Getting back my mother’s car to how it used to be

This was my mother’s car that was bought for cheap and passed down to me when I was in college. It is a Mercedes 190E made in 1987 and tt had an adventurous history that it was sold right after the first owner left it somewhere in the desert in some middle east country and couldn’t find it right after a sandstorm. After it was found, the owner put it on sale right away, hence my mother became the second owner of the car and got it delivered to Malaysia.

I remembered the day, in 1989, when we received the car in Malaysia. As soon as we opened the door, we found out the reason why the owner sold it. We could see residue of sand in the cluster meter, in the carpet, on the seats and in whatever corners & cracks that could be seen. I remembered that when I slapped the seats, the sand just flew off. But despite all that, I liked the car from then….

Fast forward to the day I started working, I inherited the car from my mother and began a slow repair of the gremlins that emerged from time to time so that it can become a proper daily driver. Over the years the car showed that it needed more than what I could give, that is a better restoration makeover.

Fast forward to 2013, I had the car stored in my garage while collecting parts with the intention to give it a better make-over and a fun daily car. I wanted to be sure that I can drive it to work, go on trips, take my dogs out, take my wife out and many other things. Unfortunately by the end of 2016 I had to quit my job due to stress that affected my health badly. I took a break from work for a while and stopped thinking about getting my car up and running. 6 months ago as I was looking at pictures of the car and cleaning whatever I could of the car itself (such as cleaning up parts, throwing away what I don’t need) I realised that it had been 6 years since I started this, I had the thought that from then on I was determined more than ever to finish it and get back to working condition. I tried to find a manager-level job level within other industries but was informed that I had no relevant experiences. I even tried to get a job as a junior level but unfortunately at my age, i.e. the young age of early 40s, again no industry would offer me despite wanting to start a career all over again. With no other choice I did try to get back into media advertising, which was where I came from. But somehow, after many interviews I could not get an offer.

Therefore here I am now turning to crowd funding in the hopes that I can get my car completed. This isn’t just a car, it’s a trip down memory lane from my school days, to my college days and until my first job. My mother used to pick my brothers, sisters and I in this very car. It was my daily commute to work, the go-to-mobile with friends, the many dates I have had and so much more. It is the car I wanted when my parents first got it. It is also the car that I took my first dog out which she jumped right out the window after noticing a cat. A lucky moment it was as I was driving slowly around the neighbourhood taking my dog out for a ride.

Once the fund goal is achieved, I can immediately get the rest of the required parts and pay a mechanic to restore the car as it once was. Estimated time would be about 6 months. What I would do after completion and to show my deepest appreciation is that I would write all the names of the people on the inside of the boot who have given their support. I know that I love this car and this would be the only car I’d keep until the end. Thank you for reading this and thank you again for your support.