300 Dtdddtdtttdtddd
 

rant

Ok, maybe it's just me, but it frustrates the living daylights out of me when people call 300D's, 300DT or the oft misspelled TD.

I don't think I have ever seen the letter T and D displayed on a Mercedes together unless the car was a Wagon.

Is it just me? Should I lighten up on this? My wife wants a Wagon, so I am looking much closer now and I'm tired of getting sidetracked by sedans that someone finds it necessary to label with a T, just because it's a Turbo.

Why not go all the way and spell out Turbo?

Ok....../rant

Well I will agree for the most part, esp. with online classified listings. For example, if youre looking for a 300D Turbo, it might be a good idea to search under 300TD ads, simply because people put the letters in the wrong order. I actually found the 300D Turbo I own now on autotrader, where it was listed as a 300TD. Thank god it was though, im willing to bet it would have been snatched up before I had gotten to it had it been listed properly.
Its a pain to have to searc in various model categories....

However, I find that using the proper model letter designations to be helpful esp. on mercedesshop when someone needs mechanical help; it lets the reader know what engine the car has, and also disregards manufacture date since that doesnt necessarily indicate the engine the car has due to "grey market" imports and private owner modifications.

300D (Diesel) -non turbo 5 cyl. 617 sedan
300DT(Diesel Turbo) Turbocharged 5cyl. 617 sedan
300TD(Touring Diesel) -non turbo 5cyl. 617 wagon
300TDT(Touring Diesel Turbo) -turbocharged 5cyl. 617 wagon

Because most of the people selling these cars are idiots.

And, after what I encountered Sunday, I'm beginning to think that many of the drivers are brain-dead too...yesterday, SWMBO and I put 200+ miles on Marlene, driving through central Texas looking at land. We saw a great looking Orient Red 300D in Giddings; it was sitting across the intersection from us so I flashed the lights at him and waved out the window...no response. Later that afternoon, we see a cream colored wagon. Same thing...no response. And just last week I pulled up right next to a 300D that was the exact twin of Lilly. I beeped the horn and rolled down my window, waved at the woman driving it and motioned to roll her window down too. She shot a brief glance and looked away like I had an eye in the middle of my forehead.

Jeez.

Veloce,
Actually yhe reason your car didn't get snatched up was, because it wasn't a wagon. I'll bet the seller got a ton of calls from people wanting a wagon, because they are much more in demand than a sedan.

R.Leo,
Of course you were looking at land. I've driven through Texas, and all you can see for thousands of miles is land. That's why they say," the sun has ris, and the sun has set, and here you is in Texas yet". :D I still don't know why any of those people were supposed to wave back at you. Did you know any of them?

Peter

Of Car Names and Scrambled Eggs
 

I'm afraid it's one of my pet peeves and most irritating notions that someone, but especially car dealers who advertise saying "300TD" for "300 Turbo Diesel". It makes me wonder about the dealers selling the cars.. do they know their product? do I want to buy from them?

Of course being as weird as I am, I just had a "scrambled" egg at a local place.. it had no air beaten into it, was flat and folded over like you find as a fast food place.. I was irritated because a "scrambled" egg is beaten until frothy and when cooked "puffs" up to produce a light tasting morsel. will not recommend the place to friends. Unfortunately the FLAT egg is the norm around here when you see "scrambled" on the menu.

and To R Leo... I see nothing wrong with your middle eye!

Nello,
It gets even better. I can't count the times I've seen car dealer ads for an 86 through 92 300E boasting of the powerful V/6 engine. By the way I like my eggs flat. Why don't you run a survey on open forum? :D

Peter

" I just had a "scrambled" egg at a local place.. it had no air beaten into it,"

The trick is putting a tablespoon of water into the egg before beating... just air won't be there after frying... but the water in there produces steam and that is where you get the light and fluffy omelet effect.

Randy, I did not know you did not know... I would have pointed out your third eye.. but thought that would have been impolite... I guess I should point out the other items in case you have not seen those either.....

:bowrofl:

I blame VW for the confusion! A Jetta TDI stands for Turbo Direct Injection. T = Turbo. Right?

So they see their 300D, which has the D, meaning diesel, and is a Turbo Diesel, hence, should also have a T. 300TD sedan! Makes sense, right?

And who the heck would use T to indicate a wagon? Thats crazy talk.

That said, I had to run through the same confusion trying to find my wagon.. Many things I inquired about were actually sedans that were called 300TDs.

And scrambled eggs should be fluffy. If they aren't fluffy, they are an omelet, which is indeed 'scrambled' as it cooks, but then is folded and served flat so the outer part gets a little crisp, and the inner part stays custard smooth.

peace,
sam

At least we haven't seen any ads boasting about the 300D's powerful V5. Yet. ;)

peace,
sam

Now eye see what you're talking about.

I got blasted from someone here in a PM for calling my car an 87 300 DT but that it was OK to call pre 124, 300's a 300 DT because some were, and some were not, furnished with a turbo! But all 87 300's did have a turbo and was confusing and pointless to add the DT to my description of my car.....poooo

BB

Face it W123's are Mercedes Ford Taurus. And I'll bet 95% of todays W123 second hand owners bought them for the same reason: cheap transportation. Maybe in another 10 years or so further herd thinning will produce the cult following you are searching for. For now however you might as well be waving at Taurus owners. Don't get me wrong I love my 300TD but it does not compare with my W109's for attracting attention and having a true cult following.

autozen-

yer right, the wagons are in much much more demand. However at the time my car was listed for sale it had 145K miles. The ad read as follows:
So. Cal 1 owner car, All records, garaged, very clean, 145K miles... (then mentioned features etc.). there was also a pic attached, so people searching for a wagon could clearly tell it wasnt a wagon. I guess I like to think im lucky with my find. :D I dont need to think, I was! With a stack 2 inches thick of records, original sales documents, and a flawless body and interior who could disagree!

Billrei-

In defense of the W123- I will say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. True, there are lots of w123's, mostly in 20+ year old daily driver condition. However, a well cared for example thats nearly flawless is a rare bird. Im willing to guess that a near flawless w123 is rarer than most popular classic MB's that have been kept in flawless shape or have been completely restored. I know I get comments alot on my car, and there seems to be a strong comraderie between other W123 drivers in my area... lots of smiles waves and comments. I like the fact that I can go to some posh place and stand out in a sea of 60's and 70's SLs, SEL's, etc etc and not worry about my gas needle hitting empty! And when people comment on my car, I know its usually because they know how great they are! (since many people consider ol diesels to be smelly, noisy, and ugly!)

Its a matter of personal opinion, and the gasser classics are amazing. I just think the w123 is deserving of more praise. It may be equipped like a Taurus... but it evokes an entirely different sense of design, build quality, and understated elegance. Not to mention ECONOMY! :D

Happy Motoring!

Hey R Leo,

Love the name of your 300d - Lily - :)
- My black pot-bellied pig had the same name!!

AJB