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#1
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The End of the Affair
Wonderful article by P.J. O'Rourke in today's Wall Street Journal:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203771904574173401767415892.html Clearly "the affair" lives on in MB diesel owners!
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14 E250 Bluetec "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 153k miles 06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 171k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU 91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver, 142k mi, wastegate conversion 19 Honda CR-V EX 61k mi Fourteen other MB's owned and sold 1961 Very Tolerant Wife |
#2
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It is a great article, but Mercedes diesels were never "exciting" until the advent of common rail.
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Kent Christensen Albuquerque '07 GL320CDI, '10 CL550. '01 Porsche Boxster Two BMW motorcycles |
#3
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Well, I guess there are just different kinds of excitement, then. (My thinly-veiled jealousy of your two CDI's).
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14 E250 Bluetec "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 153k miles 06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 171k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU 91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver, 142k mi, wastegate conversion 19 Honda CR-V EX 61k mi Fourteen other MB's owned and sold 1961 Very Tolerant Wife |
#4
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It is sad...
Look at the pictures, the GTO, Impala, Tucker,etc. why can't America build something like this now? I think the closest was the Chrysler 300C Hemi and it fell short. We need a company to step up and deliver what we really want; A CAR NOT A TOASTER! The last CAR I bought from the General was the 1996 Impala SS. That was a real car, large, fast, handled well. It was even pretty luxurious for a Chevy (it had lots of Buick parts in it ) The reason I love my SDL is that even though it is relatively slow he has a soul that you can feel. The Honda CRV and Toyota RAV4 are not cars, they are toasters. It looks like the stuff GM, Ford and Chrysler (er- FIAT) are making are toasters and vacuum cleaners too. Can't we get a CAR GUY to run a car company?
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"I have no convictions ... I blow with the wind, and the prevailing wind happens to be from Vichy" Current Monika '74 450 SL BrownHilda '79 280SL FoxyCleopatra '99 Chevy Suburban Scarlett 2014 Jeep Cherokee Krystal 2004 Volvo S60 Gone '74 Jeep CJ5 '97 Jeep ZJ Laredo Rudolf 86 300SDL Bruno '81 300SD Fritzi '84 BMW '92 Subaru '96 Impala SS '71 Buick GS conv '67 GTO conv '63 Corvair conv '57 Nomad |
#5
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Its not so much the fault of the car companies (though they play a huge part of it), but the American consumer.
Jalopnik just had an article explaining it pretty well. http://jalopnik.com/5327319/the-25-most-redundant-car-technologies/gallery/ |
#6
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#10- my personal favorite:
The 25 Most Redundant Car Technologies Name: Gasoline/Electric Hybrid Powertrains Extreme Example: The 2010 Honda Insight, which is actually much less efficient than the faster, better driving, more practical, diesel-equipped European Honda Civic. Why it's redundant: There's better technology out there. Diesel engines cost less, consume less energy and resources in production, are far less complicated and are capable of equal or greater fuel-economy. |
#7
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Quote:
Enough said.
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http://i680.photobucket.com/albums/v...7/scotflag.gif http://i680.photobucket.com/albums/v.../scot2flag.gif "If women are so bloody perfect at multitasking how come they can't have a headache and sex at the same time?" Billy Connolly |
#8
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Ferrari is about the only manufacturer left that builds something exciting.
Scott
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Scott 1982 Mercedes 240D, 4 speed, 275,000 1988 Porsche 944 Turbo S (70,000) 1987 Porsche 911 Coupe 109,000 (sold) 1998 Mercedes E300 TurboDiesel 147,000 (sold) 1985 Mercedes 300D 227,000 (totaled by inattentive driver with no insurance!) 1997 Mercedes E300 Diesel 236,000 (sold) 1995 Ducati 900SS (sold) 1987 VW Jetta GLI 157,000 (sold) 1986 Camaro 125,000 (sold - P.O.S.) 1977 Corvette L82 125,000 (sold) 1965 Pontiac GTO 15,000 restored (sold) |
#9
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Quote:
Spyker C12 Zagato Pagani Zonda C12 S Askari KZ1 Alfa Romeo Brera 3.2 JTS V6 Q4 SV Just a few
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http://i680.photobucket.com/albums/v...7/scotflag.gif http://i680.photobucket.com/albums/v.../scot2flag.gif "If women are so bloody perfect at multitasking how come they can't have a headache and sex at the same time?" Billy Connolly |
#10
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Insightful, and sad, article. Cars are to most people another gadget, like a laptop or iPhone, and apparently, are just as disposable. It kills me to see the photos of the Cash For Clunkers cars. It's absolutely crass, even if they were gas-guzzlers, even if some of them were junky. So much for posterity. The wasteful nature of those vehicles was the fault of the manufacturers that built them and the consumers who bought them -- ironically, the two factions being rewarded for the vehicles' mass demise. Some very nice, and once prized automobiles got trashed -- and ridiculed in the process. You don't shove your horse in a mass grave; you bury him hooves, head and heart and give his soul a quite 'thank you.'
I did smile at this part, though: "Americas romantic foolishness with cars is finished, however, or nearly so. In the far boondocks a few good old boys havent got the memo and still tear up the back roads. Doubtless the Obama administrations Department of Transportation is even now calculating a way to tap federal stimulus funds for mandatory OnStar installations to locate and subdue these reprobates." OK, so maybe we dieselers aren't "tearing" up the roads, but I think we haven't gotten, and won't get "the memo."
