And I might add....my '84 300SD which is started in the garage (with the door up of course!) sounds like a cement mixer with a load of bricks in it when first started up in the morning, but after a few minutes on the road the banging and, ahem "clatter" disolves into a beautiful purr.
I think that a friend of mine said it best when she said "The throb of a Mercedes diesel makes me feel secure. I remember back to my parents 220D". To me it makes me feel like the beast is really a living thing. I may buy another Mercedes, but I'll never get rid of my diesel!
Now if I could just convert my 380Sl to a 300SLD!