Don't listen to your wife. Get the diesel! She probably won't even notice. The gas R-class is a horrible guzzler while the diesel at least gives semi-decent mileage. Plus a turbodiesel engine is more suitable for such a large, heavy vehicle anyway, and now they even come in the Bluetec form, so they have totally clean exhaust.

If you drive that much (a really good reason to get the diesel), the extended warranty might be worth it. Just read the fine print carefully and see what it actually covers and what your responsibilities are. I probably still wouldn't purchase it even in your situation, but that's just me.

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2004 VW Jetta TDI (manual)

Past MB's: '96 E300D, '83 240D, '82 300D, '87 300D, '87 420SEL