Don't get me wrong. I love my diesel but sometimes, the noise, smell and lack of general zippiness below 30mph makes me long for a gasser.

The Benz is a heavy car and you can feel it. I drove a honda accord this weekend and I was amazed as to how different it felt. Very zippy.

I guess it was nice to drive something else for a change. I just wouldn't want to get into a wreck in it.

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Ben
1987 190d 2.5Turbo

The VW TDI's are quite zippy also. Do I miss the gassers? No, I do not.

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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.

91 W124 300D Turbo replaced, Pressure W/G actuator installed. 210K

90 Dodge D250 5.9 Cummins/5 speed. 400K

There was a time from the very late seventies on through the mid nineties when I drove 50 to 70 thousand miles a year. In the beginning of that period in my automotive life, gas engines were carbureted.

Carbureted engines are not very long lived and not quite as fuel efficient as their fuel injected counterparts. That is the reason that I got into MB diesels, longevity and fuel efficiency. During that time, I developed the love of diesel fumes in the morning and the steady pulsating of the steering wheel attached to a car with an idling diesel under the hood.

Although there is still a warm place in my heart for those old diesels, EFI has brought me back to gas engine automobiles. A modern EFI gas engine will last every bit as long as it's diesel counterpart, is ALMOST as fuel efficient and is much peppier.

Call me a Turn Coat if you'd like, but my rides now run on gasoline.

I sometimes miss driving my 85 Jetta 1.8.... only because it's a $200 car with no rev limiter and a broken exhaust. It's lots of fun to drive too fast. The 2 working shock absorbers make even moderate corners an interesting event, you can never really get going fast enough to be in real trouble.

For daily driving I like the torque of my diesels

-J

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1991 350SDL. 230,000 miles (new motor @ 150,000). Blown head gasket

Tesla Model 3. 205,000 miles. Been to 48 states!
Past: A fleet of VW TDIs.... including a V10,a Dieselgate Passat, and 2 ECOdiesels.
2014 Cadillac ELR
2013 Fiat 500E.

While I still own a gasser, I haven't driven it since January (tranny issues). I don't really miss driving a gasser.

I did take a two month business trip to San Diego in my 240D. I did start to miss my turbodiesel after a while.

Sometimes when driving around I miss having the sound of a gasser V-8. My old Lincoln excelled in this area. It had an injected 302 with cats but no mufflers. It sounded quite nice.

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.

nope

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Current Mercedes
1979 maple yellow 240D 4-speed

Gone and fondly remembered:
1980 orient red 240D 4-speed

Gone and NOT fondly remembered:
1982 Chna Blue 300TD

Other car in the stable:
2013 VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI / 6-speed MT

I have one of each, so I don't miss them. And I actually prefer driving the diesel. Diesels are plenty peppy in the lower speeds....its the torque that counts. I also like being able to drive like a crazy man and still get over 20mpg. That is not the case in my gasser. My diesel actually breaks the tires loose much more readily from a standing start than the gasser does....I have to be careful in the wet.

I find gassers too quiet, and boring. It sounds cool when you can open it up into the 4-6k rpm range, but how often can one even do that....not very. The diesel sounds cool all the time.

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-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

I have a Briggs & Stratton gasser that I drive about once a week. My diesel is much peppier and I love it.

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Chad
2006 Nissan Pathfinder LE
1998 Acura 3.0 CL
OBK#44
"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work." - Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)

SOLD
1985 300TD - Red Dragon
1986 300SDL - Coda
1991 - 300TE
1995 - E320
1985 300CD - Gladys

Hey, come out to the MBCA GTG at Maple View Farms on the 17th and I'll let you drive my E300. No noise, no smell, plenty of zip...

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-Evan


Benz Fleet:
1968 UNIMOG 404.114
1998 E300
2008 E63


Non-Benz Fleet:
1992 Aerostar
1993 MR2
2000 F250

Having driven nothing but old Mercedes diesels for over two years, I was impressed by the power of the C350 loaner I had when the '87 was into the dealer for some sunroof work. It got only about 18mpg, though, so my impression didn't last very long.

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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

My driving began with a 1991 Honda Accord...and it probably didn't like me because it gets hot in SoCal and it fails to start under heat! Then after high school in 2006, I was given my 1983 300SD...and my life changed....

I wouldn't have been so into cars, car history, car racing, supercars, etc. if it weren't for my 300SD. Plus nothing beats the simplicity of the Diesel.

In my case, I don't miss driving my Honda Accord...but have always been curious to drive the gas counterparts of my Diesels....

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It's not the years, it's the mileage.

Not really. However if is good fun to occasionally get behind the wheel of a REAL gasser

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1982 300GD Carmine Red (DB3535) Cabriolet Parting Out
1990 300SEL Smoke Silver (Parting out)
1991 350SDL Blackberry Metallic (481)

"The thing is Bob, its not that I'm lazy...its that I just don't care."

For pep TDI, for power Cummins, for pleasure MB

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1981 240D 143k 4 spd manual -SOLD

2004 VW Jetta TDI 5 speed 300k -still driven daily

1) I tend to take life at my own pace now, so I don't think about more "pep" anymore.

2) I have a Cummins and could pull down any house if someone could hook a chain to it.

3) And I enjoy tinkering with MBs.

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daw_two
Germantown, TN

Links:
Sold last car --- 05/2012 1984 300D Light Ivory, Red interior
Cluster Needles Paint
New Old Stock (NOS) parts

Past:
3/2008 1986 300SDL "Coda"
04/2010 1965 190D(c) "Ben"
& many more

The only thing I miss is the power and I guess the handling too, but mostly the power. I should mention that the gasser I'm missing is my dad's 911, other than that, I'm set with my diesel, especially if I do the 617 turbo swap. That *mostly* solves the power problem. I'd only drive a diesel as daily driver. Gassers are for fun.

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1983 240D 3.0T 4-speed manual, now sold

1989 Subaru GL Wagon 5-speed Touring Edition