Hello All. Been driving throughout Normandy for the past week in a 2010 C280 CDI while going to a wedding, visiting Omaha, Point-du-Hoc, American Cemetery, and Paris I have been making careful observations about driving here and in a new c280. First, the car is FAST, playing around on the A highways where limits are 130KMH (78 mph). Got to 195 KM (117mph) in 22 seconds. good control and handling, you can't tell its a diesel, great acceleration and great GPS to get around. Most all vehicles are diesel, with badges of past European Glory: Peugeot, Renault, and Citroen; and NO dodge Rams, Ford F 350's or Chevy extended cab Silverados. What bliss, without those USA pigs hogging the narrow and narrower roads...Nor are there many rice burners: no lexus, iffiniti, toyota or Honda. It is really good to see the old brands, but NO old cars. The oldest mercedes I cam across was a 1993 300d and 92 190d. No big 126's or 123's. Where did they all go??

Anyway, traffic moves much smoother due to the roundabouts and judicious use of yield signs. In the smaller roads, the width is 8' and to get around you fold in the mirrors on both sides to navigate. Even in many situations, the C280 is too big for agility, and a MB B180 or the smart car seems more appropriate.

Fuel is expensive, with diesel between 6.96 and 7.75/gal. Gas is in the same range.

What do you take away after 1000KM: better road signs, smoother traffic, only newer vehicles, no junkers, no excessive huge vehicles, and people drive those vehicles that serve their needs, not their egos...

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71 220D 169K wrecked
83 240D 118K sweet 4 speed
91 350SDL (one of the 60% good engines) 156K
84 300d (loaner to my sister) 189K
79 300SD (partswagen)
86 420SEL partswagen
70 220d (partswagen)
68 280s GASSER!!! under construction now
85 300sd 310K miles winter beater car retired
93 300d 2.5 turbo 168K wife's car
83 280SL euro 5 speed 155K
69 250S newest project 54K

Fuel here has just gone down a couple of pence a litre.

Now £1.15 a litre

xe.com says US$1.55 = UK£1 to that means US$1.75 and a bit a litre

1 US Gall = 3.78 ltrs to diesel is US$6.73 a US Gallon if bought here.

My '91 E300D does average 40 mpg (imp gallon) so divide by 1.2 for 33.3 mpg (US) average

US$6.73 / 33.3 = 20 cents a mile, near a dammit

(at least US miles are 5280 feet, same as ours, lol)

But maybe an imperial foot is 13 imperial inches

Sixto
87 300D

I noticed similar in England recently. Mostly tiny vehicles, lot's of smarts, A's and B's. Of course that's what they have to have given horribly cramped conditions. Lots of diesels as well. Quite a few ricers in Britain though. Maybe Britain doesnt penalise jap vehicles like the continent does? Assuming it does of course...

That's one thing I dont like. Roundabouts. Just don't like em.

That may be the case in France. Can't say it was so across the channel. My brother who'se lived in England for about eight years now mentioned that motoring in France is very pleasurable, Holland too come to think of it. So maybe the continent has the edge over Britain in that respect. But as for no ego trippers. Not really sure if that's a valid comparrison. The economic reality and logistical restrictions are probably more significant than ones free will in circumscribing what choices Europeans have.

- Peter.

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2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S

"NO dodge Rams, Ford F 350's or Chevy extended cab Silverados. What bliss, without those USA pigs hogging the narrow and narrower roads...Nor are there many rice burners: no lexus, iffiniti, toyota or Honda. It is really good to see the old brands, but NO old cars."

France sounds like such a great place without all these road hogging truck and rice-burners. Have you ever considered making it your permanent home? That way you don't have to complain about American trucks (or anything else American-made) anymore

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Hey, who won the war anyway? (runs away)

BIGGEST difference (apart from gas prices) between here and the US is product availability.

Nobody here has even heard of marvel mystery oil, doesn't bother me because I learned years ago that a 50/50 mix of ATF and acetone is marvel mystery oil on steroids, but there are lots of great automotive products and services that are "just there" in the states that simply never existed, or went away 20 years ago here.

"Just in time" manufacturing and distribution has a lot to do with that, as does the abolition of the "parts man" and replacement with the gimp with the computer who can't do anything without your vehicle registration number, which the computer uses to pull make and model info, which then gives you a list of available parts....

If it's old, imported, modified, or obscure, you're buggered.

Same goes for tools, decent tools are like rocking horse **** nowadays, even so called american brand name quality like snapon is utter crap.

I still have tools that the US Army brought over for the D Day landing and left, which my dad grabbed as an apprentice, and they work as good as new, including taps and dies, 60 bloody years old and still cut better threads than brand new "professional" crap sold in the motor factors.

If only you buggers would learn to drive on the right (left) side of the road...

I may be wrong but i think you will find Marvel Mystery oil over there is called Red X.
Don

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Red Green "This is only temporary,Unless it works!"

97 E300D 157000 miles
87 300TD ?141k? miles

Nope, AFAIK RedEx is just an very expensive way of buying an ATF and paraffin (kerosene) mix.

eg not marketed in any way shape or form as anything except a fuel additive.

Look out for the speed traps in Northern France - the latest sport is catching people rushing for the cross channel ferries

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!