I had a discussion with my mechanic today about how my car wasn't so hot in terms of fuel economy, and I asked him what he thought it should be getting when all systems are operating normally.

He took a long look at my car and said "about 15-20 miles per gallon." (albeit, mostly city driving.) It's a 1983 240D Automatic.

I'm pulling about 18 mpg on average, so if it really is in fact only 15-20, then I'm golden -- but everyone on here claims a lot higher MPG.

What's everyone getting? In what car? Am I crazy for expecting ~30, instead of <20?

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1983 Mercedes-Benz 240D
Automatic, A/C, Power Sunroof, Power Right Side Mirror
231K Miles FOR SALE MAKE OFFER

In China I have been getting 28 to mid 29's tank after tank after tank. Highway and city driving mixed.
My wagon only gets about 22mpg. Seems like the Squash gets about 24-25.

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Jimmy L.
'05 Acura TL 6MT
2001 ML430 My Spare

Gone:
'95 E300 188K "Batmobile" Texas Unfriendly Black
'85 300TD 235K "The Wagon" Texas Friendly White
'80 240D 154K "China" Scar engine installed
'81 300TD 240K "Smash"
'80 240D 230K "The Squash"
'81 240D 293K"Scar" Rear ended harder than Elton John

I get 22 city, best highway was 28, average 25 overall.

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1982 240D Auto, 155,000 miles

I'm running 195's so my Odo may be off a bit ...

Best - 30.5 MPG
Worst - 25 MPG
Last - 28 MPG

All mixed, generally I drive gently, occasionally as wild as my 2.4L 616 will let me!

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My 240D routinely gets 31 ~ 33 mpg.

My 300D Turbo gets 22 ~ 23 mpg.

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Palangi

2004 C240 Wagon 203.261 Baby Benz
2008 ML320 CDI Highway Cruiser
2006 Toyota Prius, Saving the Planet @ 48 mpg
2000 F-150, Destroying the Planet @ 20 mpg



TRUMP .......... WHITEHOUSE
HILLARY .........JAILHOUSE
BERNIE .......... NUTHOUSE
0BAMA .......... OUTHOUSE

Last I checked, I seemed to be getting just under 20 mpg, but the engine seems to be letting me know that it's not happy overall, so... Probably not a good comparison!

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-Josh
Testing the cheap Mercedes axiom, one bolt at a time...

Average 25 or so
Low 22.5
High 27.5


My normal commute is about 80% Highway at 70-75mph.

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Mike
1983 Mercedes-Benz 300SD 270K
1960 Ford F250 62K
1990 Mazda Miata 156k

The thing is Bob, it's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care.

Ditto for me over approx 25k miles

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'83 300D Turrrbo 295K miles

24-25 town, 26-27 hwy. '82 240D.
Low as 21 mtn passes w/heavy crosswinds.
High as 30-31 on low speed backroads all day.

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'82 240D 160k auto
'93 Dodge Cummins 48k

Now that she's totally up to spec (all new filters, adjustments, etc.), I'm expecting a little bit of an improvement but in the 13,000 miles I've owned her:

My lowest has been about 23 combined. My highest was 28 combined.

I have a 110 mile (total) commute each day, and I cruise at about 70. I usually get about 25 MPG combined, every time. I don't have a light foot either. I think with 55-60 MPH cruising on the freeway and easy, easy starts, a consistent 27 would be possible.

I don't think anything over 30 would EVER be possible, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. If I got anything in the really low 20s, I would start to worry.

25 MPG combined, no matter how I drive it, on a car that will go to the ends of the earth and will start (knock on wood) every time and run forever? Sign me up.

Oh, and it's a 1981 300D non-turbo with 214,000 miles. I love it.

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2003 Volkswagen Jetta Wolfsburg Edition, "Tiffany," - Black/Black Cloth - 75K miles, Jetta #6; my faithful, turbocharged, BBS-adorned sled

SOLD 3/08 1981 Mercedes Benz 300D, "Elise" - Astral Silver/Black M.B. Tex - 217K miles - I miss her everyday; the best-built car I've owned

hey_allen and jkoebel you both should be getting more than 20mpg, assuming you aren't driving your cars like racecars. Most healthy 240D's should get between the mid 20's to the low 30's. I get between 22 and 27 in my wagon. You guys should make sure your brakes and e-brakes aren't dragging, make sure you air filter is clean and nothing is obstructing the air intake, and make sure the tires are inflated properly. Maybe a valve adjustment. Your odometer could also be sticking.

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I just plugged a major vacuum leak that was making my engine rev higher before shifting (although, now it does 1-2 at about 10 mph, 2-3 at 20, 3-4 at 35) and I figure that'll improve my economy a bit.

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1983 Mercedes-Benz 240D
Automatic, A/C, Power Sunroof, Power Right Side Mirror
231K Miles FOR SALE MAKE OFFER

The lowest I could ever get was 20 mpg, no matter how hard I drive. And thats with a 300D Turbo.

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1985 CA 300D Turbo , 213K mi

My 82 240d with 475k gets 28-32 every time. But I am running 185/70s on it so its a little slow most likely 26-30.

For 3 years and 30,000 miles, I have kept track of every ounce of fuel in my two w123 300TDs (85 US and 84 euro).

They have averaged 22.21 and 22.88 mpg, respectively.

Seasonally, they average 23-24 in the summer and 21-22 in the winter.

Best single tank milage was 27.79 in one, 26.13 in the other (all highway).

Worst single tank milage was 19.09 and 19.81 mpg.

Original EPA ratings for the 85 were 22 city - 25 hwy.

Much of my driving is done with a kayak on the roof, mostly short trips.