350sd mpg

[brick8]

I am thinking of taking the plunge and buying a 1991 350sd that is for sale locally with about 175,000 miles on it. I have had several 123s and know that if I bring another one home I will have to take up residence in the shed.

I was curious to know what kind of mpg these cars get. The EPA website says that is 24mpg on average, but I am interested in a "real world" figure.

Also, are parts a lot more expensive than for the 123 chassis 300d?

[t walgamuth]

on my 350, i just looked at my log this morning. best mileage on a trip was about 24. i usually run 75. on a very long trip like to florida i would expect to do a little better. around town it is more like 17. some parts are about the same some are more expensive. it is a more complex car so more maintenance in general. but oh wow, when it is running it is sweet. it has a lot more torque than the 617 and many passing moves can be made by just squeezing the throttle wo a downshift.

definately not the bulletproof motor the 617 is, though.

tom w

[Brian Carlton]

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

on my 350, i just looked at my log this morning. best mileage on a trip was about 24.

That's a stunning difference from the 3.0 engine, Tom. Many of us can get over 30 mpg on a trip with the 603.961 engine. It will typically drop below 30 at speeds above 70 mph, however. But, it will never go below 27.5, unless running on the winter fuel.

I'd have a heart attack if I only got 24 mpg on the highway. Why not own the 300 SEL, for $3K less money?? It gets about 21 mpg on the highway, and could probably be improved with a taller diff.

Do other 3.5L owners get as low as 24?

[sixto]

Tom, how do you manage only 17 mpg in town? I wonder how big of a brick Brian has under the pedal of his SDL to get 30 mpg. I haven't seen better than 25 driving like a narcoleptic, but 19 is as bad as I've seen with the kickdown switch in full lock.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

[Brian Carlton]

Originally Posted by sixto

Tom, how do you manage only 17 mpg in town? I wonder how big of a brick Brian has under the pedal of his SDL to get 30 mpg. I haven't seen better than 25 driving like a narcoleptic, but 19 is as bad as I've seen with the kickdown switch in full lock.

........LOL.

Well, I can't get 30 if I drive at 70 or above and I can't get 30 if the a/c is on, and I can't get 30 unless I drive it without shutting it off, but, normally, I can stay above 27 even with a bit of all of these negative factors.

Only about 5% of all of it's miles are "city" miles.

I have never seen less than 24.5 mpg, even with winter fuel.

But, please realize that this engine has about 130K on the clock. I'll bet that compression makes a difference.

[sixto]

Tangent time - I suspect my ALDA doesn't retract fully with no boost, doesn't extend fully under boost and is generally sticking. Is it possible to test the ALDA actuator extension profile? Are there specs?

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL