Getting enough experience now to notice the diffferences, started with a 115 240 with manual, then got a 300SD, then a second SD (both 126's, gave ont to the ex) and now bought a cheap 300 (123), all in the space of a year and a half! The 240 was fun, a little slow, but it would get you in this mood where you didn't care what the other drivers were up to. If they wanted to tailgate and floor it to get one car ahead at a stop light, that was their problem. But it was so loud I was afraid to go on the highway with my son for fear of long term deafness (I wore earplugs every time I drove it). Then a friend was selling his 300SD, after the first test drive I knew I had to have it. So quiet, so safe feeling, good power, but after a while began to notice things that bugged me, mostly the heavy wheel feel,and the way it follows the road camber, just wasn't as fun zipping it around changing lanes. Then saw a random 300SD in te Trade Express , white, with sport wheels and lo-pro tires, and liked it enough to blind me to it's huge flaws, the stinky interior from years of smoking, the crappy maintainance that has left me fixing it on the side of the road five or six times (gotten wore use out of the emergency flashers than any other car), including doing a B2 piston in a parking lot, but now that it's coming together it's a highway monster, not much difference from 60 to 100 on the feel, light steering but great tracking, but still crappy low speed performance. Now just scored an '85 300D to drive while tearing down the SD, amazing how much better the low end accel. is, but so much more jittery at high speed, feel like it's bouncing all over and takes some attention to drive it fast. It also just doesn't feel quite as nice as the SD with cushier seats and the spacious feeling interior, but as a utilitarian transport, it'll do. No real point to this thread, was just suprised by the contrasts the the P.O's maintainance and some sporty wheel packages make in the feel.


115 240....$650...sold for $600 after finding the huge rust holes
126 '84 SD.$1600 creampuff, but don't like driving it, driven by the ex
126 '83 SD..$1400 POS, but love its drive feel
123 300D..$300 sold to me because of $3000 dollar quote on rebuilt tranny and non stopping engine probs, turns out there was no fluid in there, runs fine now. Best deal, but like the SD drive better

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'84 300SD veg-oil bliss
'83 300SD veg-oil beater