On Sun, 20 Jan 2008 02:56:00 +0000, larry wrote:

Brian Whatcott wrote in
:

On Thu, 17 Jan 2008 07:20:06 -0600, Vic Smith
wrote:

..
BTW, just last night my daughter called that she was at an accident
scene, where she struck a Mercedes with her Mitsu Eclipse.
He got a ticket, and was towed away with a broken front suspension -
maybe a snapped ball joint. She drove home with a cosmetic-type
scratch on her bumper.
Now you can make all kinds of statements about this incident, but the
only thing I'll say is this:
Larry, when plying around in your fry-oil fueled Merc, keep an eye out
for those little ****boxes. They'll take you down man, they'll take
you down.

--Vic

Which reminds me: my kid was given a Mercedes and had me help him tow
it back from Dallas, until after a hundred miles or so, a suspension
joint gave way, and a wheel went to a curious angle. We consigned it
to a salvage yard, at that point....

Brian Whatcott Altus OK


Ah, too bad. The ball joint simply needed a simple replacement. The
parts are cheap and it's not an expensive job. Mercedes cars are made
to repair, not scrap. Germans wouldn't have it any other way. I've
replaced mine....BEFORE they got so loose they fell apart.

Since the only car I ever had a ball joint break was VW squareback
with fairly low miles, I might agree the Germans make 'em to break.
I was lucky to being going past an empty bus stop at night, which
the car pulled itself into with a cock-eyed wheel. I did fix that
car, and continued to fix it, and fix it, and fix it.
To be fair, I think my daughter hit the Merc - a new big sedan -
directly on his turned wheel as he turned in front of her. She went
into him in ABS mode, and her airbag didn't even go off. Off course
maybe her ****box airbag doesn't even work.
I guess the reason I even mentioned this in a thread where somebody
asked about pounding on a particular cat, was to point out that
conventional wisdom isn't always correct, and digging in for actual
experience, and even gaining that experience yourself if need be, will
get you closer to the truth that is your truth. That's what makes
newsgroups and inet forums so valuable.
The car comment was a tangential and maybe clumsy analogy to searching
for the "right" boat, which in the end is a "personal" decision.
Now having said that, I hereby snip and discount all of Larry's
mythology about 1.6 million mile Mercs, and will continue to drive
Chevys.
Cause I know 'em and like 'em.

--Vic

On Sun, 20 Jan 2008 09:51:00 -0600, Vic Smith
wrote:

I hereby snip and discount all of Larry's
mythology about 1.6 million mile Mercs, and will continue to drive
Chevys.
Cause I know 'em and like 'em.

Nearly anything can be made to last nearly forever. I know a guy who
has been driving the same VW beetle for fifty years. He is a pilot who
lives more than fifty miles from the Des Moines airport. How many
miles, I don't know.

Casady

(Richard Casady) wrote in
:

On Sun, 20 Jan 2008 09:51:00 -0600, Vic Smith
wrote:

I hereby snip and discount all of Larry's
mythology about 1.6 million mile Mercs, and will continue to drive
Chevys.
Cause I know 'em and like 'em.

Nearly anything can be made to last nearly forever. I know a guy who
has been driving the same VW beetle for fifty years. He is a pilot who
lives more than fifty miles from the Des Moines airport. How many
miles, I don't know.

Casady


Those of us who have escaped being debt slaves also know that cars hardly
ever have their wheels fall off. My "new" car is a 1983 300TD Benz
wagon...(c;

larry wrote:
(Richard Casady) wrote in
:

On Sun, 20 Jan 2008 09:51:00 -0600, Vic Smith
wrote:

I hereby snip and discount all of Larry's
mythology about 1.6 million mile Mercs, and will continue to drive
Chevys.
Cause I know 'em and like 'em.
Nearly anything can be made to last nearly forever. I know a guy who
has been driving the same VW beetle for fifty years. He is a pilot who
lives more than fifty miles from the Des Moines airport. How many
miles, I don't know.

Casady


Those of us who have escaped being debt slaves also know that cars hardly
ever have their wheels fall off. My "new" car is a 1983 300TD Benz
wagon...(c;



Had a SAAB once, the wheels almost fell off; the uni-body where the
trailing arms mounted rotted completely away, made for a real
entertaining ride! I guess the folks in Sweden didn't realize that
Canadians sprinkle copious amounts of salt on our roads in the winter.


Cheers
Marty

Martin Baxter wrote in :

Had a SAAB once

2 stroke or 4 stroke engine? I remember the Saab chain saws...(c;

larry wrote:
Martin Baxter wrote in :

Had a SAAB once

2 stroke or 4 stroke engine? I remember the Saab chain saws...(c;



4, maybe about 2 litre. Loved the key between the seats, always freaked
out the new passengers.

Cheers
Marty
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Martin Baxter wrote in :

4, maybe about 2 litre. Loved the key between the seats, always freaked
out the new passengers.


One of my high school teachers had a BMW Isetta, the little 2-stroke bug
with one door in the front.

Us boys used to pick it up and leave it by the front door of the school up
about 15 steps, sometimes with a big red bow on it.

It was the ONLY vehicle that could climb the very steep hill behind the
school in the winter. She'd walk up that road even when the snowplow
couldn't!

Some 2-stroke Saabs were around town when I was in high school in the 60's.
That's why I asked....(c;

I know a registered nurse with a new Saab convertible. It's a beautiful
car. Very tight and nicely made. Saab makes luxury cars, now....at luxury
prices...probably 90% Swedish TAXES. Parts are outrageously expensive for
it.