Goodbye to the Gas-Guzzling 500SL
Yes, it’s true. I GAVE my 500SL (an AMG version no less) away over Christmas.I donated it to the automotive program at Okanagan College in Kelowna.
My reasons were many-fold.
- We needed the space it was taking up in the garage for Ed’s new pickup truck.
- I didn’t drive it at all last year.
- It was besotted with electrical problems, i.e. you couldn’t drive it without charging it first, even after spending almost 3 grand to get the computer control unit fixed. (Yes, I have an ongoing issue with Mercedes over this).
- The car was too big. Rather, the driver’s seat was too big for me. If I wanted to haul a** up the 3A curves westbound from 97, I would be thrown around in the seat. Ergo, I either needed a 5-point harness to be able to drive the thing properly (properly meaning foot-to-the-floor around those corners) or get a seat that fit me.
- Lastly, but most importantly, I’ve gone very green and a gas-guzzler like the 500SL doesn’t exactly fit my lifestyle.
Regardless, it was with a lump in my throat and the hint of a tear in my eye that I said goodbye to this beautiful piece of machinery as it left for points north.
Sniff.