Ok I have had a good search about this forum reading a number of your past posts and on the whole it seams that the 2.8ltr 6 cylinder motor comes in for some stick beating. I can't understand why when you think that in the US where Gas is cheap running a V8 3.5ltr is a viable option when you have the choice but here in Euro land where gas is 3 times as much we have to keep an eye on Gas miles and the 6 cylinder is perfect for us over here. I think from reading up this was the case even when the car was new in Germany.

I certainly want to have a go with a 3.5 or even a 4.5ltr when i come over the pond next but I have to say it will be the 6 pot I come back with , well until I get that nice smile on my face when i rev the V8 anyway...

I must admit I would love a pullman 600 but could only afford to take it out once a year with a tank of gas

I guess what I am saying is different cars for different markets/county's

Yup, and that is why the injected models are more prevalent in the European countries. If we Yanks didn't feel the 6 cylinder engines had enough ponies why then we just ordered the 3.5's and up.

Granted, emissions had a lot to do with the cars we ended up with but we were/are number of cylinders crazies.

I'm a 6 cylinder kind of guy but I've got this 500SEL I'm working on which has me lusting for the feel of the V-8.

Oh yeah, the average price for a gasoline litre today in Finland was 1,285 €, which makes in dollarssies 1.91 $ / litre.. Well, the norwegians consider it cheap, and they even have oil resources!

We buy it by the gallon (3.78 liters) over here, so you're talking about $7.22/gal. Right now diesel is running around $2.70/gal. Gas is somewhere in the same ballpark. I was angry when it went over $1.50/gal. At the time I drove a V8 Lincoln that got about 18 mpg.

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My first Mercedes was a 108 six. Still my favourite. You are quite right about different cars for different markets. A practice in which Mercedes were unsurpassed.

- Peter.

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I'll say that working on the six is much easier than any of the (2) V8's. I'll take my M130 fuel injected six over any 8 cylinder engine in a W108. Well, . . . . . . maybe I'd take a 6.3 in the W109

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Your car is absolutely beautiful! I'm just wondering: Was the 71 produced with side markers, or were they a US fed add-on?

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Absolutely gorgeous! Especially with the gray on cream interior and on bundts as well.
I'm also a M130 280SE fan... drove a few already since I'm in the market for a good one. I love it.
I have been such a longtime W123 fan but the W108 has that magnetic pull on me... must be the vintage MB styling and that 108s are still affordable.

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Yes, the side markers appear to be a US mandated requirement along with the sealed beam headlights, large front (amber) turn signals and the twin license plate lights on the rear.

Thanks for the positive comments

I've always had a thing for a Mercedes inline six. They're just so smooth and when they go north of 5,000rpm they sound delightful! And I lucked out when it comes to gasoline. I found a station nearby that serves up 110 octane leaded (!) petrol for only about $4.00/U.S.Gal and my 250CE absolutely LOVES it!!


No side markers on my Saudi import

And apparently I did have a thing for V-8's when I was a little younger

PS: 280SEguy... That has to be the CLEANEST interior I've ever seen!! I actually had to clean drool off my keyboard. You're one lucky dude.

There's nothing wrong with a MB 6-cyl, it just doesn't have enough power for ME. It's smooth and it loves to rev. But it isn't fuel efficient in my opinion, getting the same MPG as my 5.7L V8 Hemi under the same driving conditions. I could buy a 3.5 or 4.5 and tune it to get 2MPG worse, and still be much peppier. I didn't buy my Charger for fuel mileage (I got it for performance), my parents way-back-when didn't buy the MB for fuel mileage (they got it for luxury and comfort). I bought my 300M for a COMBO of decent highway fuel economy (28MPG was the best I've got on it, I average 21MPG mixed), luxury, and performance. If I wanted a true economy car, I'd buy a VW TDI. I just hope I don't ever need to buy a car with MPG concerns as a primary reason.

That point on my end having been made, I understand how your market is much different, and pinching an extra 2MPG out of a car is a LOT of money. If I could take a bus, subway, or train to work and pay a $10 commuter fee EACH DAY I would instead of driving - I HATE dealing with traffic and other drivers who are very rude, careless, and pay more attention to their mobile devices/GPS/whatevers than they do to the road. However, since that is not possible, I got a car that can at least make my 30+ minute (per direction) commute to work put a smile on my face.

Edit: Oh, and I do carpool; I've been driving a coworker in every day for the last 2 years or so. When I had more people on the same route I drove them too. I figure it more than makes up in gas wasted because his primary vehicle is an Explorer, which manages to get worse mileage than my Charger

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