I'm thinking of buying my first MB. I like the 300cd so far, and I'm wondering if anyone has comments about this car's fantastic reputation, and also I'm wondering about pro/con of diesel vs. turbo diesel for this model. Thanks in advance

Mileage

My TD gets about 21-24 mpg on the highway and right about the same for city driving in Minneapolis.

People do exaggerate, lol, I have never heard an honest report of more than 24 mpg on a Turbo Diesel.

I have heard 40mpg reports on regular diesels, but I dunno what is the truth.

Power/Safety

No comparison at all, the turbo kicks butt compared to the regular engine.

This is also a safety factor, imo, for example when you are merging onto the highway it is safer to get up to that speed in a hurry. Changing lanes, etc.. depending on where you live, you may or may not relate to my safety observation.

Longevity

Take a look at Rivermaster's TD with 460K.

Bottom line = I would go with the turbo. The CD is a beauty. I am not sure if all years of the CD have the heavy chrome around the windows; that is a really nice look.

The turbo is more efficient, and you would like the extra power. The 300CD is a 123 chassis benz, which I had the 4-door version of and can testify to its wonderful safety. 28 might be the best mpg you can hope for from the 123 chassis.

Just a point of nomenclature: though I know willy was just abbreviating TD for "turbo diesel", the TD is a diesel wagon.

So the turbo sounds great. Any advice on finding one? They seem a bit scarce, but I'm sure there around somewhere. I'm in New York, so any where within about 500 miles would be worth looking into. Again, thanks in advance.

The CD is relatively scarce to start with. I believe that from '82-'85 they were all turbos, prior to that turbo was an option.