 77/R then go down the list....



Alfa Romeo Sprint Veloce 1.5 80/V
Opel Manta 81/W
Toyota Celica 84/A
Capri 3.1S 79/T
Rover SDI Vitesse 85/B
Opel Manta 86/C
Audi 80 Quattro 84/A
Golf GTI 8V 85/B
Jetta 16V put a G60 in it!! 90/G
Corrado 16V 90/G
Golf G60 Syncro 91/H
Jeep Cherokee 4.0 LTD 97/P
Passat 1.8T 98/S
Jeep Wrangler 4.0 Sport 97/P
Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0 LTD 96/P
Mercedes Benz 240 Sport  (Current) 2K/V

I want a C42 AMG next, as I prefer the older shape 202 C class..</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
Wheelie, excellent choice of first car i have to say, mine was the same on a 79/T Gold and Brown so she was.....bless.

Well, heres the list, yes i know, theres some strange ones on there!

1987 2.0 Litre 190E Auto
1986 Ford Granada 2.8 Ghia Auto (Sweeney Affair&#33<img src="http://www.mbclub.co.uk/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''>
1987 Ford Granada 2.0i
1994 Rover 827 Sterling Auto
1991 Ford Sierra 2.0i Ghia Auto
1986 Ford Sierra 1.3 L
1979 Ford Cortina 1.6L Auto
1979 Vauxhall Chevette 1.3L

&nbsp;<img src="http://www.mbclub.co.uk/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='???'>

 

[Matt Crooke]

GOod fun to be had in a Sterling believe it or not. I remember when i got it, all my mates were taking the mick for about a week as they cruised about in their XR2's and Cavvy SRI's.....Smiles were wiped off their faces though when we decided to have a bit of a straight line drag up the A13....left em for dead. Petrol bill was no laughing matter though. IT was nice to see spooty teenagers eating dust though at traffic lights...even challenged a Beema 730i, however we both bottled out when it came to hurling these tanks round a rather tight corner!!

Its a shame as all the cars ive had have been in near perfect condition, especially the Sterling and 91 Sierra, they were in showroom condition. The only pretty naff one is the Merc...but im working on that!

 

[Shude]

My c230k is the first car I have bought, back in August 2001.

Prior to that I drove my mum's old car, 1989 Vauxhall Astra 1.3 merit. &nbsp;The Astra had 141000 miles on the clock when I got rid of it and the engine still ran like new. &nbsp;My mods included installing a clock in the dashboard (retrieved from a written off GTE for £3). &nbsp;I got the Astra in May 2000, when I was 22, and I only kept it for 15 months.

 

[BaldGuy]

Nick,

You must get slaughtered on Insurance for your C being a young chap!!!