lately I've been wanting to pick up a 2nd car.. my choice may shock you..

[KEVIN88GT]

I live in NYC and the thought of paying another 200 bucks a month for insurance (plus cost of car be it straight cash/lease/finance) on a 2nd car is STAGGERING..

so I'm thinking..

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...ksid=p3907.m32
or
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Merce...mZ170245077674

something like this in GREAT shape can be had for about 7-8k. Do a veggie conversion and the car will pay for itself in 3 years. While offering great utility as a family 4 door sedan while looking HOT (IMHO).

Wife and parents think I've lost my mind.. but you know what... I love these old Diesel MBs and they are rock solid cars that have been known to hit 1 million miles...

am I crazy?

[idyll]

Would you do the veggie conversion yourself or get someone else to do it?

[KEVIN88GT]

Someone else.. a good kit from greasecar is 2300 installed.

Or I can get a car with one... like this one here.. I'd LOVE to have a wagon with 3rd row seats... this one already running on WVO

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Merce...mZ170246445223

[simp0man]

Shocking if you were attempting to get a pinto. That still holds some class.

[BayAreaE92]

I think it's pretty raw!

Diesel is in right now! I was just reading bout the 335d test drive in LA. Definitely a consideration for a future ride!

Anywayz good luck with the greaser Benz! Should be awesome

[KEVIN88GT]

lol wife wont let me get one..... saving for that little thing called "OUR FIRST HOME"... I can dream cant I?

[BayAreaE92]

Originally Posted by KEVIN88GT

lol wife wont let me get one..... saving for that little thing called "OUR FIRST HOME"... I can dream cant I?

Hahaha Well...We all have our dreams, but first things first right. You'll get a hold of one eventually. Good luck with the future home!

[cbad335]

Originally Posted by KEVIN88GT

lol wife wont let me get one..... saving for that little thing called "OUR FIRST HOME"... I can dream cant I?

Happy wife, happy life.

[yashBMW]

Dude honestly both the cars suck
Go by a used and old bmw m3 or a used E90/E92 3 series
But please DO NOT BUY THAT MERC!!!!!

[JamieA]

A Merc (esp an old floaty barge one) is about as opposite as you can go to your BMW

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by KEVIN88GT

something like this in GREAT shape can be had for about 7-8k. Do a veggie conversion and the car will pay for itself in 3 years. While offering great utility as a family 4 door sedan while looking HOT (IMHO).

Wife and parents think I've lost my mind.. but you know what... I love these old Diesel MBs and they are rock solid cars that have been known to hit 1 million miles...

am I crazy?

No matter how tough the car, time catches up to all machines. Personally, I find that the costs of keeping and older car on the road adds a substantial amount to the up front purchase cost.

Personally, if cost is an issue you should consider a car that has good fuel economy from the fundamentals: small displacement low power engine and light weight.

The Honda Fit comes to mind as an excellent example of a small car that is economical and somewhat sporty.

[Tallest]

id go for the 82 benz, your first choice. That shiet is bullet proof, looks funky, comfortable and will be easy to fix.. they still run in Africa so you will have a toyota land cruiser reliability 4dr sedan.

Look for one in black, and feel like a little dictator from banana republic every time you go to your grocery store to buy... bananas.

the 124 body hearse isn't really doing it for me - it needs to be a sedan. Than it's purrfect. (but do replace those fugly us spec headlights!)


PS. Only drawback to having this kind of family car - they are very unsafe by modern standards. I saw a modern S class pile head on into 124 just like that. The S class looks quite ok, the 124 was about 1/3 of its original size. both guys passed away, the 124 driver from accident, the S class because he wasn't buckled up. had he been, he would be fine most likely.

[kwakr738]

Originally Posted by Nick Nazareno

No matter how tough the car, time catches up to all machines. Personally, I find that the costs of keeping and older car on the road adds a substantial amount to the up front purchase cost.

Personally, if cost is an issue you should consider a car that has good fuel economy from the fundamentals: small displacement low power engine and light weight.

The Honda Fit comes to mind as an excellent example of a small car that is economical and somewhat sporty.

Definitely another option to consider.

