[W126 Coupe] OFF TOPIC - 126 CHASSIS DIESELS 300SD VS 350SD

[Mister McGoo]

Rich;

Yes, the W123 is a good alternative.  I had a W123 300D Euro (non turbo) 
with 4 spd manual and I think that was the best M-B that I have ever had.  
Died of rust eventually.

The W123 was imported in 300D '77 - '80, 300D turbo '80 - '85, and the 240D 
'77 until ??.

The 240D is slow, particularly when teamed up with the automatic.  The 4 spd 
manual was offered too.  The plus is they are really economical and 
generally are in better condition because no kids afflicted with  
"Honda-envy" has ever owned one.  They have mostly been owned by old folks 
many of whom belong to that evangelic church that believes sticking to the 
left passing lane is God's Road to Salvation.

A nice W123 example of the 300TD or 300CD would be quite desireable.

If you are looking for economical transportation, you might look at a 190 
model (W201).  The 2.5 diesel was available in non turbo and turbo versions. 
  The 250 is the five cylinder version of the 300 6 cylinder diesel and is a 
very good engine.  The rest of the car has a few quality craftsman 
shortcomings.

There is also a 200D 4 cyl version in the W201 likely developed specificly 
for the same old folks but to the best of my knowledge,  it was never 
brought to N. America, mostly because Mercedes wanted to discourage that 
North American association with "slow".

Lastly, I would highly recommend a Smart Fortwo.  New?  Abt $15,000 US.  It 
gets up to 60 MPG (US) on diesel and goes "like shit out of a duck's ass".

(That was NOT exactly a word-for-word direct quote from Mercedes-Benz.)

-Bellamy


>From: "RICHARD JAFFE" <RSJAFFE at msn.com>
>Reply-To: Mercedes Coupes Mailing Lists <mbcoupes at mbcoupes.com>
>To: "Mercedes Coupes Mailing Lists" <mbcoupes at mbcoupes.com>
>Subject: Re: [W126 Coupe] OFF TOPIC - 126 CHASSIS DIESELS 300SD VS 350SD
>Date: Sat, 3 Sep 2005 08:56:21 -0400
>
>Bellamy,
>
>Thanks for the info. So maybe I should expand the envelope to include W 123 
>cars? Guess I need to drive examples of each and compare.
>
>Rich
>