All these guys pretty much hit the nail on the head here. Just keep up the maintenance and keep the body clean and free of salt, etc...

Use good oil and don't skimp on using genuine OE parts. Overkill is the key with an older car, even a diesel. I see too many cars that people neglect because they think it's legendary reputation for reliability means no maintenance is needed.

We just took my '83 300SD on a trip to Disney World and back. Didn't skip a beat the entire way. Mileage is at 241,5XX and oil consumption is nil, just a pretty bad leak from the filter housing-to-block gasket, which I will rectify soon.

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Regards,
Aaron