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Old 08-14-2003, 03:38 PM
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The Warden The Warden is offline
Certified diesel nut
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Pacifica (SF Bay Area), CA
Posts: 2,946
Quote:
Originally posted by GoWolfpack
I seem to have this pursuit to buy the cheapest car possible (diesel only) and prove to myself (and my friends, etc) that I can make it run somewhat reliably.
I feel the exact same way...and that's why I picked the 300D. Because I wanted to stick with diesel and didn't have all that much to spend, I was pretty much left with a choice between a Benz and a Volkswagen. I was concerned about how little the VW's accelerate (really bad thing around here), and also prior maintenance issues and how that might affect the aluminum cylinder head or the timing belt. I decided that the VW's were too much of a gamble, simply because you don't know how well the previous owners maintained them, and for all you know, the head cuold be warped to the point where it's about to blow the head gasket (BTW, for the same reason, I wouldn't want an OM603 unless it could be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that the car's always been treated properly). I didn't want to take that chance, so I got the Benz instead. I haven't regretted it yet.

That said, I wouldn't mind buying a new TDi...but only if it were new off the showroom floor.
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2001 VW Jetta TDI, 5 speed, daily driver
1991 Ford F-350, work in progress
1984 Ford F-250 4x4, 6.9l turbo diesel, 5 speed manual
Previous oilburners: 1980 IH Scout, 1984 E-350, 1985 M-B 300D, 1979 M-B 300SD, 1983 M-B 300D
Spark-free since 1999
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