I don't hate gassers, I just think each has advantages and disadvantages. IMHO, diesels are great highway cars, they just love to cruise for hours on end. I also like the simplicity of diesels, which contributes to their reliability. I also like to drive cars that are a little unusual. I think there will also be a future for small high efficiency diesel engines. For quick performance, I would have to go with a gasser. It's difficult to imagine a serious diesel sports car, where light weight and quick acceleration are desired. I'm perfectly happy with my gas powered motorcycle as well. I just think there's plenty of room for both.

A Rolls - Royce Silver Cloud
http://www.rroc-mr.org/index.htm
http://au.rrforums.net/cgi-bin/forum/show.pl?17/3717
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Rolls+-+Royce+Silver+Cloud+&btnG=Google+Search

Microcars for fun and laughs
http://www.microcarmuseum.com/
http://www.lexam.net/peter/carnut/oddball.html

Actually; any Rolls - Royce or Bentley could tempt me, as a second vehicle.

__________________
ASE Master Mechanic
https://whunter.carrd.co/

Prototype R&D/testing:
Thermal & Aerodynamic System Engineering (TASE) Senior vehicle instrumentation technician.
Noise Vibration and Harshness (NVH).
Dynamometer.
Heat exchanger durability.
HV-A/C Climate Control.
Vehicle build.
Fleet Durability
Technical Quality Auditor.
Automotive Technical Writer

1985 300SD
1983 300D
2003 Volvo V70

https://www.boldegoist.com/

I would keep buying diesels forever. They have a flexability of running on different fuels like veggie oil, kerosene, jet fuel you get the point. And a gasser is just inefficient. I mean i used to love mustangs because of my dads 64 conv and 66 hardtop but now that ive learned that you can get better performance out of a diesel engine gassers are just obsolete to me. I mean look at wat those finn guys did to those merc diesels. a w124 diesel with 450hp!!! can you imagine how much torque that would be?!!!!!!! A gas car can have high hp but no matter how much hp it has it still gets lower torque. diesel engine that has 200hp it will have around 400 lbs of torque a gassser couldnt get that kind of performace.

i mean the V10 tdi in the toureag and phaeton get 309hp with 533lbs of torque! a gasser cant get that kind of performance!!

My moms passat tdi has 130hp with 247lbs of torque. The gasser 1.8t had 180hp with 166lbs of torque.

which one gets 50mpg? the diesel
which one has more power? the diesel
which one was sluggish off the line? the gasser

My mom loves the tdi passat she loves the power over the passat gasser. She brags to everyone about it to. A gas car is just inefficient so i would never buy a gasser. Weve traded our gasser passat for a diesel passat now we have to get rid of the ford expedition and get a diesel excursion

__________________
Current:
05 E320 CDI
07 GL320 CDI
08 Sprinter
05 Dodge Cummins
01 Dodge Cummins

Previous
2004 E55 AMG
2002 C32 AMG (#2)
1995 E300
1978 300D
1987 300D
2002 C32 AMG(blown motor :[
1981 300SD
1983 300SD
1987 300SDL
2002 Jetta TDI
1996 S420
1995 S500
1993 190E 2.6
1992 190E 2.3
1985 190E 2.3 5-Speed

Not that the car isn't cool, but a turbo 3L engine with 450hp isn't that spectacular in the world of heavily modified cars. Those twin turbo 3.0 Mitsubishi motors can push up to 700 if you want to spend the cash.
As far as torque, I hope you just mean less torque than a diesel. Look at domestic V8's. Untill you start pushing insane RPM's, they usually have more torque than HP, and a boosted engine even more so. It's all in how you build it...

Hey, wanna drag my 60hp 220D? Refreshments served at half track!

Personally, I haven't seen many diesels I'd want to own aside from the Benzes, and then only the older ones with a stickshift available (or swappable). It isn't the engine, but the body and/or transmission that you would be stuck with...
Won't own a truck, sorry, but those engines do impress me. Of course, those new truck turbodiesels have alot of $$$ put into them.
The new VW TDI's are tempting though but not a fan of the body. If the 320CDI had a manual trans offered in the US, I might consider one in a few decades when the price is reasonable.

__________________
1971 220D/4-speed ~250K mi. Family owned (dads side) through three generations since <5K miles.
1992 Chrysler LeBaron, 3.0V6 125K. Family owned (moms side) through three generations since new.
1977 Chevy Camaro Continual hotrod project
1970 Cadillac Sedan DeVille 472ci and nearly 19' long
1974 Fiat Spider Still needs work

I look at it this way, I can only afford a used car right now, the wife (and -4 month old) need a good car, hence the subaru we just bought.
I wish I loved diesel, but not with the mpg that the 240D gets. Yeah, if you get a TDI/CDI the mpg's go up, but you cant get into a TDI for less than $8k, and I can think of a STACK of neat gassers for less than $8k...

