I come by this block of Adams Street regularly, as it’s on the way to a cluster of my rentals. And the folks who live on this end of the block are loyal CC drivers; the exact composition has changed over the years, but there’s always some goodies here. This elderly VW bus is a more recent arrival, and is in regular use. That of course applies to the Westfalia T3 just down the block.
I once started to count the number of T3 VW Vanagons, but I gave up after realizing there’s more than I can keep track of in my poor aging memory banks. Let’s just say it probably averages out to about one per block. Seriously. I know a few blocks where there’s two or three.
These folks have been loyal Mercedes owners for the two-plus decades I’ve been going by their house, but this very nice blue W123 280E has been their pet now for most of the past decade.
There’s gobs of W123s around here of course too, but they’re invariably diesels, having been brought north from California during the great Biodiesel Boom (remember that?).
To refresh your memories, here’s the storage lot of one of several “importers” of California Mercedes diesels back during the boom days of that fad. And a fair number of them are still at it.
Well, it’s not just a passing fad. We have a company based in Eugene, SeQuential Fuels, that has a substantial business making biodiesel from the used oil of several large commercial food processors, including one or more potato chip factories. The fave two gas stations in Eugene, including this one about ten or so blocks from my house.
Anyway, this is a 280E, which was of course the top of the W123 line. It had a 140 hp fuel injected version of the twin cam six, and when it first arrived in 1977, it was quite the highly praised sport sedan. Or at least a competitor in that class, as it’s really not a label that works for the W123. But it was cancelled after 1981 in the US in response to the second energy crisis which put the Mercedes diesel mania in high gear.
One tends to think that all older Mercedes had black dash pads, but there was a blue version too, which this car has, and my W124 also had.
In front of the next house is a sentimental favorite of mine, an E70 Corolla. If I had needed a basic, cheap long-term keeper runabout, this is what I would have gone for in the past 30 years or so. The Plymouth Valiant replacement, except it came in a wagon too. yeah, I know the early Valiant did too, but they stupidly killed it for 1967.
And bringing up the rear is this Integra. Not my favorite generation, but these are thinning out too.
Here’s a look from down the block. Red, (sort-of) white and blue.
Let’s go back up and check out the VW bus. This is a real living time capsule, in more ways than one.
Yes, in terms of its wonderful collection of vintage bumper stickers. What ever happened to bumper stickers? They’re just not making them like they used to. What was the peak era for these? The 90s?
Here’s a closer look. Sadly, neither “Visualize World Peace” nor “Visualize Whirled Peas”. Which war do they want ended?
Yes, it’s a bit rough, and even has a Bit-O-Rust on its sills. But they’re fixed easily enough, and will be. Nothing serious.
The driver’s seat has a nice tape job on the seat cushion. But there’s actual seat belts.
it’s sporting a set of new all-terrain tires. Why not; the T1 bus can go off-roading with the best of them. It’s practically a Kübelwagen with a boxy body, right down to the gear reduction hubs on the rear wheels. Ground clearance galore.
And there’s an old Chevy truck in the driveway. These folks like their vehicles to be mature.
I wonder how much those guys want for that W123 280E.
I’ve long thought that stickers on cars are an adornment that rapidly diminish in value in proportion to the total number. One might show that you are a deadhead, or play rugby (both of which I was and did), but many usually looks like you’re dead-set on winning arguments with people you don’t even know…
In this part of the world, the left-wing stickers are on Priuses and Subarus. Tougher to generalize on the right-wing ones. Most often on work-a-day American iron, pickups, old Panthers, domestic minivans, etc.
Hummer H2s were a right-wing bumper sticker magnet where I live.
Not always. But then the only reason I took this picture was because it was so contrary to the stereotypes.
Several years ago i spotted a early 70s Chrysler driven by a BUTCH looking women, windows open tattooed arm resting on the window sill. The bumper sticked read:
“My kid just beat the sh#t out of your honor student”
Theirs a first gen prius around here with a trump sticker on it.
Awesome! For some reason I love the radiused rear fenders.
The total number of bumper stickers remains constant, it’s just more stickers on fewer vehicles.
Yes, I notice the rear wheel arches on the back of the old VW bus look a bit bigger than usual – does that indicate a bigger engine or bigger tyres for “off-road” use? The Integra looks like it is out of commission, and ironically it’s the newest car in this batch.
I was at a show this past weekend where someone was selling a very presentable W123 Mercedes 240D – with a stick shift. The owner and I agreed that its buyer will learn valuable lessons in patience while merging. And yes, as a matter of fact it did come from California.
I always enjoy reading the bumper stickers of someone with strong opinions, whichever direction they might lean. What would Ghandi do? He would probably remove the sticker straight above the one with his name on it, at least according to what I have read about the man. 🙂
Those old VW buses are worth gold now even in that condition 20-30k here more with some new panels stitched in, ridiculous? certainly but thats what the punters will pay more if restored,
I had a Corolla sedan that model ex lawn ornament once I’d replaced the motor and gearbox it wasnt too bad to drive but somebody liked it more paid my asking price and took it away, again kids with Toyota propaganda ringing in their ears will pay stupid money for one to rebuild here they are quite rare in stock form and in daily beater form, hens teeth
I’d prefer an old Benz diesel or the Chevy ute as a long term keeper these days less spanner work than VWs and more interesting than Corollas.
Did they ever offer W123 gas motor with stick shift in USA?
The favorite bumper sticker I ever had on my vehicle was
The day my ship comes in
I’ll be at the airport!
A “cluster of my rentals”. I like that 🙂 Hopefully I can use that line one day.
My driver’s ed car was an E70 Corolla, since then I’ve liked them even though it was the first and last one of them I ever recall driving. And yes, the wagon would be my pick.
The W123’s I started to respect on my honeymoon in Morocco where they were the long distance taxis of choice and we had several long journeys in one. Before that, to me, they were just slow moving objects to avoid. Now I think I’d like to have one…
I spent way too much time in the back and then eventually behind the wheel of a VW Bus to remember it particularly fondly. I don’t now if another vehicle tints the glasses as rose-colored as these do….One of my enduring memories is being in the back of ours while my Dad was trying to get it up the Grapevine (I-5 in SoCal) and for some inexplicable reason thought he belonged in the fast lane and someone passed us on the right with their hand and middle finger extended out their window.
If you had to choose one vehicle to sum up Eugene as I knew it–in the mid-1970’s–you couldn’t do better than that multi-stickered, many-miles-driven, well-loved VW bus. Nobody back then would have guessed that these would become collectible someday. I sort of wish they hadn’t.
+1
My friend living in Eugene back then drove a ’59 bus.
Type 1’s …. usually with significant patina AND bumper stickers … are still pretty common in Santa Cruz. As for T3’s, I honestly think they are multiplying. And we have a local conversion shop modifying “tintops” into poptops, so the poptops have become the dominant variant (hah). Only Syncros can be considered rare.