How many friends? Our 240D has no back seat whatsoever. It's there, but there's so little knee room (My dad and I are the ones who drive it and we're both over 6' tall) and with the front seats back to where we can almost get our foot high enough to clutch without putting our knee through the steering wheel, the back seat is so reduced that even my 5'7" mom can't sit back there comfortably.

That's not a car to take more than one friend at a time in, if you're going to be in it for hours on end. S-class has a LOT more room for passengers.

Not to mention the cargo space you'd need for a trip like that.

A 300SD would be only marginally harder to keep going than a 240D (5 cylinders instead of 4 but same general engine design) and it would be the difference between "Fun" and "not fun" for everybody riding in the back. Not to mention the extra trunk space for all your plunder.

Just my two cents. I own a 240D and a w126 diesel, so I can truly compare both... and I wouldn't even ride to the grocery store in the back seat of mine, much less across the country. If you're all short then you might pull it off but the suitcase room is still going to be limited in the trunk, by comparison. There's some things you just need a grown-up car for.

__________________


~Michael S.~
Past cars:

1986 300SDL
1987 300SDL
1982 240D
1982 300SD


Current:

1987 300SDL