1995 Civic or 1984 Mercedes 190 Diesel ??

[Hip001]

What video is that?
I do not see a link on the screen here on the work computer.

[skyl4rk]

I think the choice between a Civic and Daimler is more about how you want to drive. The Civic will be nimbler, lighter and more responsive. It would probably respond better to mods because it is lightweight.

The Mercedes is a tank but a smooth cruising machine.

What do you want to drive? Which car fits best your driving conditions?

I would take the Civic just for fun but I would love a diesel Mercedes too.

[some_other_dave]

I'm partial to smaller, lightweight cars. Also to Hondas. I would go with the Civic.

Too bad it's not a 96; the SG II would be an absolute no-brainer for it if it were OBD-2 capable. Maybe look a little longer for a 96+ one? Driving style gets you the biggest MPG gains, and the SG II helps you work on that.

A buddy of mine had a 240D which cracked a cylinder after about 6 months. (Not sure how many miles he had on it when he bought it.) Evidently those motors are throw-aways once that happens. He couldn't/wouldn't drive slower than the ~75-80 MPH "typical speed" on Highway 280, so his Benz only got in the low-20s MPG, instead of the 30+ it was capable of at more sane speeds.

(Oh, and he loves the Beetle TDI that he got to replace the Benz. But it was a lot more money.)

More food for thought.

-soD

[MetroMPG]

soD, you raise a good point: instrumentation is key. While the Honda is too old for a ScanGauge, it can be fitted with an MPGuino.

Doing the same on a diesel is more complicated - I'm not sure it's quite as plug-n-play as a fuel injected gasoline car.

[some_other_dave]

For an older diesel, it definitely isn't easy! The mechanical fuel injection they use does not lend itself well to being monitored with cheap and easy electronics.

I'm looking forward to installing my MPGuino Real Soon Now...

-soD

[Devon_Heron]

I know this is an old thread, but thought I'd comment. I used to drive an 1987 CRX si, and I now drive a 1984 Mercedes 190D. Though not as light as the CRX, the 190's are pretty light weight. And the ride with worn-out struts/shocks on the 190D is definitely much softer. I drive too fast and with the CRX (260K miles) I was getting 35mpg, very peppy and a blast to drive. With the 190D, acceleration is dismal, but same speeds MPG is 35-39. I plan on new struts/shocks to improve handling, and I'm now running bio-diesel and will replace the oil with thinner/better synthetic any day now. I am amazed by the handling of the Mercedes on twisty roads even with dead struts/shocks.

[tjts1]

A gasoline benz with EFI is a better option IMHO. I looked at the diesels and I coudn't commit myself to driving something that sounds like a tractor and isn't much faster. 60 something HP? Please. 190e + Megasquirt is where its at.
www.MSruns.com • View topic - 93 190e 2.3 with MS1 V2.2 and MSextraHR code

[Hip001]

Originally Posted by Drive Stick

thos mecedes diesels are known to run half a million miles. I almost bought one with 360,000 miles it started, and ran like it was brand new.

Some a hole tried to steal my car while I was looking at it, so naturally I handled business and had to leave town before I got to pay the guy.

you can run them on SVO with very little work, saving you from burning gasoline at all. (straight vegetable oil.)


just something to think about

I almost forgot about this topic.
I did not buy the 190d. I did buy a 93 civic for the GF. I bought a 01 Jetta 1.8 turbo and sold it. I bought a 2000 VW TDI Beetle 5spd as a play car and maybe for my daughters 1st car. It consistantly is getting 42mpg bone stock. But I purchased a 1984 Mercedes 300D, 306k miles, which i'm running SVO in at 10 gal SVO/5 gal diesel I'm getting getting about 60mpg on paid for fuel. I get the SVO free from a local restaurant. Yes there is some processing labor time but at a 75-90% fuel cost savings it seems well worth it!! I've got almost 10,000 miles on SVO in this car with no problems to date.
note: i had multi fuel filter clogging issues on my other mercedes after running Bio-Diesel. I have NOT run any bio in this car and there has been ZERO filter issues!