I acquired my 1978 Mercedes-Benz 300D about four years ago. At the time it had (actual from maintenance records) about 150k miles on it and was in excellent shape. I learned quickly why Mercedes-Benz has such a high customer satisfaction rating.

Most complaints about diesel engines are that they are cold-natured, noisy, smell bad and have no acceleration. More or less, these are all true. On the flip side, however, I do not have to worry about the exhaust rusting out, periodic tuneups, minor dings in the doors and high insurance rates. Who would want to steal a 22-year-old car and a diesel at that? If I had an accident with a new, mostly-plastic car, I would probably walk away. I can't guarantee whether the other driver would.

What I really like about this automobile is that I can maintain it myself. I have always done my own minor repairs and maintenance and resent the fact that I cannot work on the newer vehicles because I do not have access to $100K worth of specialized diagnostic equipment. Everything on this vehicle is designed to be maintained easily.

Let me give a specific example: Last time you had to change a fan belt, (those of you who tinker under the hood) - how did you get the belt tensioned properly? If it was an American car, you probably had a friend with a large wrench or the tire tool keep the pulley tight while you tightened the bolts. Right? On this set of belts, everything has an adjustment bolt or cam bolt so you can both tension and tighten by yourself.

In addition, there are very few things on the auto that require a mechanic's shop, mostly ball joints and air conditioning, which most of us home mechanics would take to a shop anyway. How many American cars even provide you tools beyond a jack and tire tool? Mercedes-Benz still does. If you want a vehicle that allows you the pleasure of driving and the capability to decide whether you want to maintain it, this is the way to go.

This is a fairly heavy sedan designed for extended driving in relative comfort. The minor annoyances of slow acceleration and such pale by comparison. It's a keeper.