You know, I had the SD out for a drive today to get it inspected and I like the looks of it just as much as the SDL. They are basically identical, with the exception of the additional length of the SDL.

The SD is far more perky around town. I picks itself up and goes with very little pedal. The SDL has to gather itself up and bring itself to speed like a train.

Although they look the same, they are quite different vehicles.

You should drive one just for the experience. ;)

I too dream of having a 300SDL. I can't find any around me so unfortunately I haven't even experienced what they sound/drive like. From all the praise Hatterasguy has heaped on them especially when compared to our good old 617 whose basic design dates all the way back to 1936, I'd like to experience the power and refinement of a 300SDL. I'd also love to have the extra wheelbase and the additional features added to the W126 chassis in the 1986 model year's freshening (standard driver's airbag, ABS, new style 15" wheels, flip-up sunroof, etc). However I've heard too many bad things about that car. Not really bad about the car itself, but related to its ownership. Overheating, if it ever occurs, would give a 300SDL nightmares for a while until an oil analysis proves the head is still sealed well. Then I've heard that the parts are expensive and due to the fact that it was made for just two years, there aren't too many available part cars. All that aside, at the rate I'm going, I'll have too many MBs in the near future as I want too many of them. :D

For your oil analysis, I'd recommend Oil Analyzers Inc. You can purchased an analysis kit from https://www.amsoil.com/storefront/S...x?CategoryID=98 . Just take one of the single sample kits available (one is with return postage paid and the other is without the return postage). I've used this company's services many times and I've never been disappointed. There are many other choices such as Oil Guard (http://www.oilguard.com/) who will sell you three sample kits for $30 - so it comes down to $10 per sample plus postage. However they aren't very efficient. After performing an oil change on my 300SD three weeks ago (after 8,000 miles with Amsoil), I sent off a sample to them and I still haven't received the results. Also, I once sent them a sample and they accidentally sent back faulty results. I questioned the results because they showed zero wear metals in the oil after being used for 19,000 miles in my friend's car, so I called them to ask about the validity of the results they sent to me, and they apologized and said there was an error on their part, so they re-ran the test and then gave me the correct results. Also I'm not really sure if they perform spectrochemical analysis on transmission fluids. Basically, stay away from Oil Guard.