I got a W220 for $200, Part III

"Joshua "Dr. Science" Gilbert" (joshuagilbert)
05/29/2014 at 01:02 • Filed to: Stories

!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! So I've driven this car for three weeks, and put five hundred miles on it between myself and my brother. My family has never broken, at least to my knowledge, the mythical roof of German luxury. I never imagined that my first car - the first car that would be under my name at the DMV - would be a 88,000 dollar Mercedes Benz S500. I'm going to borrow from the seventh graders and shopping mall divas from around the world; this car is SWAG. The S500 is from the future. And ApiDA's !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! pretty much sums it up. The doors even pull themselves in if you do a sloppy job shutting them in. This car is fifteen years old and has voice command (ooh!) and Adaptive Damping System (ahh!) The only thing I can say is that boy, I must look confusing.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Let me set the scene for you. First, I'm half Indian- I'm tall, dark, 20 years old, and have some good facial hair. Anybody who looks at me must think I'm up to no good just because I'm breathing. Old American women get nervous when I'm in the grocery store. Police cruisers tail me for miles. I wear a tactical baseball cap with an American flag on it and grin politely whenever anyone looks at me, in case I accidentally scare a child. (Ok, I'm done with the self-depricating sarcastic anti-racist humor.)

Second, I have an eight year old sister who I tow around all day. There's thirteen years between us. She isn't as brown as I am. People think that A) I kidnapped her. B) I didn't wear a condom. C) Her parents have a poor choice in babysitters.

Third, the family dog is a small, fluffy puppy. She's running around the car while I'm driving. And she's excited. Because. Wow. Much. Car. Such life. Ooh road. Wow.

Fourth, I love Country music. And Biggie. My playlist tends to shuffle between the two.

Now take all these things and draw yourself a picture with myself, my sister, and the dog all in the S500 at a stop light. Are you confused? I am.

Anyway. There are less than six S500s in the United States with less than 50,000 miles. And I'm driving one of them. With the AMG wheels, I will be able to resell this car at around $15,000-$19,000 I got an offer for $13,000 this week. Boy would I love to keep this car, but college, insurance rates, and finally my job as family chauffeur, photographer, and musician demand an SUV. The Merc won't be around our driveway anymore. But boy, it's fun. I now understand the appeal of RWD, V8 Sedans.

Updates to come.

DISCUSSION (5)

Freddy "Tavarish" Hernandez > Joshua "Dr. Science" Gilbert
05/29/2014 at 01:05

I'm glad that it got a good home. I'd keep it if I were you. It's gonna be tough going down in quality. Also, 15-19k is a stretch, unless you have a full service history. If you're set on selling, $13k is a pretty good offer on an S500 that's adequately appointed with low miles.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Joshua "Dr. Science" Gilbert
05/29/2014 at 01:15

Eh, you don't need an SUV. 15-19 grand can get you a nice jetta diesel wagon. With a stick shift.

here's one with 40k miles for 19k.

Mathias Rios > Joshua "Dr. Science" Gilbert
05/29/2014 at 09:57

I love this post. Kudos to you for reviving an old Benz. I drive a 1999 ML320 SUV and as an 18 year old, people don't realize that similar cars to mine sell for about 3,000 on the used market. Some people make assumptions.

I hoon, therefore I am > Joshua "Dr. Science" Gilbert
05/29/2014 at 12:03

I'm going to sound like a geriatric, but why not use a good chunk of the money to help pay for college? Find something decent for $5k, and use the rest to avoid a pile of debt (or at least some of it). I wish I'd have had the foresight to pay down my loans while working through college, rather than drinking most of my cash away.

Joshua "Dr. Science" Gilbert > I hoon, therefore I am
05/29/2014 at 14:38

been thinking about that