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

Mon Sep 5 17:49:18 EDT 2005

KBB values are worthless for older cars. NADA is closer, but sometimes
they overshoot a little bit.
Richard

________________________________

From: mbcoupes-bounces at mbcoupes.com
[mailto:mbcoupes-bounces at mbcoupes.com] On Behalf Of RICHARD JAFFE
Sent: Monday, September 05, 2005 5:18 PM
To: figstir at yahoo.com; Mercedes Coupes Mailing Lists
Subject: Re: [W126 Coupe] OFF TOPIC - 126 CHASSIS DIESELS 300SD VS 350SD

Hi guys,

I went over to my friendly local MBZ dealer to see what he had on the
used lot in diesel. Lots of late model S, M and C class, but no diesel.
So I wandered into the new car showroom to look around, and lo and
behold, MB now sells an E class 320 TDI (2005 and 2006 MY) common rail
direct injection  diesel. 201 HP with 369 lb-ft of torque coming on at
1800 rpm. 0-60 in 6.6 sec! 27 mpg city 37 mpg hwy. The literature say
the car can cruise up to 780 miles on a single tank. Bad news is MSRP
between $52 and $55K. If this thing were $10K cheaper I'd seriously
consider it.

Asking prices for very good condition 126, 123 and 124 chassis diesels
have gone up quite a bit recently - between $5K and $8k. The $2K - $4K
cars are pretty beat up and worn out. I looked at a really nice clean 83
300SD w/174K miles -  everything works, great paint and interior, clean
carfax. Seller wants $7,250.00!! Jeez. I figured this car would be worth
$5K max, using KBB valuation data as a guide.

Rich Jaffe

	----- Original Message -----

	From: a figment of the imagination

	Sent: Monday, September 05, 2005 11:26 AM

	To: Mercedes Coupes Mailing Lists

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

	Hi!

	My only comments regarding diesels follow.  First, I
	think diesels are great engines (especially
	Mercedes-Benz) and, if tuned right, can accelerate and
	out-run some gas engines.  I say this because a friend
	of mine tunes Mercedes-Benz diesel engines and owns a
	300 CD.  His car was so fast that it out-accelerated
	my 380 SEC and probably could keep up with my G35
	(ouch).   Watching his car take off made me feel flat,
	but, hey, I am glad that he helped turn me onto diesel
	engines.

	Second, diesels have great fuel economy, especially
	within city traffic, where they can run at higher
	gears and burn up 50% less fuel than a gas engine.  

	Third, they can propel you at higher torques and allow
	you to "pull" heavier loads, better than regular gas
	engines. Indeed, they provide grossly equivalent power
	at the same or lower rpms as a gas engine would.  For
	instance, quoting from Robert Bentley's Rabbit diesel
	manual, "the 1981 diesel is rated at 40 kWatts (52
	horsepower SAE Net) at 4800 rpm, compared to 57 kWatts
	(74 horsepower at 5000 rpm) for the 1981
	spark-ignition engine.  This enables the diesel to
	propel the lightweight Rabbit to a top speed well
	above the legal limit, with acceleration akin to that
	of a spark-ignition engine."   [While I don't fully
	understand this logic, I think the author means that
	diesel engines give you a 'good' amount of power at
	lower rpms than a gas engine would....but someone else
	can help explain this.] 

	Fourth, most people are ignorant (including myself)
	about the diesel engines and as result, shy away from
	them, especially when it comes to repair.  The truth
	is that they are actually *EASIER* work on and are
	*SIMPLER* than most gasoline engines.  Diesel engines
	don't have the complication of spark ignition, spark
	plugs, breaker points, condenser, ignition cables,
	distributor rotor, and other components that have to
	replaced over the lifetime of the vehicle.  Each of
	these components magnifies the number of potential
	problems that a gasoline engine can have and that can
	go wrong and be a nightmare (as it was for me with my
	SEC on Friday the 13th, during the heavy downpour].  

	Fifth, diesel engines are more economical to own and
	maintain because of not only the fuel economy but also
	by the fact they don't have a carburetor (older cars)
	or emission controls to service periodically to meet
	inspection requirements.  At $2.97 per gallon of gas,
	you can get 2-3 times the distance. That's simple
	math.  (It is too bad that it's actually cheaper to
	refine diesel and that they charge more for diesel to
	the point it is equivalent with lighter, more refined
	gasoline than is reasonably justified.]

	It is a myth that diesels are intolerably slow
	automobiles; those cars are actually not tuned right! 
	MBZ diesels are as amazing as VW diesels, when they
	have been serviced correctly.

	I hope this helps.  

	Cheers.

	-figmented on diesel power

	I just purchased and had delivered (thankfully) the
	first 2006 VW Beetle TDI (Turbo Diesel Injection) in
	my state.  Woo hoo.  (These guys don't even make it to
	the lot before they are sold out).  I also just got
	done fixing up our 1981 Rabbit diesel and sold it for
	4 times its previous worth.  Both cars get 45/55
	(city/highway) mpg, easy.  Trust me, diesel engines
	are a lot simpler to work on than regular gas engines;
	it is a tragedy that most mechanics do not know this
	fact, but use an incorrect (ignorant) cliche that they
	are actually more complicated to work on. 

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