Larry, phenomenal post. Larry's post pretty much says it all- read no more if you prefer.

For an owner of both the diesel and the gas, ideally I would have them both. One I would use for day to day and one for long trips. The diesel I would use for long trips.

I do like the quieter ride in the gas (especially going to church or a wedding) and as far as acceleration goes, as long as you have turbo in the diesel, you'll be OK.

What I really wanted was a 90-92's 350 SDL, the monster 126 with a 6 Cylinder Turbo. I could not find many on the market and the ones who were selling wanted too much so I bought the 420 SEL gas instead.

I liked my 300 SD. Only sold it because I moved. It had enough guts to get me around town and it has enough leg room.

For me, my favorite cars are the 126 420 SELs and 350 SDLs. Either one and you'll be very very very happy with your purchase.

Note that deisel fuel can cose more than gas in some places so you might not be saving anything with the better economy with than the diesel.

As Larry explained, it is more your preference and personality than anything else.

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'89 420 SEL
'90 300 SEL
'84 300 SD (sold it)