Farewell Mercedes Benz 240TD

Basvarken · August 29, 2014, 02:04:29 PM

I've been driving oldtimer Mercedes Benz cars since 1996. And I never had to pay taxes. The money you save usually goes in the maintenance of these cars. But as a reward you get to drive in a remarkable car that is not petty bourgeois

I love old Mercedes Benz models.

Three years ago I bought the beautiful W123 series 240 TD. I searched long and hard for a good one that was rust free and technically perfect.
Sure she is slow. And very orange!

But she's a head turner. And she has never let us down. Great family car and gear hauler.

But this year the Dutch government decided it's a good idea to change tax rules for oldtimer cars.
Save the environment; ban all oldtimers. Doesn't matter no other car needed to be built for this car for over 30 years (how sustainable is that!)
All of a sudden we have to pay the full tariff for Diesel oltimers. Which for this car means 1648 Euro per year.
This means we can no longer afford to drive this car.

Today a German gentleman came to buy the car. She's going back to the Heimat where she was born a little over 30 years ago.

Tschüss MB 240 TD. Best car I ever owned.

And to the Dutch goverment I say F•ck You. I hope you're happy now.

uwe · August 29, 2014, 02:24:20 PM

You jackboot-licking Moffe-Freund!

I feel with you though. I remember when these came out in the 80ies, it was a revolution, Mercedes doing a hatchback? Unheard of, sacrilege, hatchbacks are for craftsmen, not the mercedes target group ... And then it (and its successors) became such a consistent seller.

Plus explored whole new market segments for Daimler: The pimp who managed the peep show I worked in during the early eighties bought one - selling his Corvette in the process (even though he hadn't been able to drive it in a while as he had just gotten out of jail). I asked him why and he pointed to his bull terrier dog and said: "There was just no room in the Corvette for him ...". We got along fine. The pimp, his bull terrier and I.

One last question, Rob, did the "great hauler" have a tow-bar? I'm asking in all innocence, feverishly trying to avoid stereotypes here.

TBird1958 · August 29, 2014, 02:50:34 PM

It's beautiful old car, really a shame to have to give it up Rob.
Here in Washington it would be considered a collector car and be exempt from most all fees.

Highlander · August 29, 2014, 04:23:06 PM

The joys of a European Community... $:-\$

Basvarken · August 29, 2014, 04:27:32 PM

Not really. In Germany it IS tax free from 30 years on

That was my luck when I put it up for sale on the German website Mobile.de

Dave W · August 29, 2014, 04:30:17 PM

That tax is outrageous. Not just the fact that they changed the rules, I mean the amount of it. Being over 20 years old, in Minnesota it would also qualify as a collector car with very low rates. But even the license taxes on new cars aren't nearly as high here.

Highlander · August 29, 2014, 04:33:34 PM

Remind me not to move to Holland...

My company Passat is a diesel and the tax is £30 - our Zafira is over £200, but is now 11 years old...

Lightyear · August 29, 2014, 08:06:34 PM

Ooooooooohhhh, i know, buy a Prius!!!!! You could be GREEN and love mother earth!

You could smugly toodle around in your ecologically conscious hipster buggy knowing the entire time that you are better than everyone else

Keep in mind though, that the over it's life, the Prius probably has twice the carbon footprint that your lovely old Mercedes would have taking into account the pollution generated in all of the manufacture of all of the electronics and the remediation of the freaking monster batteries and such. " Penny wise and pound foolish" or "step over a dollar to pick up a dime".

chromium · August 30, 2014, 12:01:55 AM

That's really depressing, in regards to having to sell that old Merc due to stinky legislation. Those are beautiful, solid cars. Spent some quality time wrenching on my wife's aging W126 series ('89 500SEL) back in the late 90s.

In US/Arizona, they base vehicle license tax on assessed value of 60% of base MSRP, and it drops roughly 16% each year since the car was first registered. I pay about $30/year for my '76 Datsun Z (semi-daily driver; work from home), and most of that goes to emissions testing, which it passes with flying colors. Can't understand why anyone would legislate against that. It took me better part of a year to find it, and with all the sweat equity I've put into getting it dialed in... it's safe to say that I would be pissed to have to let it go due to a massive tax hike.

pilgrim9 · August 30, 2014, 08:56:45 AM

That sucks! My daily driver is a 64 Chrysler New Yorker and in Colorado it is only $170 for 5 years of collector plates and no emissions testing.

lowend1 · September 02, 2014, 07:13:59 PM

My '79 Chrysler, here in NJ, with "Historic" plates, does not get charged for a yearly registration. Nor is it subject to inspection or emissions testing. Classic insurance, based on a $4000 value runs about $100 a year for full coverage. However, the car is limited to 2500 miles per year driven, must be kept in a locked garage, and is to be used only for pleasure driving, shows, events, etc.

Pilgrim · September 03, 2014, 10:18:38 AM

In Colorado vehicles over 25 years old qualify for special licenses - my 1983 280ZX Turbo qualifies for a Collector Vehicle plate, which is good for 5 years and costs about $25 per year. I have collector car insurance on it at a very reduced rate, so there are limitations on mileage I can drive every year, and it needs to be in locked storage at night.

We 'Murricans love our old cars.

nofi · September 03, 2014, 11:11:17 AM

twenty five years and you have a 'vintage' car? sounds like it should be longer. like 50 years. oh well, made in usa.

4stringer77 · September 03, 2014, 11:55:17 AM

I agree Nofi, it's time to put some pride back in those words, Made in the USA. The free trade agreements are making it harder to achieve. I'm looking forward to seeing what Scotland decides later this month. Hope they're smart enough not to let the EU drag them down. It was nice to see the Aussies elect a conservative government and repeal the Carbon tax. Maybe some of that spirit can make it stateside.

Pilgrim · September 04, 2014, 08:13:58 AM

Quote from: nofi on September 03, 2014, 11:11:17 AM
twenty five years and you have a 'vintage' car? sounds like it should be longer. like 50 years. oh well, made in usa.

Um, that includes all makes, foreign and domestic. Note that my car is a Datsun.

And generally speaking, any vehicle over 25 is getting pretty long in the tooth. It may be well maintained, but it's not typically a primary family vehicle in the US.