My first car ever was a 1978 W123 Mercedes-Benz 200. That was before the days of abject poverty that followed my parents nasty divorce and my having to "downgrade" to a "mere" bike to get around (there were people who actually made snide remarks at me for that!) Of course, being seen driving around campus in a Mercedes-Benz, people had to assume that I must've been filthy rich! What they didn't know was that the engine burned a quart of oil per week; the four-speed manual transmission often shifted out of gear while I was driving; the differential whined like a pack of angry wasps; all four dampers were shot; and the frame rails had plenty of welds from botched accident repairs. But hey, it was a Mercedes-Benz! People looked at 18-year-old me like I was a buffoon at gas stations and avoided being seen around me, but as soon as I sold the tired old MB and bought an even more tired 1981 Honda Accord, suddenly I was everyone's nice-guy, down-to-earth friend!
Last edited by sjanzeir; 11-18-22 at 03:26 AM.