Many gas cars are cheaper today to operate. At todays fuel costs so the old diesels are nothing special. Plus the percentage of people that can self repair cars is probably falling off a cliff.

For years now most cars have not been user friendly for dealing with a lot of their issues. Repair places in general cost a lot of money now as well. Junk yard sources for used parts are drying up more all the time as well. So a combination of factors is at work.

As one poster mentioned they are just a hobby to me too.. A good example at a reasonable price is still nice. Yet not that easy to find now. I just got back home from a three hundred mile highway run.

Diesel fuel is 8.47 an American gallon here in eastern Canada. I used a Volkswagen diesel Passat that gives almost twice the fuel milage that a 123 would do. It has to be close to the size of a 123 Mercedes.

Another trip is on for tomorrow as well. That car we keep on a government expense account. We are approaching a dollar a mile on that. The car did not cost a lot. It has paid for itself some time ago. The highway miles are not hurting it. We only use it for highway running. It is now a small profit center. Modern diesels tend to be money pits in primarily city use.

Well really not that small. Depreciation seems to be limited as well. We have used it pretty heavily for the last two years. Their Current market price is almost twice what we paid for it. Drive it in a reasonable fashion and it gives 54 miles per American gallon. About 65 miles on the Canadian gallon.

Even though it is now ten years old and a Volkswagen buyback. There is still a strong warranty that lasts till September more than a year away. Doing the normal maintenance myself is not too bad. You do need Volkswagen dealer level service for the complex stuff. So do not know if we will keep it past the warranty yet.