Well, we have to talk "real world" here. MB isn't going to call me, and I'm not going to win anything...

However, I definitely am going to buy another diesel.

To that end, I went to a local MB dealer who had advertised that they had a new CDI "on hand". Knowing that they wanted $56,000 for it, my wife and I went to look, and I was allowed to test drive it.

So now - speaking for just me - my choice is either a $56,000 CDI that I can take home today if I want, or a ~$5,000 W123 that I'll have to shop around for.

I've driven both. In my opinion, the CDI is a wonderful car, but it's not worth $56,000. A nice W123, on the other hand, is worth - to me - what appears to be the market price for a good example (ie, about $5,000).

So that's where I'm coming from.

- Patrick

PS - It'll be fascinating to see how the market evolves with respect to *used* CDI's in the next 4 or 5 years...

The new CDI is $56K, my 85 300TD cost me $3000. I might like a new car better: obviously it might go a lot longer before something went blooey, however, when this did happen, the damned new thing has proprietary software, and after the warranty was up, I would be at the mercy of paying $125 at the Stealership or trading it in. There would be little hope of me fixing it myself. I HATE to be forced into a corner like that. I think engine covers look tres kewl, but of course, they make fixing the damned thing more intimidating. I do not fancy working on a vehicle smarter than I do.

And of course the difference between 35 mpg for the CDI and 26 mpg for my TD is only 9 mpg. $51,000 would buy a HUGE amount of fuel. I would have to buy collision insurance, and if some fool ran into me, they would insist on fixing it and then I would be driving in a car possibly damaged. If it were flooded out in a Hurricane, the same would apply, but my old TD has many fewer electronic gizmos for the water to ruin.

A friend of mine has an 86 Jaguar XJSC V-12 that she has driven since new and for 150K miles. It is drop-dead gorgeous British racing green, but a real bear to fix. An 86 Posche or BMW would have been a far better car in terms of reliability. The Jag can't be worth more than $1500 in its present state, because the engine needs thousands to get it running right.

Simpler is better than complex unless the complex is perfect.
Cheaper is better than expensive, all other things being equal.
Car payments suck. I made my last in 1973 and I am not going to ever finance a car again.

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Semibodacious Transmogrifications a Specialty

1990 300D 2.5 Turbo sedan 171K (Rudolf)
1985 300D Turbo TD Wagon 219K (Remuda)

"Time flies like and arrow, yet fruit flies like a banana"
---Marx (Groucho)