Camping in Ontario
A few more pictures can be found here: link
2005 Saab 9-5 Aero SportWagon
Vacation in Italy
Photo Album
1990 Mercedes-Benz 300TE
Since I moved very close to
work a few months ago, I only drive 1,500 miles a year
between home and work. A newer car is nice but
expensive for such short distances. So the decision was
made to let the 2006 Saab 9-5 go and find a new owner.
Well, the Saab is gone and I was looking for a
replacement. Used Saabs in good condition are difficult
to find in Northern Michigan so I was checking out a
few other brands. I have been researching some older
European brands like Volvo, Mercedes and BMW for a
while and the Mercedes W124 seemed to be a very
reliable model with lots of character and a good
reputation for quality.
I found a locally advertised 1990 300TE Wagon with
143,500 miles which appeared to be in great condition.
Used mostly in summer only, there isn’t any trace
of rust at all. Maintenance records were all there and
a Saturday morning test ride in Petoskey got me hooked
on the car.
It is something very different from a newer Saab.
It’s more of a slower, gentle kind of motoring.
The interior is in excellent shape and takes you 20
years back in time. But in a good way. Technology
advanced greatly in the last 20 years but it is nice to
find distributor caps and rotors under the hood again.
The 3.0 liter inline 6-cylinder is not very powerful
(175hp) but it gets the job done and should easily last
another 100-150 thousand miles with the proper
maintenance.
I have looked at a few used cars and there is not much
you can get for $5,000 these days. Most are older,
smelly, higher-miles cars lacking any kind of character
and an older car like this was the right choice for me
at this time. But who knows how long this one will
last. :)
A few more pictures can be found here: Link
