Sixty8panther

Balthazar:

I have nothing but respect for your opinion, insanely extensive

automotive knowledge and taste in American cars, but I guess

this is one of those times I have to agree to disagree with you.

Respectfully

What in 1984, made in the USA by ANY manufacturer had even

close to the presence, durability & sex factor that this MB does?

The 1980s Daimler Benz products are not their BEST looking,

waht esp. with the modern CLK & CL hardtops' elegant swooping

roof lines & curvaceous greenhouses, but this is IMHO one of

the most elegant German made cars of all time.

For Mercedes Benz the 1980s was all about unprecedented

durability, quality control and even VALUE. These cars show up

used with 300,000 miles more often than any other.

Now granted the rear tail light treatment with it's euro-esque

center section that emulates Buicks & Pontiacs of the era is

neither gorgeous or unique. But the ribbed tail lights on Benz

products of this era ARE quite cool in terms of their ergonomic

design: they're self cleaning as they channel air-flow through

the ribs and flush out debris, salt, mud, ice & such.

Now who else sold a (pillar-less fixed roof) hardtop in 1984 in

the USA? For ANY price?

-crickets chirping-

Like I told Julie, just think of this as a Coach-built 5.0 Mustang

for the types of Rodney Dangerfield, George Burns & Billy Joel.

Billy Joel probably rolled an SEC or two at high speed at some

point in the 1980s... perhaps even without spilling his martini.

The license plates look awkward front AND rear because they

are supposed to be 5" x 22" or whatever the European standard

size comes out to... not 7" x 12" I will at some point buy or

make a custom brackets front & rear that will look less awkward

on the car.

---

I sold the Banana with a trunk full of extra parts. Emblems,

interior pieces, small mechanical components, tons of stainless

steel trim and other parts, some that the car needs but most just

spare parts.

I got the Mercedes with several extra parts/optional equipment in

the trunk. It has a good CD player in dash but I have the original

tape deck, as well as an MB car cover, many many odds and ends

and the US spec. headlights: which will NEVER muck up the nose

of our slick 500-SEC.

Agreed.

If I was stuck with that job, I'd want an armored version of the Sixteen.

F*** yeah! ....but still a true pillarless hardtop.

Now that would be funny... seeing interlocking glass

that's 5" thick and designed to gell & catch armored

piercing rounds and yet its got to also seal in terms

of weather sealing & also dropp down into the doors!

Hell yesh!

Still ugly. Why do they bother trying to make it look like a Cadillac?

Exactly, the damn A-pillar is as thick as a medium sugar maple tree.

Just throw the armor on a H2, it will look less awkward.

Better yet just give him a freekin APC with an Escalade

grille, a 5-foot wide Cadillac-style LED CHiMSL, 22 inch

rims & call it a day!

The story of how Lincoln got the Whit House contract

for a few decades by default as a result of the Truman

Dewey debacle is an interesting one. I, for one, am

happy the commander in Chielf has a Caddy, not some

tarted up Fordproduct... if only on paper.

if only it was RWD.... and I HATE "car bras" they're lame on EVERY level.

I love the G-bodies... thanks for sharing.

Good clean photos as well BTW. Now i you could get a Pontiac GP,

a Buick T-Type & Malibu Classic 2dr in there we'd have a great

G-body wallpaper. But damn the Olds & Monte are two VERY clean

semi-classics.... love that stainless steel trim on the Cutty.

Say what you will (hardtops aside ) 1987 was still a year when

you could buy a classy, elegant 'Merican car.

BOF, RWD, a choice of V6s and V8s... who knew the 2000s would

make the 1980s seem like "back in the good old days" ...?

Now as far as the Chevelle's rollbar, kudos for getting one that does

not ruin the lines of the car's hardtop roofline by mounting so that it

is visible from the outside... if and when I ever put a rollbar or a roll

cage in a hardtop car it will hugg the roof, A & C pillars tightly so as

to not ruin the lines of the slick pillarless greenhouse.

I saw a custom made (but very professional) roll cage in a hardtop

1st gen. Camaro (67 IIRC) that was virtually invisible from the

outside anywhere except in the A-pillar area. Plus WTH would you

want t rollcage that is as expansive and lareg as possible?

WEll we already knew PCS had no soul.

Thanks guys.... yeah considering this was THE most expensive

Mercedes model of 1984 and it's a gray-market European

model: no accommodation for US shaped plates (Balthazar) I

think we got a damn good value this time around. It DOES

need a bnch of work, both minor & considerable but for now

it will function as Julie's new daily driver.

