|
Great blog from a well-to-do couple of newly weds. I have also lived in foreign countries with the same experiences with the locals. Unfortunately, we were on the low end of the income stream. No Mercedes Sprinter for us.
Now that I am older, but not wiser, and retired, I don't wish to live out of a sprinter or any other RV and enjoy the nomadic life. Hotels with real beds and hot showers, thank you!
As far as owning a Mercedes diesel, I have one - GL320. The ride and handling is sports car like, not bad for a 6000lb box. The seats are not as comfortable as a Volvo. The maintenance is really expensive, ie. 9 quarts of Mobile 1 which is only sold at a Mercedes dealership! Tires that cost $1200 for 4. Taxes...
The 2009 plus MB diesel require a separate tank for the AdBlue junk at over $10/gallon - good for 10K miles. The EGR causes carbon buildup requiring head removal close to $2000 at the dealer, remember it is a V6 and removal gets quite complicated. The battery(s) is under the front passenger seat, you need to cut the carpet to wrestle it out of the car - doing this when it is 20F hurts!
Finding diesel on the road is not easy. The fuel opening is too small to use truck stop filling stations and not always available at regular gas stations. The cost of diesel fuel is equal to premium gasoline but the average mpg is 22-25 on the highway (sprinters are less because of weight and size).
Give me a comfortable V70 with just as much room behind the rear seats as an SUV.
--
My back feels better when I sit in a Volvo seat
|
