Last summer at a company picnic, a coworker showed up with his 57 Thunderbird and another Antique car. What was funny was I wasn't the slightest bit interested and didn't even wander over to take a look. Similarly, I was staying a a Hotel once and their was a Major Car show across the street and everyone was going....and I wasn't the slightest bit interested. And when the office motor nuts gather together to exclaim the virtues of Camaro vice Porsche 911, I'm the last one who will join the conversation...

And yet I spend more Wrench time than anyone at work or anyone, period. And I enjoy it and love it. My collection of used junkers are all over 200K in mileage and I spend quite some time ensuring they run and everything works. And thats the reason I love my Mercedes 300D. I love it because its not a car, its kind of ....well, like the family dog. It has a life and a spirit of its own and because its an anti car and its me. I mean who else would change out the springs on a rusting old hulk with 300K + miles on it when he put one's that were slightly taller than normal on them? (its no longer rusty, i welded patch metal recently and fixed and painted all the cancer)

And yet you could hand me the keys to a 2006 Lexus or Porsche ....and i would be totally bored and disinterested.....

I think I know exactly what you mean. Before I got into diesels, it was all about the car, and the fuel was just gasoline. Now if it doesn't have a diesel, I can't care less.

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'83 240D with 617.952 and 2.88
'01 VW Beetle TDI
'05 Jeep Liberty CRD
'89 Toyota 4x4, needs 2L-T
'78 280Z with L28ET - 12.86@110
Oil Burner Kartel #35

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b1...oD/bioclip.jpg

I dunno. I can definitely appreciate an engine that doesnt run out of steam at 4000 RPM. Gasoline engines and diesel engines have their advantages and disadvantages and I like both.

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1985 CA 300D Turbo , 213K mi

I agree unless we're talking about a big ol' V12 gas engine then i'd be drooling.

But if it were a ShopForum Diesel GTG i'd bet that you would be all over it.

--Matt

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KI6CCA

Current Stable:
1987 300SDL
1980 450SEL

Out to Pasture:
1982 300D KIA (Rice Rocket vs. 123: He hit me at 80-100MPH I walked away he went to the hospital. Sounds fair to me!)
1985 300D EURO Scrapped (got more money from state than car was worth)
1979 & 1980 300SD Great Cars!

I've been into machines for a long, long time. Before I found diesels that run on renewable fuel, I was into speed. I built a 280Z into a speed demon on the cheap. Now it's in the garage, waiting to be converted to E85.

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'83 240D with 617.952 and 2.88
'01 VW Beetle TDI
'05 Jeep Liberty CRD
'89 Toyota 4x4, needs 2L-T
'78 280Z with L28ET - 12.86@110
Oil Burner Kartel #35

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b1...oD/bioclip.jpg

My suburban was flex fuel and had much larger injectors to run E85. I doubt you will be a speed demon anymore with E85. My power and mileage sucked when I dumped that stuff in the Suburban. I can only wonder how the vehicle would have worked if it was NOT designed for E85 and I put it in.

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01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

Larger injectors, and same boost level, will not lose me power. E85 has better than 100 octane, so I can run full timing. I know drag racers that run alcohol in turbo gassers, and they are much faster. Of course fuel mileage will suck, but currently my 313 RWHP 280Z gets 27 mpg cruising at 85.

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'83 240D with 617.952 and 2.88
'01 VW Beetle TDI
'05 Jeep Liberty CRD
'89 Toyota 4x4, needs 2L-T
'78 280Z with L28ET - 12.86@110
Oil Burner Kartel #35

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b1...oD/bioclip.jpg

I like to talk cars, and the virtues of a 327 Camaro with 350 heads, etc. I do like my diesel better though. Kinda like the new Corvette, Mustang, 350z, etc. It's ok, but like all the other stuff out there, it has become too common. That coupled with minor body tweaks, the same vehicle lists for thousands more just because of a Caddilac, Lincoln, or Infiniti badge.

Old cars are not common any more. Any one can fix and hot rod the new gassers all they want. Problem is, catalytic converter exhaust and fart cans all sound the same.

Old, reliable diesels are in an uncommon class of thier own, and being MB is Mo Bettah!

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RRGrassi


70's Southern Pacific #5608 Fairmont A-4 MOW car

13 VW JSW 2.0 TDI 193K, Tuned with DPF and EGR Delete.

99 W210 E300 Turbo Diesel, chipped, DPF/Converter Delete. Still needs EGR Delete, 232K

90 Dodge D250 5.9 Cummins/5 speed. 400K

Gone and still missed...1982 w123 300D, 1991 w124 300D

..all have better cars than me! Go take a look at the parking lot!!! Some of them own SUVs and SAAB's. Anyone can have a "RIDE" these days.

But can anyone have a Mercedes Diesel? You have to be able to fix it, appreciate it and weld it and find parts at a yard yourself. Very few people can own one these days, actually. Because most places do not know how to fix it.

