Cars - Chapter ten 1997 Mercedes Benz E420

I think that this is the best looking car I have ever owned:

From Cars

I first saw this style while living in Singapore - I think it was the first model year. I like the "organic" curves and round headlights. I never drove an E420 before I bought this (via fax!), but I did drive its younger sister, the E320 (V6 instead of V8). I tried to put this car on my American Express card. AE had no problem doing that, but the dealership was not game. I guess the % cut to American Express was too much for them.

The photo above, along with the photo of the car in Chapter two, was used in a Mercedes ad a couple of years ago. They asked owners to send in photos of themselves with their cars. I had the old one, and then several years prior to that ad campaign my wife took the photo above, recreating the earlier photo. We got paid, as did my brother Matt, who (probably) took the earlier photo. A minute of fame.

I always felt good while driving that car. It was pretty quick (there is no replacement for displacement) and as I said, i felt it was just a really attractive automobile.

The first day I was driving that car I was (honestly) speeding down Memorial Drive, the curvy part eastbound just past Sheppard. A cop pulled up along side me and simply gestured for me to slow down. Now that was nice of him! The car still had paper (new car) plates, so I guess he was cutting me a break.

The oddest thing that happened to me is that I ran that car for over a year on expired plates. Long story, that - let's just say I didn't get the paperwork in a timely manner, and, quite frankly, who looks at your registration sticker date?

Then one day when driving to the office (in Alvin, home of Nolan Ryan) I was stopped by a state trooper on Highway 6 in Manvel. I had NO idea why he was stopping me. I pulled over, and he asked "Do you know why I am stopping you?" I told him I had no idea. I said I was probably driving a couple of miles over the speed limit, but that just couldn't be the problem. Then he pointed out that I was OVER a year expired! I apologized and made some excuse about not getting my mail. He wrote me a warning ticket. Nice guy.

That was on President's Day, 2002. I know that because during the day I was trying to find out what I needed to do to re-register the car, and all Harris County offices were closed.

THEN, on my drive home, I was stopped AGAIN, by a different cop! I showed him the ticket, and told him my story, as well as the fact that it was President's Day, and all the county offices were closed. He said "I can still give you a ticket, you know!" Which I acknowledged, and he let me go, too.

Here is the odd part of the story. If you are late in paying your registration fee (I think more than a month) you need to pay a fine to get it reinstated. But if it is over a year, it is considered a NEW registration, and not only do you not pay the fine, you don't pay for the back registration! What a deal. I was a lucky boy with that.

I really liked that car.