Besides, no one makes a diesel motorcycle (for public sale...yet)...

__________________
2009 Kia Sedona
2009 Honda Odyssey EX-L
12006 Jetta Pumpe Duse
(insert Mercedes here)

Husband, Father, sometimes friend =)

What a timely thread. For me the answer is this:
1. If diesel continues to demand a hefty premium over 91 octane that is a consideration.
2. Next year if a few things fall into place I may all of a sudden lack the time to mess with older cars.
3. I am deciding if spending about $4k-$5k to bring the body of my SDL up to spec is what I really want to do.

So we will see, considering that I can pick up a mint 2000 E320 for low teens or a late 90's E430 I may defect to a much newer car. I really like the post 2000 W210's, I would also defect for a W140 if I could find the right one.

__________________
2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

I already have two.

__________________
I'm not a doctor, but I'll have a look.

'85 300SD 245k
'87 300SDL 251k
'90 300SEL 326k

Six others from BMW, GM, and Ford.

Liberty will not descend to a people; a people must raise themselves to liberty.[/IMG]

After reading thru these posts I gotta agree with "almost nothing" as an answer. To drive a gasser and not be able to smell my Tempura laced engine would be tough. The other day I had to jump our other old Caddy in the driveway and turn my 300D around with the exhaust end in the garage...1st thought was , dangerous to run the exhaust into the garage, 2nd was NO Problemo...All it can do is make me hungry!!!

but a mint SLC with Eva Longoria in the passenger seat could always be considered as a second option....

__________________
'87 924S
'81 280SEL

Sold ->

81 300SD -
93 300E w/ 3.2
85 300D-
79 300SD
82 300CD
83 300CD - CA
87 190E 5 spd
87 Porsche 924S

"..I'll take a simple "C" to "G" and feel brand new about it..."

If rug dropped to .20/gal I would get rid of the 300D and buy another 1990Grand Wagoneer with a 360cu/in. v8. Nothing like three tons of USA made steel sailing down the road. It also had ice cold a/c, power everything(including rear glass), and it could tow a small house with ease. However, the last time I drove the one I sold, I put $10.00 in it and was on fumes when I got home from a 22 mile trip. It only got 6.5mpg. A real dinosaur(sic).

to say that diesel engined automobiles will be around longer would be a truth.

to say that diesel powered old mercedes benzes will be around longer would also be a truth.

what is not the truth is to say that automobiles are a permanant fixture on this planet. they WILL be gone one day. not before we're dead, i hope, but they will none-the-less.

what i mean by band-aid is that vegetable based fuels wont even last as long as dino fuels.

dammit, we need dilithium crystals.

at the least, we need bussard collectors but then again... thats hydrogen and the automobile companies are already getting there.

i am showing my dorkiness. sorry yall

__________________
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i1...Untitled-1.jpg

The thing is, you can keep making more veggie fuel.
We're in the infancy of developing the potential.

Petro just keeps getting scarcer.

__________________
'87 300SDL

dieselbenz

Don't fret- your pic does it for you

Umm you act like we have enough dino fuel to last these coming generations. We can easily grow plants to make the veg oil thats no problem. Dino fuel is pulled from the ground and we wont have enough to last these coming generations when we are already low on the stuff as it is.

Im 17 and someone else on here is 16 at this age we are helping our coming generation by:

1.not polluting using veggie based fuels
2.cutting down on the amount of oil we take for granted
3.showing that their are alternatives to nasty petroleum
4.laughing at big oil companys for their evil

I for one will never buy a gas car i will always buy a diesel and run it on bio-diesel only because i know im helping to show future generations that we dont need these pollutant cars when we can run our big V8 diesels on veggie based fuels and not pollute doing it. Our enviroment is already screwed up enough why should i make it worse? it be better to run on something that we can grow and wont harm the enviroment.

__________________
Current:
05 E320 CDI
07 GL320 CDI
08 Sprinter
05 Dodge Cummins
01 Dodge Cummins

Previous
2004 E55 AMG
2002 C32 AMG (#2)
1995 E300
1978 300D
1987 300D
2002 C32 AMG(blown motor :[
1981 300SD
1983 300SD
1987 300SDL
2002 Jetta TDI
1996 S420
1995 S500
1993 190E 2.6
1992 190E 2.3
1985 190E 2.3 5-Speed

I'd get a gasoline car if my diesel benz fell apart from rust and left me without a ride.

__________________
1982 240D.
My name is Michael, and I am an 18 year old binge-drinkin', cigar-smokin', novel-writin', all around unsavory and unnattractive guy. I tell long-winded stories, and I only shave once a week, although I've had to do it every day since I was 16.