By Atty. Antonio P. Pekas

From my father side I got the genes or interest in machines, especially cars. When you have the intense mind for things, there will be a confluence of events or a succession of these for things to fall on your lap.
So from my undergrad days, which was long ago, I always had cars. Old but, somehow, they were made to run. Up to recently, when I got a heart and kidney failure, I would buy junk cars and make them run.
One car I would have liked to restore was a 1967 Toyota Crown, being the luxury line of that company, they were built better. What deterred me was the lack of parts, particularly the trimmings.
Then I fell in love with an old Mercedes Benz. The quoted price was cheap. I was already in my 3rd year college of law then in Metro Manila. When I went to see it in Novaliches, we started the engine and it purred very well. For a 25 year old car, it was all original including the leather upholstery. It was starting to rust on the lower edges but it was not a problem. Pinoy lateros can readily fix things to their original form.
When the doors were closed they emitted a confidently solid thud. Hearing that is always one of the joys of owning a Mercedes.
On the spot, I paid its lousy price. When I drove it to my place in nearby Project 8, it did not stop when I hit the brakes. And when I changed gears through the column shift lever (cambio) just an inch below the steering wheel, and tried to drive it, either the engine died or it went on reverse or remained on first gear or went to other unintended gears. When it went to 4th or 3rd gear the engine would die.
Somehow, I got it home and fixed the bakes which were obviously neglected. Then I brought it to mechanics and even to a car racer friend who gave up a managerial job for the love of cars. He ended up running a shop with a number of artistas as clients. Then he migrated to the States.
Nobody could fix the gear shifting problem until my said car racer friend referred me to a Mercedes specialist. While the problem was big, it was fixed with just 150 pesos worth of plastic sparts special for that brand and model.
With that model and other later models of the same brand I found out you are not just buying the name when you buy a Mercedes. The name being the first car in the world was built for more than a hundred years.
Materials used from bolts to wires are the best. For instance, bolts in critical parts often getting wet are made of materials that don’t rust. The wires of the model I first had was made of silver for better conductivity and its insulation was not being eaten by rats, even after almost 70 years. The electrical systems like others in the car were designed and made to work.
But most of all, Mercedes sells “heritage parts” even for antique models. Current spare parts are also a plenty if you know where to find them. Even easier to find than items for Japanese cars. And they last longer. Also, generally safer. For example, the idea of crumple zones for safety in case of accidents was being implemented by the company since 1952. Other car companies followed suit after almost half a century.
That said, you practically can keep a Mercedes running for decades and decades.
But should you buy one? If you don’t like working on cars or learning how to do that, DON’T. Just buy popular brands and models. It will save you a lot of headaches.
In sum, if you are in business, the moral of the story is to come up with trailblazing reliable products. For everything boils down to offering the best value for the customers’ money for them to keep coming back. More so if it comes with some bragging rights.**