[vase330]

Buy one of those do a veggie conversion and pay extra $$$ later for ruined engine seals. Don't you know it was never meant for that? I hear peopls throwing away good money on crazy shiet like those conversions then ruining their seals and having to spend more to fix that, and so where are the savings?

[John 070]

My neighbor has an old 300D and some sort of 25 y.o. S. don't think it's a 500 but a 380 SEL. I think he was the original owner. With the extreme cost of maintaining these vehicles, one really has to ask (RHETORICALLY) why they would choose something like that, over say a 6-10 y.o. Hyundai Accent or Elantra? I myself would love an 87 535is, but considering how much it costs to operate and maintain, it will never happen.

PS--the guy's assumptions on eBay are erroneous. I saw that the price of diesel has dropped to 4.79 gal--if cooking oil were sold for that price, there would be a free-for-all of people trying to get it. He states that the Costcos of the world sell cooking oil for about the same as diesel fuel. Then again, the seller's reserve was not met. I heard the same thing happened to a guy selling the Brooklyn Bridge.

[nicknaz]

How about a motorcycle?

You can pick up a mint Kawasaki EX500 for around $3k. It will get around 55mpg, is bulletproof reliable and easy to maintain, and will teach you a lot about riding (I still miss my old EX500!)

And you can find parking pretty much anywhere in NYC with a bike

[John 070]

Originally Posted by vase330

Buy one of those do a veggie conversion and pay extra $$$ later for ruined engine seals. Don't you know it was never meant for that? I hear peopls throwing away good money on crazy shiet like those conversions then ruining their seals and having to spend more to fix that, and so where are the savings?

I remember when I was a kid, there were times I would want something regardless of cost. My junior prom date is one example.

Anyway, even adults do things without really thinking them through (look at the former NYS Attorney General). That eBay seller claimed veggie oil at Costco costs "about" the same as diesel fuel does. How dumb would a person be if they accepted that statement?

[Majikthese42]

Originally Posted by KEVIN88GT

am I crazy?

I have a cousin, a USAF Col., (ret.) who is into the veggie diesel thing with a fleet of old VWs. I also have a friend who is into old Mercedes, including a 300TDT diesel and an SL.

My cousin is an engineer by training, and a lawyer by vocation and the friend is also an engineer, Ph.D. level. They do most of the work on their cars themselves.

They are both crazy. In both cases it would be much, much, much more fiscally prudent for them to work at their jobs, drive over to the MB dealer and buy new Mercedes for cash at the sticker price.

In both cases, it's either a hobby, or insanity.

[mbmbm&w]

Life is too short for regrets. If that's what you want, do it. If it doesn't work out, you can always find someone else with an equally crazy idea to sell it to. This is my other driver . . .



After many, many years of mooning over Ramblers, regretting lost opportunities, and saying "No, that would be crazy.", I'm now an extremely happy camper.

[clark192]

wow, that 82 300D brings back memories. I can tell you my dad had one for 5 years. we sold it in 97, bought in 92. it was 15 years old and ran like a charm. nothing was wrong with that car. distinctive sound, i remeber i could hear him pulling up to school to pick me up before i even saw the car!

we had the turbo desiel tho, dont know if that is the same as the 300D. only bad part was finding gas stations in town that had desiel, most were out on the highway, some 10-15 min away. He sold it to buy the 1990 300D in 1997-98. both cars were like tanks, and we probably would still have the newer car 'cept my sister decided that she didnt like the roofline and flipped the car. Oh well...great cars man. either one you pick is a winner in my book. As long as they were maintained well, those mercs will keep on running.

[Mooreski]

Ahhhh, but the beauty of the veggie conversion is you don't buy it from Costco! You take the drums away from the restaurant down the street that would otherwise have to pay to get them taken away. Filter it, let it settle and boom, you've got diesel-ish!

One other consideration: Using veggie oil in your car is technically illegal since you're not paying gas tax on it. Probably won't get busted, but still something to consider for down the road.

[KEVIN88GT]

lol... in Brooklyn the cops wont even know what a veggie car is if I sat down and explained it to them... then they'd walk away thinking I'm out of my mind... I'd never get a ticket...