You want to talk about the 1980's? You can't handle the 1980's.

"Highlander-Datsuns are Forever" (jamesbowland) 04/12/2019 at 20:36 • Filed to: 1980's called

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In the summer of 1985 I was 11 years old and we drove from Missoula MT to Minneapolis to visit my grand parents.

We drove a 1981 Honda Civic 4 dr in light blue.

While in MSP I bought the following tape:

In MSP I bought this exact Sanyo boom box to listen to Falco, and later 2-Live-Crew.

WilliamsSW > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 04/12/2019 at 21:13

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In 1981, my dad traded in a brown Mercedes 280SE ( W116) for a brown Civic sedan that didn’t have power steering, but did have a slushbox.

As a result, the Civic was the first car I ever drove instead of a big Mercedes luxobarge.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > WilliamsSW 04/12/2019 at 21:33

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I never got to drive it. I think it blew a head gasket before I started driving and they traded it for an Oldsmobile cutlass.

WilliamsSW > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 04/12/2019 at 21:42

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  Funny - he traded he Civic for a Cutlass in 84. Civic was rusting pretty bad after 3 years. He hasn’t bought an import since. 

fintail > WilliamsSW 04/12/2019 at 21:58

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What was the story behind that trade? Must have been some shock, even from the second to the bottom of the line W116 sold here (carb’d 280S was sold in NA for a few years).

That’s around the time my dad moved on from a blue 70 Mustang (smallblock, not a fancy muscle/pony car, but it had style no less) to a blue on blue Plymouth Horizon 5 door.  He raved about the Horizon too, he drove the hell out of it and it didn’t miss a beat.  Replaced later by an S-10 Blazer that didn’t endear him at all.  In 1981 my mom was driving her beloved mid 70s T-Bird (later replaced by a Tempo).

WilliamsSW > fintail 04/12/2019 at 22:17

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Haha - there are stories behind both cars. Growing up, we always had Chevrolets and Oldsmobiles exclusively. The W116 was an impulse purchase really. He and I went car shopping one day, and came home with it after driving several Mercedes at the dealer. It was a year or 2 old, but his business was doing well.

He loved the car, but it turned out to be more expensive to keep running than he bargained for. I think gas prices spiked again around 1981, so he swapped it for reliable, fuel efficient Civic. After the Civic started rusting out in 2 years, he went back to Oldsmobile.

Those were the only two imports he’s owned in my lifetime, but he recently bought a Honda Pilot. Everything else was Olds, Chevy or Mopar .

fintail > WilliamsSW 04/12/2019 at 22:36

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Fun stuff. I wonder how much the 116 depreciated then, as I think they had much better resale then than now, as the brand was a lot less common and was relatively more expensive. Those cars could also be finicky too, I am not surprised keeping it on the road wasn’t cheap. And then the fuel costs. I think fuel and the car simply becoming worn out is what moved my dad away from the Mustang, and the T-Bird suffered a terminal mechanical failure in 1985 that had my dad telling my mom he wasn’t willing to fix the old dinosaur (but only about a 10 year old car). Cars actually used constantly then often didn’t age as well as cars today.

My dad never had a modern foreign car, the only one I know of was a hobby car 1976 Datsun he bought in the early oughts. The Blazer led to Mopar minivans, his last car was a Town and Country that he liked a lot. My mom drove Fords forever, until a Taurus suffered a headgasket failure at 80K which was deemed not worth fixing, and she was irked. From then on, Toyota, and something tells me she’s now on Team Camry for life.

fhrblig > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 04/12/2019 at 23:10

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In the summer of '83 my mom loaded 8-year-old me and my 11-year old sister in our '75 Civic CVCC 3-door to drive from Colorado to upper Michigan for a vacation. It was a fun and memorable trip, although I'm sure my mom would like to forget the part where the alternator shit the bed in Iowa on the way there.

