Once upon a time ... arbitrariness
02/08/2024
Equipping a new car exactly as you want it is no longer so easy. All too often, optional extras are only offered in packages - or are tied to the purchase of other packages. For example, the Mercedes-Benz configurator just refused the combination of chrome trim and windows without tinting. Probably because the car would otherwise look too bright and friendly. If you want clear side windows, you also have to want black trim strips. If you want shiny chrome, you have to accept black windows.
All the more reason for me to be pleased with the complete freedom of choice that still prevailed in Stuttgart almost 40 years ago. In 1987, the first owner of my 300 TE (symbolic image, as no suitable picture available) ordered exactly three additional features in addition to the omission of the type designation on the boot lid: Outside temperature display, seat heating and the switchable two-tone fanfare with extra loud sound - a rather arbitrary combination that today would most likely require the purchase of a winter package, a comfort package and a safety package.
While today's packages often include a lot of unused equipment, this very personal configuration is a wonderful way of speculating about the first owner. What kind of person was it who treated themselves to the most powerful engine available, but hardly any luxury? A meteorologist with a backside sensitive to the cold, who mainly traveled on country roads with lots of wildlife? Or simply a very safety-conscious person who fears nothing so much as slippery roads and wants to be heard particularly well?
Above all, however, the quirky combination of extras makes my Benz unique, just like many other W 124s, whose buyers were able to realize themselves in the complete freedom of equipment selection. This individuality turns old cars into cars with personality - even if it is only that of the first owner.
