MERCEDES-BENZ 1990 300SE S-CLASS
For me, this vehicle is the culmination of a childhood dream, the car I have always wanted to have. For as long as I can remember, I have considered Mercedes-Benz cars as the only real car I know, and even though I have changed many of my opinions about most subjects many times, this one stuck. I can not imagine driving anything else, and I now have the honour to take this delightful car with me all the way back to Europe. With a bit of luck, I will even drive it back to Stuttgart, so it can see where it was born, back in 1990.
| | 
| | | | the last truly over-engineered Mercedes Benz, built to last forever. |
The story of this particular specimen is actually quite ironic. I have always sworn I would never buy a Japanese car, no matter what the reliability statistics say. So it is with great irony that I learned that this very Benz has actually been originally delivered to... Japan. Yes, it still has a fading "Mercedes-Benz Japan" sticker on the rear window. Of all the people to buy a car from, I bought this one from a Nigerian, right here in Sydney. Very friendly chap, slightly weird but I tried real hard not to think about Nigerial confidence scams when I gave him my money and it appears I made the right choice - the car runs beautifully, has absolutely no rust, came with a low mileage, and is one of the last models of its type (it was followed up by the W140 S-class in 1991) so in theory it should be the most perfect one. See below for some pictures :)
| | 
| | | | timeless elegance and style - 97% of governments have this car in their lineup |
| | 
| | | | clean, spotless interior with plenty of room for everyone |
| | 
| | | | a true pleasure to drive, ready for the long trip |
|
|
GETTING THE CAR READY FOR THE JOURNEY
| As I am sure you must realise, driving 20.000KM within two months can be considered a major acchievement for any vehicle, especially in the conditions that this Benz will be subjected to. And even though I am blindingly confident that this car will make it in one piece without so much as a hickup, I must remain realistic and take into account this baby has been born almost 20 years ago, and will need some decent TLC to make sure it and its passengers arrive without any serious problems. So, between now and March 2009, the car will be brought up to standard with the necessairy parts & repairs to make sure it will survive the 20.000KM onslaught about to be brought down on it. |
|
The car has driven a total of 146.000KM so far, which is reasonably little for a vehicle of its age, especially considering that it is designed as a highway cruiser. It has been imported into Australia in 2006, and appears to have been kept in good technical condition throughout almost all its life. My gut feeling however tells me that the last 2 years were not the best for this Benz, as the maintenance done on it seems to have lacked commitment and quality (for example, the muffler was not replaced but patched up, something I would never do on the cheap like that). At this moment that muffler and the power steering box are however the only two things that are in need of replacement. It does not leak a single drop of oil. I know, that's almost unbelievable. I have had it for two months now and it is still 100% dry. I even washed the base of the engine just to make sure I will detect even the slightest hint of leakage - there is nothing. Truly excellent engineering.
Right now the car is being slowly being brought to perfect condition. It is on a no-costs-spared preventive maintenance regime and will be given various presents and new parts as the big trip comes closer. You must realise that I truly love this car. It is not just a machine to transport myself with, it is like another skin, a feeling, an emotion. It receives plenty of love and devotion and is being cared for as well as I can afford to.
To read more about this vehicle, click here for a more detailed historical overview
In-car Entertainment
At this moment, the car features a fairly high-end 4-speaker MP3/CD/Radio player with bluetooth, but I am considering fitting it with a Personal In-Car computer coupled with one or two roof-mounted LCDs. These would serve to watch movies, use the computer and in general provide entertainment when conversations runs out, everyone is sleeping or when you just feel like watching Pulp Fiction for yet another time. I will be taking with me about 300 movies, so trust me, you will never be bored.
Fuel consumption and maintenance
Ok, now as you probably will have guessed, this car is not exactly very fuel economical. I know this, and surely this is not a fantastic thing. Based on my driving so far and information I have found on various forums, I have calculated it is fair to assume a fuel consumption of about 13L/100KM, or 1Litre of fuel for every 7.5-8KM of distance travelled. Before I take off on the trip, the car will be fine-tuned by my mechanic to try and make it as economical as possible, so he may be able to tune it up to 12-11.5L/100KM (perhaps at the price of some acceleration speed) and I will be getting fuel-saving tires (on a trip of 20.000KM this will definitely make an impact) but at the end of the day, consumption will remain fairly high. I suppose it is the price one has to pay for driving in what is in fact a limo with decent crash safety as a bonus.
As I mentioned above, the car will be meticulously maintained, but it is quite possible that some maintenance will need to be done en-route. I have already made contact with a Mercedes service station in Bangkok, and will probably need to find more along the way. Every 5.000KM the car will need an oil-change, coolant top-up, and general check of all systems. Every 10.000 the transmission oil will need to be checked and replaced if necessary. I will be taking two such oil changes with me from Darwin onwards, and expect to do the last one somewhere in Turkey. I have the complete, full, and somewhat confusing maintenance manual on CD for this car, and a royal collection of tools will be brought along.
If you are considering to come along and you are good with cars, that's great. I am quite mechanical myself, but some procedures really dont work well with just one person so a mechanically minded co-traveller is a very welcome bonus. A fairly comprehensive collection of spare parts will be taken along as well, such as filters, spare wipers, spare suspension shock absorbers, perhaps a second spare tire/wheel and a few other items like light-bulbs and other potential consumables. Knowing reality, the thing that will fail will be the thing I did not take along, but you can always do your best ;)
|
