Originally Posted by Abadjay

I emailed this guy bringing skepticism to the table...and I basically asked him 2 questions

1) It's a 300SD right? (Obviously...)
2) 40 MPG? No way....

And THIS is what he told me and I quote:

Its an SD, but noone searches for 300SDs.

"On the highway it gets 40mpg @ 70mph. When I was in college with a 82
300d would set the cruise on 75mph and drive all night from buford to
boston and only have to stop in NJ for gas by the time I hit
commonweath ave I still had over 1/4 tank left. If you hit traffic in
every city, you will have to stop in VA AND RI. I did that trip every
other month for four years.

I've driven them from Miami to Boston dozens of times sir. The reason
you are not observing 40+mpg is most likey a driving style issue.

The 190D gets 37mpg highway manufacturer certified. If you dont lean
on those you can get 40mpg, and (if you are lucky enough to find one)
the grey market manual transmission 190s can get you 50+mpg. If they
let the Smart Fortwo diesel here you would be getting 70mpg.

Fuel:

Ordinary Diesel fuel, usually 20 cents per gallon cheaper than regular
when you know where to buy it. Extraordinary cruising range eliminates
the need for every one out of three fuel stops compared to a gasoline
car. Unlike hybrids there are no batteries to replace for $4,000 in a
few years when they fail after the warranty expires.

Popular among Hollywood's jet set, even Daryl Hannah drives a much
crummier Diesel car as you can read here.

EPA rated 30 MPG city, 34 MPG highway here. Ken Rockwell gets 30 MPG
around town and 37 to 38 MPG on long trips! Ken has seen as high as 42
MPH when others drove the car at a sustained speed of 85 MPH returning
from Utah along Interstate 15 for about 700 miles.

California emissions certified by Mercedes-Benz. As an environmentally
sound alternative fuel vehicle it is exempt from California's smog
check annual emission testing requirements."

Did he just say NO ONE searches for a 300SD?