WilliamsSW > fintail 04/13/2019 at 14:08

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Back then, resale value was a big selling point for Mercedes. Some of that was driven by rarity and perceived qualit y ( they were more rust resistant than anything else, and the diesels were known to run forever even then)   but the rising Deutschemark was a huge factor really.

It’s funny, but I’m almost certain that neither of my parents has * ever* owned a Ford product, but I don’t know why. Their parents bought Fords sometimes ( maternal grandfather was a T bird guy), their kids have owned Ford’s, and they’ve all been fine, but not them. Weird. 

fintail > WilliamsSW 04/14/2019 at 12:04

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The cars were a lot more exclusive then, for sure, and then the small diesels had kind of an exotic jewel image. I forgot about the exchange rates, and how many models had 100%+ price increases in a decade.

My dad had a GM as his first car, a 51 Chevy (my dad was 40 when I was born, it wasn’t an old car when he had it) and the Blazer which soured him on the company. Otherwise, mostly Fords and a handful of Mopar. He got into cheap and cheerful vintage Fords in the 90s as well, and at one time we had a 60, 66, and 68 in the household. My mom was all over the place before I was born - had things like a Ford retractable, 61 Impala, Beetle with a 912 engine, but then settled into Fords and is now Toyota. Both of them would think a MB is too showy and/ or expensive to run.

WilliamsSW > fintail 04/14/2019 at 20:16

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  Yeah, my dad now thinks a Mercedes or BMW is too showy, but he knows I care more about cars than he does. My mom and her husband have been locked onto BMW leases for 12+ years now. The difference in mindset is a good chunk of the reason why they’re no   longer marries to each other, lol.

Have you replaced the W212 yet? Lease is due very soon, isn’t it?

fintail > WilliamsSW 04/14/2019 at 20:33

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Funny you mentioned that. I got the itch a few weeks ago, and 2 weeks ago picked up this thing - took pics just today, as this was the driest weekend day since I got the car:

The Bluetec was a good car, but I started leasing to sample different things, and not get emotionally attached to a car.  This thing is a different level of tech and refinement, I am still learning it.

WilliamsSW > fintail 04/14/2019 at 21:39

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Oooh, that’s pretty! I love the interior colors. I see you have the full digital dash too. Did you post this and I missed it?

Congrats! I’m coming up on 1 year with the 550 - so I’ll write up a 1 year review of used German luxury car ownership, haha.

fintail > WilliamsSW 04/14/2019 at 22:09

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The car meets a lot of my wants - rare, certain colors, certain options. The widescreen gauges were a necessity , I was not interested in any W213 lacking them. I posted a pic or two, but no normal announcement.

Thanks. I assume the 550 has been solid. 212s are a good platform overall, but the Bluetec was my 3rd one, it was time for something different. This also stopped me from doing something potentially stupid and insane like chasing a used G-Wagen.

WilliamsSW > fintail 04/14/2019 at 22:19

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Haha on the G wagen. Agree on the W213 gauges - there’s a huge difference between the glass panel and standard gauges.

The 550 is coming due  for a B1 service, which will be the first dollar I’ve spent on it outside of gas, registration and insurance. The steering wheel adjustment motor stopped going up and down for some reason two weeks ago, so I’ll get that fixed, too. That’s been it so far. It’s been great - except that my wife closed the garage door on the rear bumper cover and it got scratched.

fintail > WilliamsSW 04/14/2019 at 22:49

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I had a thought to pick up a later run G550 non bling edition as they are fun in their own way, but I had a really hard time finding the right car, and didn’t want to sink my rainy day fund into the down payment. Running costs would also be immense. I don’t regret this decision.  I am enjoying the smooth ride and engine, along with the tech.  Drivers assist is a fun toy, and warmth and comfort package is soothing.

B service won’t be too bad, especially as the car probably only needs an annual service. On my prior W212, the comfort access feature stopped working. I took it in for repair, they disassembled the steering column, and it star ted working again. I then switched it off, and don’t use it. It’s fun to watch, but is kind of pressing your luck. Too bad about the scratch, maybe a PDR guy can do something to it