I love My MBs but for lowest cost to operate and best support the 99-04 Jetta or Golf would have to be the cheapest to purchase and operate. They get close to the same mileage as Smarts and various hybrids but are much cheaper to buy and maintain. Smarts are limited lifespan mileage urban vehicles with dealer only maintenance $$$. Same with most hybrids, good luck trying to figure out the onboard GPS/AC controls/ bluetooth gismo when it stops working. You can actually fix a TDI !!! TDIClub is very much in the same vein as Peachparts as far as forums go. If I were commuting cross country as many of you in the US do I would go with an MB , probably a 300d just for the greater comfort. Cheers Dan

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It's always something simple
91 300D 603.960 (from japan) 194K
92 Toyota Diesel Landcruiser HDJ81-t 116K
02 Golf TDI new head courtesy of PO
87 300D
97 BMW 525 TDS Wagon 5spd
bunch of Onan and other diesel generators