Can a 300,000 mile diesel be dependable? - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

oldsinner111 · #16 08-03-2009, 11:06 AM

I'd drive mine to Argentina and back,313900.New Chain,fresh injectors,oil changed every 3,000 miles.

Brian Carlton · #17 08-03-2009, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldsinner111

I'd drive mine to Argentina and back,313900.New Chain,fresh injectors,oil changed every 3,000 miles.

How's that tensioning rail..........oil pump chain........oil pump chain tensioner............???

kerry · #18 08-03-2009, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldsinner111

I'd drive mine to Argentina and back,313900.New Chain,fresh injectors,oil changed every 3,000 miles.

In the one instance of an SD attempting such a plan that is documented on the forum, it made it most of the way down but not back.

oldsinner111 · #19 08-03-2009, 01:22 PM

Motor is perfect.Trans and diff,have been replaced.My worry would be how to mount a 50 cal. machine gun to sunroof,to get thru rebel zones.

LUVMBDiesels · #20 08-03-2009, 01:48 PM

I do drive my '86 rain or shine 40 miles a day to and from the metro station, I then take him 300 miles one way from DC to home in NY every Friday and reverse the process every Sunday. Rudy gets his oil changed every 4500 miles with Mobil 1 5w40, and has all the other fluids changed every two years. As you can see form my sig. he has about 313k on him and runs like the expensive German car he is. I average 73mph on the highway and average 29mpg!
I had to put on new tires, new ball joints and control arms, new shocks and a new center bearing. All this plus his initial cost of $2300 have given me a reliable car for under $4000!

Can't beat that with a stick!

ah-kay · #21 08-03-2009, 02:35 PM

The most dependable car is no car. Walk from A to B. You run the risk of breaking down whether it is on old car with 300K or a new car with few miles. Not every broken down car you see on the freeway are old beat up clunkers, some are relatively new. Sometime it is the small thing that let you down, like a depleted battery, corroded terminal or flat tires.

I always carry my tool box and fuel filters on long trip and I can always limp home with some improvisations. If the engine or tranny broke then I am screwed just like everybody else.

A 300K car obviously run a much higher risk of some components failure as you cannot change out everything during preventive maintenance. It would be a lie not to worry about it when it is taken for a long trip, like 1000+ miles. But I would not hesitate to buy a 300K car as a run about in town or daily driver. I also upgraded my AAA with 100 miles towing just for peace of mind.

May be one can fly or rent a car for a very long trip. My 2cents.

DocSarvis · #22 08-03-2009, 02:36 PM

Great advice from all. IF and I say IF it had been your car and you knew its history you could make an educated decision yes or no based on it's history. The most reliable cars most of the time are those that are driven continuously. Those that sit for periods can be problematic. Without the history it's a total crap shoot. The odds of finding a 300,000 mile trouble free car our not that good and those that are trouble free aren't for sale for that reason. I say pass and find a lower mileage car. Thanks

vahe · #23 08-03-2009, 02:46 PM

Here is another way to look at the 300,000 mile usage.

I bought my 1977 240D some 26 years ago when it had 76,000 miles, starting about 120,000 I experienced constant problems, nothing major but things were constantly breaking, I kept fixing and diving the clunker, by the time it reached 320,000 I did a major overhaul and installed a new motor from the MB dealer.
Although mine is approaching 350K most critical parts have been replaced.

If that 300K MB is all original then you are in for a major surprise as you will be inheriting all the neglected preventive maintenance work.

No one in his right mind is going to sell you a well maintained MB for a song.

Vahe

777funk · #24 08-03-2009, 09:03 PM

I've had a few cars close to 300k or above.

They work fine. Watch for BLUE smoke in the exhaust. Also, listen if you know what these are supposed to sound like. Look for worn parts in the steering and suspension (those will eat up time and some money). Look at the flex discs (on the drive shaft) and look WELL. These crack as they get older and can cost you the drive shaft and or transmission if they give way ($200 for two replacement flex discs plus 2 hours or so of time).

Expect to change some things. Don't overdo it though. Remember it's an old car.

Drive it to it's death. Hopefully you're getting it for under $1000.

bbjornson · #25 08-05-2009, 01:29 PM

MY 1982 300d with 360k took me from North Carolina to Maine just fine. The only problem I had was running out of gas, but $200 later and a night spent sleeping in my car had me back on the road again. These cars seems to be money pits when they have lots of miles, but in my opinion you are simply going through the process of restoring a nicely engineered machine.

I just think that it is worth it to throw money at these kinds of cars. It would be a different story if it was mid 80's american muscle that simply have too many design flaws to be considered worthwhile.

JimFreeh · #26 08-05-2009, 02:04 PM

...it's a question of whether you would send your wife and kids out of town with it....

My wife drove her cherished 87 300TD from 1993 through 2006.

At that point, the car had accumulated a total of 260K miles, of which she had cranked on 150K of the total.

This car was garage kept, had all maintenance and repairs up to date, a "17" head, and numerous upgrades like CLK wheels, and Hella headlights. Car still had a very nice appearance and my wife was quite happy to keep driving it.

But, this was now a near 20 year old car, and had a quarter million miles on it. No matter how carefully I maintained this car, the odds increase at this age and mileage that SOMETHING will fail on the car. Is this a problem if I'm along on the trip? Absolutely not!

Did I want my wife and kids to get stranded 500 miles away from home?

No, I'm not willing to accept that risk.

End result was that the car was replaced with a 95 E320 wagon.

But, I still drive my 250K 83 300D on trips, and am comfortable doing so, but I wouldn't send my wife and family ALONE in it...

Here's an alternative thought:

But the car, keep it local, and if out of town trips are infrequent, just rent a car for those occasional times, and as a bonus it keeps the miles off your car.

Jim

oldsinner111 · #27 08-05-2009, 03:07 PM

Heck a 95 wagon is 14 years old,and more problems with electrical stuff.
My 617.951 I'd trust her,true major items are new.

NoCalMer · #28 08-05-2009, 03:36 PM

Yes, I keep my 300D maintained and would not hesitant to drive it across the country. It has not left me stranded. knock on wood.

I do all the maintenance on it so it is very cheap to operate. If you don't want to do a lot of work yourself you will better off with maybe a low mileage one but I think a newer Honda civic or the like could be better.

JimFreeh · #29 08-05-2009, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldsinner111

Heck a 95 wagon is 14 years old,and more problems with electrical stuff.
My 617.951 I'd trust her,true major items are new.

Granted, but the risk is much higher with the car under discussion.

And remember, it's not a question of whether YOU or I would drive it out of town, but whether you want to accept the risk of your WIFE and kids ALONE in the car, out of town, when (if) something happened?

I routinely drive very high mileage cars out of town. But I can recognize a problem early on, and am prepared to deal with the problem, having time, tools and talent.

Jim

oldsinner111 · #30 08-05-2009, 05:36 PM

Wife and teenage son's would be fine.