Okay- no excuses- I know, but if I had to give you something today, it would be, well, an excuse.
I haven't written in over day. Not because life hasn't been interesting and I have nothing to share- but rather- I've just been busy. Very busy.
In a day that starts at 5AM and is just going to end in about 10 minutes or so (or however long it take me to write something), well, I can't help buy marvel how life sometimes imitates art.
Busy day, computer work, gym, breakfast, chores, had a meeting... Had some more work to do, then Staples, then went to look at cars... then back home, and looked at yet another car for a friend (more on that one below...). Then back to a meeting/dinner with an associate and more computer/camera work to do. Must have driven 200 miles today- no shit.
But the absolute highlight of my day (besides seeing an old car-biz buddy of mine), was meeting a young seventeen year-old boy, who had just gotten his license and was shopping for his first new car.
Not just any car, mind you, a W123 Mercedes-Benz 300CD Turbodiesel- an '85, a car that I actually stumbled across last night coming back from burger night with the boys...
Okay- let's back-up a second.
Last night, as I do most every Monday night- I head-out with a few friends for half-priced burger night in Red Bank.
On the way back home, my eyes caught an Astrial Silver, vintage Mercedes coupe- of course, I snapped my neck to look it over as I passed by... The car looked straight... I knew I had to find out more. But it was raining... Maybe tomorrow, if I have time.
In an ironic twist of fate (is it ever really fate?) my friend who I'm helping get a new/used car had gotten a call about a used car, a friend was selling.
Diesel Mercedes, original owner, guy's in his 80's, bought the car brand-new 25 years ago- 150,000 miles, all original.
Now, she's telling me this- and I automatically know what car it is... It's the coupe I saw last night- has to be.
Well, it was. And my friend was saying how the family would like to help her out- and sell her the car for cheap. Real cheap. And she's interested in it... Hell, if I have anything to do with it- she's interested in it!
Now, you may not know this- probably my number-one passion in life is my old, vintage W123 Mercedes-Benz. If I love one thing, it's that car.
That car, is perhaps my best and oldest friend in the whole world. As shallow as that may sound- we've been everywhere and through everything together- for better or worse.
I've often thought it like a muse most times- an obsession, like Christine; maybe a bit of a curse; to be quite honest- the last 11 years that I've had her; well, maybe weren't the best years of my life to date- but that's not entirely the car's fault.
It's just seen and done everything and through thick and thin- I've held on to her- much to everyone's chagrin.
People resent her (the car); it's not valuable or anything- but I think a lot of car people hate what it represents. They hate that I still have it, spend money on it... They'd like something to happen to it. It's just the impression that I get. Mechanics, service writers, old girlfriends, neighbors- all at one time or another disliked her. It was competition. A reminder of how mortal you are- yet- this car is surviving- my life anyway.
Maybe they knew... I liked the car better than them.
So, my friend tells me of this cheap W123 coupe and all I could think is... "I'm buying it... I don't care... I'm f'n buying it." (Wouldn't have been the first stupid car thing I've done...)
The '85 300CD coupe is the halo, the holy grail of Turbodiesel ownership. The last of it's kind, it was a rare combination of hand-crafted beauty, utilitarian diesel engineering; and, despite what you think you know of performance- the car's quite the stunner. I'll put it to you this way (kindly)- you may catch it- but you'll have a hard time keeping up with it... Even today.
When it was state-of-the-art circa the late 70's, early 80's, they were hailed as the best sports sedans of their kind. Road & Track claimed it had the best suspension in the world- a suspension so advanced, even the seat cushion springs are matched to the spring-rates of the suspension itself.
Comfortable, fast, nimble, built like a tank, and it'll last forever. And the pillar-less coupe version is rare- we're talking only a few thousand to the sedan and wagon's numbers, which range in the several hundred thousand... Literally, a fraction of Turbodiesels are the coupe version- and it was only made for North America.
Now, I have a very foolish, selfish plan to have one of each- a sedan (the one I have now) a wagon (I'd like to buy my friend's old car...) and now I'm thinking... this coupe.
I don't have shit- but I'll tell you this much- if I had this car, I'd be happy. And to most anyone, being happy is having everything.
So, we went to look at the car- my rational was true- if I like the car- tell my friend to buy it... If she hated the thing... I'd buy it.
I wasn't letting this opportunity pass me by. I better be careful what I call an "opportunity..."
(Part II tomorrow... I promise... )
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