Why would you want a diesel?
 

I hope I dont sound offensive. My father used to own a 126 diesel and the thing was slow, loud, and belched terrible smelling black smoke whenever he accelerated. I just wanted to know what the greatness is besides fuel economy?

I just wanted to know what the greatness is besides fuel economy?

Well, I want one because they're...slow, loud and belch black smoke. One day I'll have the diesel, actually was on the hunt for one when the 560 fell in my lap.

Bill:

Benz_man600 probably read the posts by 560SEC guy and now wants to stir up the hornet's nest to see who will take him on. Best thing to do is ignore derogatory comments by the M-B gassers because they will never understand diesel enthusiasts!;)!

Tom

Well, I know from now on I plan on buying primarily diesel cars and trucks. They are much simpler to maintain and I love the torque and power you get out of them. The mileage is great and $ to maintain is a ton less than a comparable gasoline vehicle. I still like my gasoline in sports cars for the speed but for a BIG heavy car like mine it does pretty good cruzing at 100 +. I like the sound of the diesel engine and the price for a gal of diesel up here is less than $1 now so that too pleases me. The only other thing I can think of is the lifespan of these engines. all the diesels I have serviced have a ton of miles and you see few major problems compared to a gas engine with the same milage. ya ought to go test drive a newer diesel Benz and you will see what I'm talking about!

I would say most people who own diesel Benzes like the fuel economy, longevity, safety and, on older units, the low price of admission. Admittedly, all but the newest models are pretty slow when compared to their gas counterparts. I mean, my Civic, which is not a fast car by anyone's standards, will leave my 300D for dead.

Despite being sort of underpowered, I really like the 300D. It's a practical alternative to the sea of sameness you see overflowing the highway. Plus, I kind of dig the kinship I share with every semi-tractor. If my Benz weren't so clean, I'd be great to drive year-round, day in and day out (it only sees summertime duty).

Would I love to have a gas Benz? Sure, but in addition to the diesel I have now, not in place of it.

I see beauty in both compression ignition and spark ignition.

Sincerely,

Aaron, lover of internal combustion.

Benz_man600,

There was something wrong with your father's diesel. Perhaps it had some bad injectors. W126s aren't really that slow and keep up with reasonable traffic. Of course it won't beat Mustangs and Camaros, and if you try and floor it, you'll get smoke black. Other than that, the W126's exhaust is clean. Modern diesels have clean exhaust under normal driving.

The greatness of the W126 lays in its size. What you have a good size car that can haul people around comfortably. The trunk is nice and large. The body is well built and strong. The styling is classic.

For do-it-yourselfers, the engine is simple: it runs without computers or much emission controls to mess around with. Also the rear-wheel drive gives the do-it-yourselfer lots of access to the engine.

Combine the engine with the body and you'll have a good car with plenty of room and descent mpg.

I must admit that not everyone should be driving a diesel. First of all, you have to understand the technology behind the engine to appreciate it. You'll understand why diesels act the way they do. Secondly, you have to adjust your driving style to maximize the power from the engine.

The next time you drive the road, observe some 300SDs. The 300SD does make noise at idle, but it was normal diesel noise. Watch it take off. If the guy doesn't floor it, you wouldn't know it was diesel. You wouldn't even notice it was slow.

One issue most gas engined car drivers miss when they first drive a diesel is that the engine responds very differently than a gas engine. Once you get used to being a bit more liberal with the loud pedal (or put your Wellie in it as the Brits say) they really aren't that bad. I think too many gassers have tried a diesel once or twice and then written them off. Too bad.

I'm into diesels because of a couple factors. First, there are a lot of good MB's to be had for less than $5K; most of these are diesels. Second, I tend to push the limits of most cars at one time or another; having only 123 hp tends to keep me out of trouble with the law. Also, I definitely get better fuel economy than a premium guzzling model of similar vintage. I get 20 mpg in town, and easily 25 mpg on the highway, and I have a lead foot. I used to get 17 mpg in a 4 cyl Volvo, and 20 mpg in town in a 69 hp Nissan Sentra, and once got 12 mpg in my ex-gf's Datsun 510. So for me to get in the low 20's makes me very happy. I never got much over 16 mpg in any of my gas MB's.

No!

Diesels are horrible cars. Under no circumstances should you buy one! Do not bid on them on EBay. Stay away!

Danger!
Smoke!
Noise!

The State of California has determined that diesel cars will steal your soul away and sell it to the devil for all eternity.

Please do not drive the prices up!

No!

You don't want one!

:)

Ken300D

There you go Ken :) I think we need to do everything we can to keep the demand down.

Being a mechanical engineer and "grooving out" on anything and everything mechanical I love the whole concept of the diesel. In my commute in the 300D on 55 mph or less, two lane blacktop, with two traffic lights, I sometimes just like to watch the tach. No hi revs, nothing that really puts a strain on that engine which in my mind = long, dependable life. I don't even have an operating radio in the car because I like to listen to that soulful sound of the 5 cyl turbo. I believe I have diesel running through my veins.

Is 380,000 miles out of the same engine compelling to you?

Have a great day,

My father had a diesel Mercedes when I was in college that had a lot of problems (he kept having to replace the fuel injectors) and he eventually got rid of it. I don't believe it was well maintained before he got it.

In spite of that, when offered my father-in-law's 1982 300SD with about 160,000 miles on it for $2,000 a couple of years ago, I bought it. The appeal to me was that the car was clearly solid, had a reputation for lasting forever, and got good mileage. I had to drop about $1K into repairs right off the bat (brakes, tie rod, monovalve, and other stuff) before I started learning to work on it myself.

I love the car and my son now wants me to hand it down to him when he gets his license. I do believe the drivetrain will last nearly forever. My main frustration is that many of the other items have needed repair/replacement. And the climate control is driving me crazy. But, I can maintain it myself, and am constantly learning more about what needs to be done so I can continue to do so. This board has been invaluable in allowing me to keep it going. If I had to do have the shop do the work, I'm afraid I'd have to go to something newer.

Plus, even a 20 year old MB gets admiring looks from folks...

In some strange way, I think part of the allure is the challenge to carry speed through terrain & traffic; since Diesel's (CDIs notwithstanding) arte so slow it's tough to get back up to speed!

But seriously, they are dependable, sturdily built, long-lived and economical ( I see 32-38 MPG consistently). I run a fuel additive, so there's no smoke and very little clatter, and only when cold. Passengers never know they're in an oil-burner:)

Long live diesels
 

My 26 year old '76 300D is my daily driver while the 90 Jaguar mostly stays in the garage (at home in the garage---not the shop garage). My 1970 220D with over 720,000 miles (and still running) is taking a rest in the back yard. No ignition system to fuss with. No carburetors to fuss with. Dependability and longevity is unmatched in a gasoline vehicle. As for "get up and go" the 18 wheeler will beat me on a drag but once I am rolling I can keep up with any of them---but who needs 60 mph in 7 seconds? In normal traffic I keep up with the rest of them and not infrequently I am just sitting there waiting for the driver in his super-whatsit to wake up when the light changes. So much for my two cents worth.

720,000 miles?? Original engine??