Meh, if I want acceleration, I just hop on the 1150GS. If I want a 500mi road trip with a bunch of friends and music, the 300SDL just can't be beat.

I guess I've either been particularly lucky or unusually diligent, because the mechanic in NJ I took it to was pretty brilliant, and the fellow I take it to now in Delaware is a dieselhead (IIRC he can do injector reconditioning and calibration) and Benzhead who's building a Ponton convertible from the primer'd frame. This is the guy who I had the car towed into fearing the worst (after some drama with the oil pan), and the fix (changing fuel filters + purge) cost less than the tow!

Best way to find a good MB mechanic is to see how many customer cars are parked there, and how long you have to wait for an appointment.

I'm really enjoying my 240D, not so much because it's a diesel, but because it has the typical Mercedes attributes of good ride comfort and handling, and it's one of the last simple, durable models Mercedes sold in the US. If Mercedes had sold a one of their small-engined gas 123 with a 5-speed in the US, perhaps a 200 model, I think one of those might have made my wish-list.
As it is the 240D isn't the most economical car I could have bought. An '80s 190D would certainly do better, but those don't have the 123's reputation for durability. Or I could have bought a late-model 5-speed Corolla, but it's not a Mercedes and would have cost far more than my 240D, even factoring in my fix-up costs.
At least my 240D's 22-24 mpg city mileage is nearly double the mileage that any of my gas Mercedes (except for the Ponton 180) ever achieved in local driving, and a couple mpg better than my Nissan gets in traffic. So, unlike most of the gas Benzes I've had, the diesel is practical enough to take over as my alternative local daily-driver.
However, with it's overdrive gearing and relatively quiet ride, the Nissan will continue as my long-distance transport, as it does manage over 30 mpg on the highway.

As for alternative power, if you get the chance, you should check out some of the massive marine steam engines still open to the public, such as the huge triple-expansion reciprocating engines on the liberty-ships Jeremiah O'brien in California and John Brown in Baltimore, Maryland, or the two remaining intact walking-beam side-paddlewheel engines on the Ferry Eureka in San Francisco, or the Lake Champlain passenger steamer Ticonderoga, on display at Shelburne, Vermont.
Both liberty-ships are still (the last time I heard) in operating condition. Twice a year, the John Brown has been taking the public on day cruises out of Baltimore. Small groups can visit the engine room during the cruise, and watch the 3-story tall 3-cylinder engine develop 2000 horsepower at 70 rpm. The exposed piston-rods, connecting-rods and massive crankshaft in motion, make for an awesome and unforgettable sight!

Happy Motoring, Mark

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DrDKW

I think you nailed it!

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Neil.


1991 190E 2.6 170k
1995 E320CA 57k
1999 Chevy Tahoe 98k
2000 R1150GS 45k
1983 300CD 178k - sold, but not forgotten

I'm a dieselhead and there's no secret about it, I dislike cars and find driving to be a tedious bore. The reason I own a car is because I'm a pro drummer, so my 240D is really just a utility vehicle. I've enjoyed the work I've done on it, and proud to have been burning Biodiesel for almost 4 years now. Getting to know this car has helped me discover that less is more. In my opinion, the only things it's lacking are airbags and adequate emmisions controls. In my 20's, I would gawk at cars from time to time, but now I just admire my fellow cyclists as they weave in and out of the traffic I'm stuck in.


Otto

I think the question should be "do dieselheads dislike gasoline cars?" and I can definitely include myself in that group. I think part of this has to do with being different. I wonder how I'd feel about diesel cars if 98% of the American public drove diesel cars. I probably wouldn't like them as much. I guess that partly explains why I don't like gasoline cars, though it also has to do with their inefficiency and inability to run on alternative fuels without heavy modifications. I'm mostly into alternative fuels, and given how rare diesel cars are, I consider diesel an alternative fuel too. I'm also somewhat interested in vehicles powered by natural gas or electricity. To me, there's hardly anything as boring as a plain gasoline vehicle, especially a truck or SUV.

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2004 VW Jetta TDI (manual)

Past MB's: '96 E300D, '83 240D, '82 300D, '87 300D, '87 420SEL

I like old cars but I hate their engines. It's not just because of a diesel bias either. Body designs stand the test of time. A '69 Mustang or '58 Impala will always be a beautiful thing and an American icon, but the garbage under the hood gets staler with age. 350 CI and 200 horsepower? Maybe good in its time but that can be done now with an engine a third the size with considerably better emissions and mileage.
I have a '78 F-150 that I would love to do a Cummins swap with some day. It's a pretty truck that was built for one purpose and that's why I love it. Newer trucks hold little appeal to me.

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1978 Ford F-150 351M
2002 Kia Spectra 1.8l 5-sp
1985 Volkswagen Scirocco 8V 1.8l 5sp
1985 MB 300D Turbo California

"Die Natur verabscheut Vakuum"