I have a friend who is a fellow Mercedes nut. Had a W116 300SD he put over 300,000 miles on. Did 95% of the maintenance himself--Georgia Tech mechanical engineer.

He has now moved on to 560SELs and has two. Says he loves having all that power underfoot. When I asked about the poor mileage, he said even at 17 mpg on premium, his $5000 560SEL is still waaaaaaaaaaaay less expensive to own/operate than a new Corolla.

Sometimes I think people put too much emphasis on fuel eceonomy as part of the ENTIRE cost of owning and operating a car.

Key determinants are who will keep up the car and how often will it need attention. It might be cheaper for your friend to keep up his 560 but not for someone who will take it to a shop. A 560 needs attention more frequently than a Corolla so that's a factor for someone on a tight schedule. I wouldn't think twice about going 12K miles between oil changes in a Corolla if the manufacturer recommends 10K mile intervals. I wouldn't dream of it in the SDL.

I agree with what you say. Look at the purchase premium on an E320 CDI over an E320 gasser (a couple of years ago, anyway) or the premium of a Powerstroke F-350 over a gasser F-350. The difference will probably buy enough fuel and tune-ups for the typical duration of the first owner's use of the vehicle.

Sixto ... tangents? we got tangents
95 S420
87 300SDL

You need to budget another $7500 minimum for either the Powerstroke or the Chevy/Isuzu Duramax diesel engines. $10,000 might be more like it (for the additional charge).

My girlfriend is in the midst of purchasing a 1999 38' Carver motor boat.
It comes with twin Chevy 350 engines and Mercruiser outdrives.

It's not possible to find these boats with diesels unless you go to California or maybe Florida and you are looking at some serious money on top on the price of the boat.

I have spoken with several boat captains and explained I wish we could find my girlfriend a boat with diesels and they said if you are talking about a weekend boat and some fresh water trips and maybe even in salt water every few years, then gas is fine. You won't recoup the price of the diesels.

It all depends on how you use the boat. If you run 50 hours on it a year gas is fine. If you do 200+ a year then diesel makes sense. Also if you fish the boat diesel really is the only way to go.

Another point come time to sell say you have two equal boats with 1,500 or so hours on them. The diesel boat will be worth far more because the engines have several thousand hours of life left in them. 1,500 hour gas engines are at the end of their life.

Unless you do nothing to a W126 and just drive it into the ground I find it hard to beleive that a Toyota would cost more to own.

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

I drove a 91 300D for over 140,000 when it got totalled. Loved that car and couldn't imagine replacing it. I now have the 6 turbocharged (98 300E td) and it is a whole other vehicle. So much more pep and responsiveness. The newest CDIs are even more incredible.

__________________
1991 300D 172,000 (totaled)
1998 E300 Turbodiesel 82,500