Nostalgiafied

Inspired by posts about cars people wish they still had, I found a photo of my 1962 Mercedes-Benz 220, a possession I should have kept for a lot of reasons — including the fact it would have been a good investment.

But then, remorse over cast-away treasures is a common experience as we age. Sometimes we discover such articles in a sock drawer, or hidden on a shelf, joyful we didn’t discard them after all. That won’t happen with the car — I distinctly remember selling it to a nurse who worked at Deaconess Hospital.

I had bought it from my girlfriend’s older sister in 1971, for $600. It cost $3500 new, and was only nine years old. Although afflicted with a slipping clutch, I thought it was a bargain. That said, I was in college, too poor to be an auto enthusiast, too dumb not to be.

Growing up in the Philippines, I wasn’t educated in the manly art of fixing things. It wasn’t until 1968, after I returned to the states, that I began learning the basics of auto mechanics from a friend. In the winter of 1971, a Chilton’s manual in hand, I rebuilt the clutch master cylinder, installed a new clutch plate, rebuilt the carbs, and refinished interior wood trim. Thereafter, I had the seats re-covered, and bought a set of Goodyear wide-oval tires.

Short of a paint job, the car was just about perfect. I find it hard to believe I only took one photo. Four-on-the-tree manual shift. All-wheel independent suspension. A perky overhead-cam six. I should have stopped to smell the roses, or the motor oil, or whatever.

But I got the hots for a fixer-upper 1959 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL convertible, which could have been a profitable acquisition if I’d been smart enough to hold onto it.

That’s another story. Regardless, the 220 is the one I should have kept. It was a very nice car. I think it would have stood the test of time.

Do you own one of these? How does it compare with your daily driver? Please tell us in the comments.