What Parsifal would have liked to find.

I like cooking in cast-iron. There is something about a skillet that weighs ten pounds that gives me confidence. You might not see the logic in that, but most of my cookware belonged to my late Grandmother and has been in constant service for close to fifty years. The few pieces I have bought (mostly All-Clad) seem to have the same potential, but only time will tell.

That type of dependability is a tall order for most things and would seem an impossible standard for an automobile. Unless that automobile is the Mercedes Benz 300 SD. I have been driving the same 1986 300 SD for fourteen years and 265,000 miles now. She is a magnificent land yacht with every appointment and option available. More importantly (with the single exception of 3 days in 1998 when she went down with a clogged filter due to contaminated fuel bought in desperation from a country store in the middle of no where), she has been ready, willing and able to work every day.

My mechanic has been working on Mercedes for over forty years, starting as a teenager in Germany. In his care are three mid-70s 300 Ds with over ONE MILLION MILES each. According to an article hanging in his lobby, Volvo is the longest lived Make of car, but the 300 SD is the longest lived Model. (Did I mention that I bought a beat up old Volvo 240 GL for a couple of thousand to use as a hauling and grubbing car. I intend to write another epinion on that little jewel and recommend it to anyone who wants to buy a car for his or her teen. Comfortable, reliable, fairly luxurious and safe as being locked in Fort Knox.) Proper care, buying high quality diesel and safe driving will afford this kind of life to every 300 SD that rolled off the line.

Now this is no sports car. I have had her up to 130 MPH on more than one occasion and know she will cruise there all day if you want her to. It takes a while to get there, though. She does 0-60 in less than 1 (hour that is). All Mercedes S Class cars drive with the same road conscious feel, and people who like to drive seem to like to drive the S Class.

For most people who can buy a new car a used MB Diesel is not out of reach. In fact, most pre-1990 models can be had in the $8,500.00-$12,000.00 range. You're going to pay more than that for a stripped down anything else. Take care with the maintenance records and don't be afraid of the high miles. This is luxury for most everyone.