It's a fun thread to read. My two cents following the purchase of 16 MB Diesels since April of 2001 (including many road trips):

1. You bought it right. Don't fret about mileage, broken odometers, side stuff. A car this age is in better shape with more than 200k miles than less. They were meant to drive, not sit

2. Don't rebuild the car. Like Kerry said, don't mess with the filters if the car is running smooth. Top off the fluids and monitor their usage.

3. Have a good cell phone, have a list of people along the way. Period.

4. Have access to this forum via laptop and you'll get the calvary in case of a problem.

5. In our little club here, we've probably done 15 such trips with only one bad experience. I like your odds.

6. If you don't like the car, there are a ton in Florida. Snag another one.

7. The relational aspect of the trip is the big payoff anyway. Cars are just the frosting....and I like my frosting.

diesel don

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DAILY DRIVERS:
'84 300DT 298k (Aubrey's)
'99.5 Jetta TDI IV 251k (Julie's)
'97 Jetta TDI 127k (Amber's)
'97 Jetta TDI 186k (Matt's)
'96 Passat TDI 237k (Don's
'84 300D 211k Mint (Arne- Undergoing Greasecar Conversion)

SOLD:
'82 240D 229k (Matt's - Converted-300DT w/ 4 speed