Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

Sopa.

I..er..just don't get any of it.

That gen of Merc I (personally, obviously) consider to be the very ugliest in all of Mercs history.

The Volvo is going to be slower than a Blandford Fly sprinting the 100m with an interior that'll make you feel just a little bit sick everytime you get into it.

And the Toyota, well it's not a Rangie is it? How bout an old Disco? It at least has the correct name on the bonnet.

The Merc has that "will go on forever" feeling to it, hence it's popularity in Africa and so forth, referenced above.

It's tough as old boots, and that's its appeal- it's a utility vehicle in the total sense of the word.

The Volvo would be my choice, but that's as a starting point- the tuning path for these is extremely well known, and cheap- 300 bhp is easy, 400 a worthwhile challenge, 500 getting tricky, and 600+ attainable for the commited.

That's on the stock engine, a V8 swap is done easily enough with mail-order parts.

The toyota is proof against pretty much anything but a limited nuclear exchange, so again the utility appeal.

Rangie's and Disco's break down if you look at them funny- the reputation for reliability of those vehicles is so far beyond dreadful that I'd never consider one.