On this episode of The Carmudgeon Show, Jason and Derek (and their traveling circus) venture to Europe to make memories of a lifetime taking two old German cars on an incredible 2,000 mile journey through Germany, Italy, and Switzerland via the wonderfully twisty roads of the Alps…or so they thought.

Derek’s journey begins with the purchase of a W201 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16 in Italy, a car whose brakes, in fact, break very quickly after taking delivery. Continuing along, the trip becomes decorated in a chain of breakdowns of slightly assorted mechanical origin and severity, as well as a visit with the Carabinieri where Derek finds out that he may have purchased a “gypsy car”.

Jason borrows a similarly charming E30 BMW 320i from Sreten of M539 Restorations (   / m539restorations  , a car while very well sorted by its owner has some minor quibbles of its own along the way. Despite the small issues however, the 40 year old BMW fulfills a promise of completing its journey and doing a skid or two along the way.

And what’s more, the spectacular scenery makes the gremlins slightly less hateful. Between the most rewarding of driving roads and the great friends made along the way, it’s a case for all enthusiasts to go find mechanical delight in faraway places.
After all, it’s all about finding bliss in the breakdown.

All this and more, brought to you by the Hagerty Podcast Network.