i'm picking up my new to me 1983 240d with 62k on the clock, wanted to see where i stood.... whats everyone else got for low miles?

I think I'll wind mine back to 50K........then I can win........doesn't everybody wind them back??

Not the folks that collect the high mileage badges.

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1987 300TD 309, xxx 2.8.2014 10,000 mile OCI


Be careful of the toes you step on today, as they may be connected to the ass you have to kiss tomorrow. anonymous

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter won’t mind.” Dr. Seuss

nah, mine's broken a 229K. rather than fixing it and then taking it apart and winding it back, i just leave it broken.

although one day i may wind it forward to get my high mileage award. oh, wait, that's for 250K kilometers. which means i've got to apply for mine asap

I am looking at purchasing a 123 turbo diesel.I shows 130k on the odometer and the carfax records show it was last registered in 98 and the milage reflects last reported reading in 98.owner says it doesnt run.Should I try to start it?i have checked the oils and they are at proper levels.the car is in decent shape overall but is weed covered and spider web infested in some areas.what should i do before starting?hand crank to lube cylinders,put oil in combustion chambers?any advice is appreciated.

After owning a pair of tired, rusty 240Ds, I'm just happy to have finally found a nearly rust-free, solid example. Despite the 177K on the clock, the way my latest runs & drives, gives me some idea of how these cars were when new. It's also fairly quiet at highway speed, sounding similar to a high-revving four cylinder gasser, unlike my first automatic 240D, which can be nearly deafening above 65 mph. But definitely not low miles. At the time I got that first rusty 240D in 2006, there was one advertised locally, with 85K, in pristine rust-free condition, for $6500! At least I don't worry too much about taking mine on the road.

Happy Motoring, Mark

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DrDKW

I believe gerkebi holds that title. His 240D has about 4k original miles.

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Chad
2013 Jeep Unlimited Rubicon
OBK#44
"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work." - Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)

SOLD
1985 300TD - Red Dragon
1986 300SDL - Coda
1991 - 300TE
1995 - E320
1985 300CD - Gladys
2006 Nissan Pathfinder LE
1998 Acura 3.0 CL

85 SD 240k & stopped counting - gotta fix the odo (doesn't everyone?)

In addition to that yellow '81 with 4,000 miles, I've got a white '83 with 39,000 miles and a china blue '82 with 59,000. Yanch had his 22,000 mile '82 at the GTG as well.

He's also got an '83 with 375,000 miles he drives everyday.

All of your MBs are pristine. I want to find a 300SDL that's in similar condition to your SEL.

__________________
Chad
2013 Jeep Unlimited Rubicon
OBK#44
"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work." - Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)

SOLD
1985 300TD - Red Dragon
1986 300SDL - Coda
1991 - 300TE
1995 - E320
1985 300CD - Gladys
2006 Nissan Pathfinder LE
1998 Acura 3.0 CL

Where in the world did you find a 28 year old car with only 4000 miles on it?

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And I thought I was running with the low mileage crowd!!!,NOT

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1986 190D 5 cyl. 5 speed manual White (215K),
1983 300SD Silver blue (103K)

It's crazy...about two minutes after the son of a lovely older German couple north of Toronto listed 4 or 5 blurry shots of the thing, I got on the phone with them and ascertained that it was the real deal. I told them I'd be up with certified Canadian funds ASAP.

Turns out the older gentleman bought the thing back in '81, and soon after got a company car. He never really liked the 240D, so he parked it in his barn and basically forgot about it. His son never liked it either, and his grandson didn't want to drive it so they listed it. I bought it for $15,000 and, although a lot of money, never looked back.

I physically imported it back in '03 and waited until '06 to legally import it, because in Ohio there is much less paperwork for 25 year old cars. It was a snap to get an Ohio title.

The guys who have seen it will tell you it's downright spooky. The cosmoline is still in the engine bay on the body.

Truthfully, it's kind of dilemna. I'm scared to drive it, and it's the one car reknown for going hundreds of thousands of miles. I take it out once in a while for a car show (where it always wins a prize) or whatever just to keep all the systems working. It's kind of a legend in MBCA circles around here. I feel more like a custodian than an owner.

In old car circles this car is called a Survivor.

I was the chief judge at the 2008 Ford Galaxie Nationals last Fall in Branson, MO. One of the classes was the Survivor class. It would AMAZE you to see some of the cars that folks considered to be a Survivor.

The value of a Survivor to the restorers is beyond a dollar price. For those who are into restoring cars to their original glory the presence of a Survivor is invaluable. A Survivor is where you go to see how the factory did it. For the old American Muscle Cars that people put tens of thousands of dollars into trying to make them original again, they want to duplicate the chalk marks that an inspector might have put underneath a fender well or somewhere.

Although it seems ridiculous to think of anyone doing such a restoration to one of our beloved 123's, the day will come when people will do it. At that time, your 4 digit mileage car will be a goldmine for these people.

My judging experience was at the NATIONALS, where you would expect the finest of the finest. The cars entered in the survivor class ranged from a few cars with 50,000 miles on them to one that had over 100,000 miles, but was still stock.

In the restored class were some meticulously restored cars that had, as far as we knew, ALL the correct markings, hose clamps and down to so many details that it came down to the fact that one of the meticulously restored beauties had an incorrect air filter element which allowed the other one to win. These cars could not be absolutely correctly judged because there were no true survivor cars to go by.

There will be a day, when people will be emailing you or asking on this site for pictures of different areas of your car or what lettering is on the power steering cap.

As you say, you are not the owner, you are the custodian. Who knows, there might be a day when I will be asking you to put on your shoes and go out to check something for me.

We appreciate your custodianship.

these are diesels. I'm not impressed with the "low mile" ones out there. 90% fraudulent anyway. What I'd like to see people bragging about are the ultrahigh miles. Any 1/2 mill ones out there? Post them with pics.

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Mike Mass
Freehold, NJ

1999 E300 TD 178,000 miles
2007 E320 Bluetec - Sold

1998 E300 TD - R.I.P.