The price of diesel has just went up even more and it just doesn't make sense to drive my 300D anymore, at least not on a daily basis. I really liked driving the car. I finally have it running in a way that I almost forget that it's a diesel.
The lowest price for diesel in my area is now up to $2.199 and I saw regular UL for $1.819. It's an outrage that the price of diesel has gotten so out of hand. Less than a month ago I was only(?) paying $2.009 for it.
I finally got the 230CE insured today and it'll be my daily driver for now. I'm glad though I can still drive an MB. It might be fun to drive a car with a manual once again.

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DJ


84 300D Turbodiesel 190K with 4 speed manual sold in 03/2012

I just paid $2.39 a gallon today for diesel , and I live in Eastern Washington. In the long run it would probally be cheapest for me to drive the Benz until the snow falls, but I also don't have a functioning heater

I'm sorry, but I have very little sympathy for those who complain about the price we pay for fuel in the US. We still pay much, much less than the "true" cost of fuel at the pump, when you figure in all the costs that we pay through our taxes. Many studies have come to the conclusion that the "fully burdened" cost of fuel is at least $5 or $6 per gallon - or about what they pay in Europe.

Google "true cost of fuel" for any number of interesting reads.

Kevin

I'm not really complaining, just if prices get to be too much, I need to do some serious adjustments to my budget... I spent some time in College study energy, and spent several weeks studying what we actually pay for fuel and the actual costs to produce it, and the US government suppliments a majority of the fuels costs...

Start burning vegetable oil. My cost per gallon is next to nothing.

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'83 240D with 617.952 and 2.88
'01 VW Beetle TDI
'05 Jeep Liberty CRD
'89 Toyota 4x4, needs 2L-T
'78 280Z with L28ET - 12.86@110
Oil Burner Kartel #35

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b1...oD/bioclip.jpg

A man dear to my heart. The cost of fuel is too cheap. Just look at all the shi*boxes on the road getting about 16 mpg. If these people have enough money to dump $250.00 per month in gasoline into those pieces of *****, and they keep buying them like they cost $15,000., then gasoline is too damned cheap.

I stand by my original proposal to increase the tax on gasoline by $1.00 per gallon and give every owner of a vehicle a $500.00 credit on his/her income taxes. If you can get by on 500 gallons of gasoline per year then the tax costs you nothing. Drive a *****box and pay up. The government needs the money.

Fire Away.

This country's delivery system depends on fuel and we'll all see increases everywhere on stuff we need to buy. I drove 20K+ miles last year. The idea may sound OK if you don't drive much....BUT don't hijack my thread to propose some ludicrous govt supporting crackpot ideas. That's the last I want to read about more $#@% taxes! I'll delete this thread altogether if I find anymore in it.
I want to hear some bellyaching from other diesel owners. That's the intention of my thread.

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DJ


84 300D Turbodiesel 190K with 4 speed manual sold in 03/2012

I'll shut up forever on additional fuel taxes.

Tried to ggogle and came up with nothing. If you could provide the link, I'd appreciate it. Looks interesting.

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Enough about me, how are you doing?

Sorry about that, "true cost of gas" was what I actually search on
A fairly reasoned report

Kevin

Just wondering what Mercedes gasser made in the last forty years runs on regular. Maybe a 123 230CE does. Even my W111 requires premium. I'm sure technical types can change advance to deal with lower grade fuels, but I'm talking about stock settings.

That being said, I think diesel is artificially inflated relative the the other fuels. It always used to be cheaper, and I get angry when it is MORE than premium.

My 300E 5 speed does a little better on gas mileage than the 300D, and the fintail follows behind at a respectable 20mpg.
Don't even ask about the 4.5, it is mothballed.

Lietuviai, what mpg do you get with that little 4speed? Surely a rare car in the U.S.

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63 220S W111
76 300D W115
2013 VW JSW TDI M6

previously-
73 280 SEL 4.5
86 300E 5 speed
2010 VW Jetta TDI M6

I don't go for that arguement. $5.00 a gallon for gas AND you pay Road taxes every year for keeping the car legal. And almost NONE of that money goes for roads. Mostly to support pubic transportation so those people don't pay the REAL cost of using it. And for social welfare.

Just another way for bleeding the middle class dry for feel good programs for those who make less mostly due to life decisions.

THere are options to reduce our dependence on foriegn oil but the tree hugger lobby is agains drilling for oil we do have, and oil can be made from coal that we do have coming out of our ears. If we built more refineries that the enviromentalists don't want us to do we wouldn't have these false shortages created due to existing refineries running at capacity.

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Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
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Section 609 MVAC Certified
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"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

Exactly what is wanted is for you to blame other people. The truth is that the price is based on what the market will bear and not on the costs of production. That $50 shirt made in china, same story.

And part of it is directly related to the fact we havent built one new refinery to keep up with demand in 25 years. The existing refineries are running at near capacity normally.

That simple fact can be directly blamed on the enviromentalist lobby who have blocked new construction.

The, fact we aren't drilling and pumping more of our own than we are also, same group.

True unless they went full bore with coal gassification etc we wouldn't not be independent of the loons in the middle east, etc. But we would be LESS dependent.

These factors DO effect the market which is why prices are so high, I agree.

__________________
Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
---------------------
Section 609 MVAC Certified
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"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

Kevin, my favorite analogy is to look at all those who complain about fuel costing $2.00 per gallon. I'll bet that these same people will go into a grocery store and purchase bottled water for about $5.00 per gallon, or purchase Coca-Cola for $4.00 per gallon, or purchase milk for $3.50 per gallon.

No *****ing going on then, is there.

But, since they need to purchase huge quantites of gasoline as compared to milk, water, and coke, there seems to be an expectation that gasoline should cost less.

Coke basically costs the company about $0.25 per gallon (approx.). They sell it for $4.00.

Crude oil costs $1.18 when it is pumped out of the ground. It is sold for $2.00. If the company were run by Coke, and they had to run advertising to get you to buy it, they would sell it for about $10.00 per gallon.

Hello?