She loves it. It took all of 20 minutes for her to fall in love with

the hardtop body style after years of being unimpressed at my

obsession with it.

She named the car "Shiela"

...all I can thik of is Cartman's mom

Oh agreed... it was a bad example, but it DOES to a degree illustrate my point.

I'm all for your enthusiasm and unique approach. Just not in love with the idea just yet.

BOBO sees where this is going.

The SEC should function just fine for Julie as a daily driver

for now, but when and if that 303-cubic inch SOHC V8 has

outlived its usefulness a 300TD motor swap would not be

unrealistic... add to that a veggie conversion & you're

talking T.W.C.C. wet dream.

$1455.

Which is $1454 MORE than most people are willing to

pay for an obnoxious yellow Cadillac that gets 13-ish

miles to the gallon when we're paying $4.09 up here.

Sad to say the car could NOT function as my daily

driver any more with the mileage I drive these days.

I bought it back from XP when gas was right around

$3.07 which was already pretty much like getting

violated in jail every time the needle would dip past

1/4 tank on the fuel gauge.

Now heres the good news:

The Road-mOnster is going to become my new daily

driver while the money from the Banana went towards

a kick ass bargain on a Big Body Benz.

Check it:

more 411 to come soon... I need to go to sleep though *yawn!*

The "Banana Boat" '77 Cadillac Coupe deVille is SOLD as of less than 24 hours ago.

A moment of silence please.

a picture of the Banana from 2 weeks ago:

to be continued in a few min...

This afternoon I purchased car # 47.

1984 Mercedes Benz 500SEC (two door hardtop!!!)

Although it replaces the Banana Boat which I sold less than

24 hours ago it will become my pregnant wife's daily driver

& I will be taking over the Road-mOnster for the time being.

more 411 (and pictures) to come soon.

Yeah, "Tim Taylor" would probably squeeze a hilborne injected

454 Chevy Big Block into a toaster oven just to have his toast

done in 2.7 sec. versus the usual 45.0 sec.

I think you did pretty damn well o this one, I know you're more

partial to '71s than '69/'70 but those huge "monolithic" front

fenders look awesome from head on with this gen. At once point

as a young kid I considered the '70 my FAVORITE year of

Cadillacs after being awestruck by one at a car show.

Anyway you're having your fun with the car despite $4/gallon gas

AND it always helps to WORK at an auto parts store if you're

always buying/fixing up/maintaining/selling old GM classics. Does

the G/F approve of it as much as that '69 she was smitten with?

The Impala is looking good. You sure ARE a neat freak.

P.S. still can NOT get over the '05-up Impala's headlights... "glass tumors" is what I call them.

Congrats!

True dat 'bout the interior. Black-on-tan is always a winning combo.

I like the idea to a degree but the execution is not 100%

realistic & might be more damaging than helpful.

I mean to put it in perspective this would be like Toyota

turning themselves into the Celica-Supra corporation or

if the Germans decided it was now Porsche A.G. instead

of VW/Audi/Porsche group.

You going to be more likely to buy a Camry if it's made

by Supra Motors? Are you going to be more apt to go test

drive a FWD, triptronic Jetta if it's made by Porsche Inc.?

1. Not REALLY following my dream of working for GM in Detroit at ANY cost.

2. Spending ALL 4 years in college dating the SAME girl instead of like 30.

3. Not buying that 1938 "Runs & yard drives, Barn Find" Buick for $2800 back in 2005

Not using more clenched-fisted violence in my past.

Yeah! I hear that.

I wonder how much Camaro can be had for $25K.

$4.00+ gallon gas makes me think I'd be happy as pigs in $hit

if I could spend $23,000 & buy a power option delete Camaro

with a 2.4 ecotech, wide-spread-gear 5-speed & highway

geared rear end for a killer combo of "MPG & cool factor" 5th

generation Camaro style.

[let the roasting begin]

Just remmeber I've owned dozens of V8s, so sellig out it's not.

Zee-row

what are you basing that on?

I too think wagons are WAY overdue for a resrection.

The magnum failed to break the "momy-mobie"/"grampa-buckboard"

preception when gas was $2.25/gallon, HEMI-powered crew cab

Ram 3500s Subrbans were still flying off the shleves.

SOunds like a nice trip.

Drove w/ the top up, top down, and for a while, top up with the windows all down, felt like an old-time hardtop.