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1987 300D, arctic white/palomino--314,000 miles 1978 240D 4-speed, Euro Delivery, light ivory/bamboo--370,000 miles 2005 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited, light khaki/slate--140,000 miles 2018 Chevy Cruze diesel, 6-speed manual, satin steel metallic/kalahari--19,000 miles 1982 Peugeot 505 diesel, 4-speed manual, blue/blue, 130,000 miles 1995 S320, black/parchment--34,000 miles (Dad's car) |
#11
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The feeling that I get from reading this article is very similar to the feeling I get when I walk through the junkyard - at first, sorrow - I imagine all the individual lives associated with the disemboweled hulks and whether there might have been any of the emotional attachment that I associate with my own vehicles. Then I get excited at the potential that I might find something useful from all the waste. Their loss is my gain.
Lately I have been in/under my Benz more than any car I have ever owned. My efforts have paid off nicely because I use my "noble steed" as my family's means of income (I'm a salesman) - as long as there are parts to be had, they ("pointy-headed busy-bodies") will never take this from me.
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327K on 1986 W201, 602.911, 722.414 2.5 190D ("The Red Baron") 139K on 1993 W124, 104.942, 722.433 2.8 300E ("Queen") http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4081/...0bb92d3c_m.jpg http://i370.photobucket.com/albums/o...g?t=1325284354 Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater. - Albert Einstein take a walk down memory lane... |
#12
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Quote:
But yeah, I know your feeling. I always think of that one Mercedes add, I think for the C-Class circa 2002, which shows a 114/115 being crushed and has its "life" flash through its windshield. I can't even think about it without crying. The gist of the add was that the car is reincarnated as a new C-Class, saying "the soul remains the same." It was a poignant ad, illustrating the love affair that a Mercedes owner has with a car -- i.e., it isn't just a car. But still, sad. I guess that's why I've spent countless hours and a couple grand on a 240D worth probably $600-$700.
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1987 300D, arctic white/palomino--314,000 miles 1978 240D 4-speed, Euro Delivery, light ivory/bamboo--370,000 miles 2005 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited, light khaki/slate--140,000 miles 2018 Chevy Cruze diesel, 6-speed manual, satin steel metallic/kalahari--19,000 miles 1982 Peugeot 505 diesel, 4-speed manual, blue/blue, 130,000 miles 1995 S320, black/parchment--34,000 miles (Dad's car) |
#13
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Now this gets me excited:
After months of speculation and spy shots, Maranello has finally revealed the mid-engined V8 replacement for the Ferrari F430. The all-new Ferrari 458 Italia won't be shown in public until September's Frankfurt Motor Show, but the official details were released early this morning. A new direct-injected 4.5-liter V8 ups the ante underhood, pumping out 562 horsepower and 398 lb-ft of torque. The redline? A screaming 9,000 rpm. Eighty percent of the F458 Italia's torque is now available at a low 3,250 rpm, thanks in all likelihood to the new engine's 12.5:1 compression ratio. As with last year's California, the Ferrari 458 gets a seven-speed dual clutch gearbox that directs power to the rear axle. Much has been done to reduce internal friction within the new V8, in addition aerodynamic drag improvements. As a result, the Ferrari 458 Italia's gas mileage improves to a combined 17.1 mpg (US) on the EU test cycle. As this is a Ferrari, talk of fuel consumption really does seem somewhat pointless, anyway. No mention of incorporating any type of KERS hybrid system has been made thus far. The KERS idea, you'll remember, had taken several spins around the rumormill over the last year or so; maybe that'll materialize at a later date. Like its predecessor, the Ferrari 458 Italia's aluminum structure helps keep weight under control -- it tips the scales at just 3,042 pounds dry. So, we know you're wondering: How quick is it? Based on specs at least, this new coupe does't disappoint. Acceleration to 100 km/h (62 mph) takes just 3.4 seconds, and this will be the first volume production Ferrari V8 to top the 200 mph barrier, with a top whack of 202 mph. Is it still too early to head to the airport for our flight to Frankfurt in September
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Scott 1982 Mercedes 240D, 4 speed, 275,000 1988 Porsche 944 Turbo S (70,000) 1987 Porsche 911 Coupe 109,000 (sold) 1998 Mercedes E300 TurboDiesel 147,000 (sold) 1985 Mercedes 300D 227,000 (totaled by inattentive driver with no insurance!) 1997 Mercedes E300 Diesel 236,000 (sold) 1995 Ducati 900SS (sold) 1987 VW Jetta GLI 157,000 (sold) 1986 Camaro 125,000 (sold - P.O.S.) 1977 Corvette L82 125,000 (sold) 1965 Pontiac GTO 15,000 restored (sold) |
#14
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Can't wait for Top Gear in the UK to get hold of one
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http://i680.photobucket.com/albums/v...7/scotflag.gif http://i680.photobucket.com/albums/v.../scot2flag.gif "If women are so bloody perfect at multitasking how come they can't have a headache and sex at the same time?" Billy Connolly |
#15
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Quote:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rv2-DYgzcY |
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