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You certainly keep your cars in nice condition Ruby. She looks like a lovely example.
I haven't anything against Mercs, but only ever owned 2 of them in my youth, and one of them was for 1 day only.
The first a LHD WW2 Mercedes 170 SV with full Wehrmacht interior (I kid you not). I had it for 1 year and sold it for twice what I paid for it, (value today would be in mutiples of tripple figures).
The second and sadest, was a 1952 Adenaur 300 W186 with the 3.0 ltr petrol engine. I passed it everyday on my way to work and watched it gradually deteriorating and the tyres getting flatter with each week. I found the owner, a young woman and offered to buy it from her. She refused but I kept asking on a monthly basis. Eventually she gave way and we made a deal at the cost to me of 300 pounds!
She signed the bill of sale and the next day my friend and I, along with his car transporter arrived to collect it. We pumped the tyres and pulled it up on the transporter. As we started to secure it a guy came running over almost in fits of tears. He had bought it for her as a present and they were to be married within 3 months. He explained his dream had been to be married and use the car for it. He told me that it was to go into the garage to have some minor problems fixed. I told him the deal was done and showed him the bill of sale. I never saw anyone so broken and when the girl joined him, she really was in tears. There was obviously some serious friction between them.
I couldn't stand it, and although totally gutted by the turn of events, took the bill of sale and tore it up in front of them.
My friend and I rolled the car back off the transporter and she quickly got me the money, hugged and kissed me over and over before her future husband invited both my friend and I to their wedding. The next day, the car was gone and 3 months later the car bought her to the church. Both looked fantastic.
It hurt like hell but the wedding and following party was wonderful and they both made sure our glasses stayed full throughout the night.
I look at the 300's today and my heart still aches and my wallet still screams, but I had learned something about myself that day, you get back what you give out....and that has stayed with me throughout my entire joy filled life.
This really was one of the few that got away.
I haven't anything against Mercs, but only ever owned 2 of them in my youth, and one of them was for 1 day only.
The first a LHD WW2 Mercedes 170 SV with full Wehrmacht interior (I kid you not). I had it for 1 year and sold it for twice what I paid for it, (value today would be in mutiples of tripple figures).
The second and sadest, was a 1952 Adenaur 300 W186 with the 3.0 ltr petrol engine. I passed it everyday on my way to work and watched it gradually deteriorating and the tyres getting flatter with each week. I found the owner, a young woman and offered to buy it from her. She refused but I kept asking on a monthly basis. Eventually she gave way and we made a deal at the cost to me of 300 pounds!
She signed the bill of sale and the next day my friend and I, along with his car transporter arrived to collect it. We pumped the tyres and pulled it up on the transporter. As we started to secure it a guy came running over almost in fits of tears. He had bought it for her as a present and they were to be married within 3 months. He explained his dream had been to be married and use the car for it. He told me that it was to go into the garage to have some minor problems fixed. I told him the deal was done and showed him the bill of sale. I never saw anyone so broken and when the girl joined him, she really was in tears. There was obviously some serious friction between them.
I couldn't stand it, and although totally gutted by the turn of events, took the bill of sale and tore it up in front of them.
My friend and I rolled the car back off the transporter and she quickly got me the money, hugged and kissed me over and over before her future husband invited both my friend and I to their wedding. The next day, the car was gone and 3 months later the car bought her to the church. Both looked fantastic.
It hurt like hell but the wedding and following party was wonderful and they both made sure our glasses stayed full throughout the night.
I look at the 300's today and my heart still aches and my wallet still screams, but I had learned something about myself that day, you get back what you give out....and that has stayed with me throughout my entire joy filled life.
This really was one of the few that got away.
