Been thinking about picking up another car soon and diesel seems like a good option. Trailblazers costing me a fortune in gas and i just had to buy 500 in parts for it so as far as im concerned it needs to remain parked for a while.. I sold off my 2 jeeps so I got cash burning a hole in my pocket and its been too strange only having a couple cars around.

 

Oh boy something I know a lot about!!!! Brand new or used???

 

Brand new right now options are somewhat limited.



My daily driver is a Mercedes 1984 300d turbo. I love the car I drive around in a big heavy beast in total comfort and get close to 30 mpg. It literally is the cheapest cost per mile car I have ever owned. We drive it everywhere, long trips etc. I have put almost 40,000 miles on it in 2.5 years it's never left me stranded.



Anyhow current options are Mercedes, Audi and Volkswagen if you are looking for a new car. The vw jetta being the cheapest the audi a5 the next up and the Mercedes e350 blutec the most expensive. Gas milage wise, once broken in the vw guys are getting over 50mpg on the jettas, if the rabbit is ever released it will get slightly more.



Older cars you have a few more options. Mercedes and vw have had a diesel in their line up every year for almost 40 years. The only one i can say to stay away from being the 86 to 95ish Mercedes e class (this was the diamler/chrysler years and there was some shotty changes to the car. The w123, which is what i have is considered to be the most reliable car in the world. Some of them turned over 1 million miles.





Amy had a couple of the 70's diesel rabbits and loved them, I always wanted one of the rabbit trucks lol

 

Also if you are interested in SUVs you have the mercedes and the jeep liberty and in the 80's isuzu made a trooper and pup in diesel, we had a little isuzu pup and the thing was awesome.

 

Def going used on this one, trying to buy another house right now too so this will be a cash deal. I was looking around for an old mercedes but **** if you can find one, guess no one wants to get rid of a good thing. And youre right on those E classes and theyre price reflects it. Maybe ill have better luck finding one of the VWs, will go perfect with the old beetle haha

 

You wanna know something funny, the guy who sold me mine was the second owner, he emailed me a year and half later and wanted to buy the car back!!!!



If you don't mind going somewhere to pick one up I can keep an eye out for you. I know a guy who has a 300CD (coupe version of mine) that he wants to sell, but he wants about twice what it's worth, ($12,000)I am trying to buy it for Amy. I keep a pretty good eye out for some old guy who can't drive any more and goes to sell his, they are usually low miles and well taken care of. I would look for a Turbo model which was 81 to 85. Parts are cheap and they ride like a dream. The seats are actually spring seats wrapped in horse hair, not foam like most cars, it's like sitting on a mattress.



The w123 mercedes (like mine) is considered to be the most reliable vehicle ever manufactured. Of the 2.7 million manufactured something like 80% of them are still on the road 30 years later.



They are fairly easy to work on, the vacuum system is a ******* mess, but I am pretty familiar with it so if you need help I can help you out. Prices are all over the place and anyone who advertises it as a 35 mpg car is a ******* liar so don't believe anything else they say. In good condition figure $5,000 to $8,000, if you just want cheap transportation look for something with an ok body and low miles, you can find them in the $3,500 to $5,000 range and you can find a fixer upper in the $1,500 to $3,500 range. On ebay they sell for retarded prices, so don't even bother. I've watched them go for $15,000 on ebay which is ******* ridiculous.



You'll also find a lot of people who have the a/c wear out, they take it to the shop and the shop quotes them $3,000 for a/c work. If you can scoop one like that it can be a real steal. You can replace the entire system, condenser, drier, compressor and lines for about $1,000 if you buy the expensive stuff, this may not be as common in your area, but down here the old people don't like not having a/c.

 

I wouldnt mind driving to pick one up. worst case i can fly back down to fl, id rather buy something down here without all the rust from the snow. Thnks for all the tips as always, if you do happen across a good deal let me know.

 

Diesel Liberty would be awesome. I rented a gas Liberty (they were out of mid-size cars), and immediately picked my son up from school and drove into the national forest (2 miles from my house) to see if I could put it to good use. It was awesome. I could imagine the torque of a diesel would be even better.



Styling, fit and finish left much to be desired, but a capable off-roader than can comfortably carry a family is great.

 

Toureg? How about a passenger sprinter?