When my 240D dies...okay well IF my 240D dies, I am looking at 2 cars to replace it.

a 1990 VW passat wagon, 2.0 16v, 5 spd stick.
and a 1986? 300D, 5-spd stick.

The passat would really fit my current needs - growing family, rev-happy engine (which I really miss having a diesel...)

But when I consider the 300D, I'd hit myself for passing up the features, the refinement, the straight 6 - something about how Benz's are put together just intrigues me - makes me want to take something else apart just to see who did it.

The passat ? - nah, I've taken apart VW's before, and have no strong desire to go back.

-John

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

Husband, Father, sometimes friend =)

I think I just found #3........SOMEBODY STOP ME

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81 Mercedes 300SD 289k.......SOLD
82 Mercedes 300CD 252k......slow ride

82 mercedes 300 SD...mi Unknown
83 Mercedes 300D ????ksniff..gone too
84 Mercedes 300D 148k........SOLD
85 Mercedes 300TD 386k and holding some one elses project

It's been said somewhere that you could be blindfolded, and led over to one, and by the time you'd opened the door, sat down, slammed the door shut, and seized the steering wheel, you would KNOW you were sitting inside a Mercedes Benz

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

Because Mercedes are the best cars in the world.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Here are a few more takes on the subject. This is purely from my own personal situation. The car(s) is used in my business. Customers are owners of manufacturing plants. They all, I mean all, drive new top of the line SUV's.
Let's start with my agreement to the most of the other posts relative to engineering, fixability, performance etc.

1) I hate driving what the everyone else drives. I would never drive some plain jane boring car. I mean I do drive our other cares, but yuk.

2) The MB can't be new, because in spite of the fact the owner is driving a 60K vehichle, he will challenge why I am driving a 60K MB. He figures that expense will end up in the cost of my product. I can explain away a 8 - 10 year old MB. I also take great satisfaction from the fact that I am driving, in the case of the S320, a 9 year old car that stickered for 70K and I got for less than 12K. The trick is always to find one with all records and some big hit items repaired in the last several years.

3) I can't drive a really old one because that would cause the opposite result. They would figure that I am not successful enough to afford a newer car.

4) So I stuck with '90 300E, then a '92 300E, and now a '97 S320.

I enjoy doing the routine services, oil, trans service, brake service etc. I don't enjoy or have time for doing major things. Wrench twirling for me, is just a way to get my mind off my work. It also let's me know the job was done correctly, and/or done at all.

I also have found that I have zero interest in servicing our other vehicles. We have a 2001 Chrysler mini-van and a Toyota Tacoma truck. The '92 Sportline is just sitting in the drive. I have lost interest in it. Focus is on the S320, but have pretty much run out of things to fiddle with on it.

Finally, when I look out at the car fleet, the only two I even think about are the S320 and 300E, what great lines!

Steve