Giggaty-Giggaty!!! Awww-right!

-

I'll keep it in mind... it's a pretty unique wheel, even at a swap-meet it's not too hard to spot

My take:

GM should offer an ALL aluminum Camaro "ZLX" or something like that,...

that would be a great way of addressing the weight issues.

Yeah, I guess I just beat the piss out of my cars to no end.... never maintain

them properly on top of it compromise safety all the time. That's why out of

dozens of cars I've owned I've taken more than a few GM "beaters" past the

200K mark. My wife's 1992 Roadmaster which is a $200 winter beater, has a

jimmy rigged exhaust pipe and cosmetically looks like it was driven through

Afghanistan on three tours of duty & an off road rally race, but at 120+ miles

it's still running every day and has never experienced a breakdown.

There's a reason why you decided to sell me back the Banana, it's a great old

Cadillac but like so many late '70s cars, GM or otherwise, it has annoying

issues and quirky '70s wiring.

Let's think, you said you drive "five miles a day"

I drive a LOT, probably 24K on an average year, & as much as 30,000 one year

between the '86 Cadillac, '97 Cadillac, '84 Datsun & '68 Camaro.

As of the last few months (my 2nd ownership of the Banana) I've been driving

more than ever, while delivering Chinese Food I'd often times drive 150 miles

in one night... also still going back & forth to UPS.

Now with my new job, and high gas pries I'm probably averaging less than 17K

a year since I almost never go anywhere and both my jobs are close, UPS is

pretty much just across town and the other commute is just a few exits up 495.

But in any case my 40+ miles a day made any and all of the cars quirks & weak

spots surface, your commute to school and work, as you said, is close enough to

walk to.

Now instead of trying to throw me under the bus for over heating the Banana

how 'bout you think back to why I do not have a winter beater? What happened

to my high-MPG $h!-box that would super come in handy right now?

The s#itstorm that resulted when that idiot from Western Mass totaled my Datsun

three days before Christmas is still not over.

I'm assuming you also carry just basic comp. coverage through your insurance

since you'd be paying $4000 a year, so imagine for a sec. some jerk totals your

Burban, you're stuck with a useless vehicle in a wrecking yard, towing/impoud

fees are a slap in the face after (despite a witness who saw the other guy run a

red light) you see ZERO compensation. You miss work due to your resulting lower

back, knee and shoulder injury. You take time out for physical therapy 2 days a

week and on top of that not only do you NOT see a dime months later, but you

have to pay $270 worth of fines to the state of NH for "abandoning" a vehicle

that you'd much rather have kept & parted out, had it not been for the $2000 in

impound fees from the towing yard.

Someday when I get what is owed to me in small claims court I MIGHT, if I am

lucky, receive due compensation, and I will most certainly spend a chunk of that

money on the B-59 & the rest of the fleet. Having a second child on the way &

working 50-70 hours a week does not help in terms of finding free time to even

begin the work I would like to do to the B-59 and Banana.

As far as being a miser towards my cars & never spending money, WTF do you

call it when I walked into NAPA the DAY I got my UPS bonus and dropped the

ENTIRE amount on a full motor gasket set, plugs, wires, hardware, oil, trans fluid,

hoses, P.S. fluid etc. on the B-59?

You get back to me when you have an ex & pregnant wife already telling you

that you're spending way too much time/$ tinkering with your cars.

Oh how I wish I had nothing but a girlfriend, '67 Eldo, '70 deVille & '90 Burban

to worry about... I'd love to go back to college and live the life again.

So again before you go lecturing ME try getting up at 2:45 am & going into UPS

to load trucks like a crackhead on ice skates, then get out and 9am, clean up,

hit the highway & get to your next job 20 miles away, show up for 10am looking

presentable & working until 5pm and then either driving home to pass out or

driving 30 miles south to pick up your daughter at daycare before 6pm, during

rush hour traffic....

speaking of which, I've got places to be and Sofias to take on a short roadtrip.

Prizm - 100 hp 100 ft-lb torque

Intrepid - 200 hp 190 ft-lb torque

Grand Marquis - 190 hp 260 ft-lb torque

So that's 8.9 liters making 490 hp and 550 ft-lb of torque.

So that's up from the Mercury replacing the Town and Country, whose 3.3 made 185 hp and 183 ft-lb torque.

LOL I just thought of something:

7.0 + 6.0 + 5.7 = 18.7 liters. I love this counrty!

and once gas settles down it will be way cooler.