DO NOT alter quotes. :liar:

Your right my math was way off, a long block is $9,850.00 (plus $1,500 core) which you will need since the grease will ruin the head IP, and injectors. A short block is $5,900.00(plus $900 core). A crate motor from MB is probably about $13k.

Mercedes are VERY expensive to do internal engine work on.

$470 will might be just enough to get you two pistons, or the gasket set.

http://www.mercedesengines.net/products.asp?cat=44

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

No offense FI, but I have to disagree. The only way to get ourselves off of our dependence on foreign oil would be to produce viable, economic ways to offset the imports. Although I dont think it is possible to do today, without taking a huge economic toll on our nation, I believe it is possible, and anyone who does anything at all to reduce that dependence certainly has my blessings. If nobody makes the effort, everybody loses. Now, on with the original topic!

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1996 E300 D
1992 300D
1990 Ford E-350 7.3 Diesel AKA "the Deep Fryer"

Why should we use our oil? If we use up theirs first, we will have ours left to sell them and the balance of power will be shifted.

If we don't buy it from them they will simply sell it to other countries like Russia, China and Korea. Do you want the red countries to get more oil more cheaply? I can guarantee you they don't have anywhere near the level of pollution controls we do and they would be happy to cheaply increase their mobile forces.

The us is the largest importer of oil in the world, and we even make lots of oil!


Getting off foreign oil is a pipe dream.

To stop importing oil we'd probably have to take every single car off the road

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1981 300SD 512k OM603

Now that is a very good point that I had not considered. That is very true.

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1996 E300 D
1992 300D
1990 Ford E-350 7.3 Diesel AKA "the Deep Fryer"

Forced does make a good point. The middle east sucks, sooner we suck them dry the better for everyone. If we don't burn it China, Russia, and India will be all to happy to.

Were still able to produce about 50% of what we need every day domestically. Thats not so bad, imagin if we started to really drill in this country and cut back a bit. We could probably supply ourselves long enough to figure out another solution.

New cars are getting very effecient, 35mpg is what the Fed's requiring by what 2020?

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Thats why high prices are actually good, its the only thing that will force people to drive less and consume less oil per mile.

Remember when gas was about $4/gallon? The reports showed that consumption was down more than 2million barrels per day, people were looking for more economical cars and getting rid of their pickups/SUVs.

Now that gas is down under $2/gallon again people will go right back to their old gluttonous driving habits. We'll be right back at using 20,700,000 bbl/day, 3x more per day than China! We use more oil per day than the next highest five countries on the list combined.
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/ene_oil_con-energy-oil-consumption

This drop is only temporary, its going to go back up.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

We bought a '96 (NA) E300D primarily because the turbo models are even rarer and more expensive out here. Although it had 248,000 miles on it when we got it, it came with a complete set of service records all the way back to mile zero. You could see that all of the owners had done whatever the car needed – that is a major help in minimizing future problems.

My wife is the primary driver of the '96 and doesn't mind that the NA engine lacks the low-end power of my '87 with its 603 turbo engine. (Neither of us have ever been in, much less driven, a '98-99 model, so we have no comparison.) The NA engine is a little easier to work on but I doubt that anyone would turn down a turbo motor just because of that.

For WVO, I would get a car as old and simple as possible – an OM617 in a 300D or SD would be good.

Jeremy

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"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970

I just dont know how much our economy can take of the higher fuel prices. Wages arent going up to offset the added costs of driving to work, buying food and other necessities, which have seen increases directly or indirectly related to fuel costs.

I am all for using svo, wvo, ethanol, whatever sources of fuel available, but I dont think we can really switch over to them to get off foreign oil. I am more of a "it is there, so we should at least use it, rather than dump it".

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1996 E300 D
1992 300D
1990 Ford E-350 7.3 Diesel AKA "the Deep Fryer"

Ethanol is a total farce. Much worse fuel economy, takes food off people's tables, causes corn prices to go sky high and isn't economical to produce without the government heavily subsidizing it. Ethanol isn't "there", its being diverted away from other uses.

ethanol does suck when it comes to mileage, even when it is only 10% like some of the stations around here have. Again, can't argue with your you on that either.

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1996 E300 D
1992 300D
1990 Ford E-350 7.3 Diesel AKA "the Deep Fryer"

Why are you guys going on about oil and whatnot, the OP just wanted a comparison between '96-'99 cars. There's plenty of places he can go for an education on the various merits/pitfalls of domestic/foreign oil, SVO, WVO, bio, etc...

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-Evan


Benz Fleet:
1968 UNIMOG 404.114
1998 E300
2008 E63


Non-Benz Fleet:
1992 Aerostar
1993 MR2
2000 F250

http://www.wftv.com/news/17945476/detail.html

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