Picture this scenario. 4 nights a week at around 2 AM, you have to drive 40 miles on very dark, deserted and remote stretches of road going through a lot of forested area (I'm talking rarely see another car and only a few houses way off the road). Throw into the mix spotty cell phone coverage at best, and lots of deer, elk, and other critters roaming the area along with a good probability of rain and wind most of the time.

The probable car for the trip would be the 300D (240K, well maintained, drives well, no issues at the moment)

Would you feel safe driving the Benz in this type of situation if it were you, or would you drive something else?

Reason I ask is that I might be faced with this very scenario in the near future

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2012 Mercedes ML350 Bluetec 91K (hers)
2005 Corvette 55K (fun car)
2002 VW Jetta TDI 231K (mine)
1998 Volvo S70 T5 Turbo 196K (kids)
1994 Ford F150 4WD 249K (firewood hauler)
1983 Mercedes 300D 376K (diesel commuter)

kidding right? after 30 years on the road every single one is different and no one here will be able to tell you through their crystal balls if that car is trust worthy or not. But they are known to be bullet proof and i would bet you could hit a deer and still limp it home.

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1996 s10 zr2 with a 6.5 turbo diesel
1996 c2500 suburban with a 6.5 turbo diesel
1981 300sd with a turbo 617
Monte carlo figure 8 car

pas de probleem!

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

Somebody stayed up too late watching "Deliverance" I imagine.

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1985 500SL Euro w/ AMG bits 130k
1984 300SD Turbodiesel 192k
1980 240D Stick China 188k
2001 CLK55 AMG 101k
2007 S600 Biturbo 149k Overheated Project, IT'S ALIVE!!!

Unless you are driving a Big Rig Truck hitting a Deer or Elk is going to be traumatic for what you are driving. The only thing you can do is drive slow or maybe add some more lights up front.

I do not know if they work but JC Whitney & Co. used to sell a little device that you put on the Bumper that use the wind created by moving forward to create a whistling sound that was supposed to warn the Animals you are coming.

Rain is just a normal occurrence unless the area has Flash Floods or Mud Slides.

I still do not have a Cell Phone and people were driving and surviving long before Cell Phones were around so I do see Cell Pone coverage as being an issue. Just keep things in your Trunk so you will have the resources you need if you have a problem. Include a cheap Sleeping Bag incase you need to stay in the Car overnight.

However, if you are worried about hitting things or items on the Road an SUVs or Pickup Trucks are sturdy and have a higher ground clearance.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

Hitting and missing deer is luck of the draw.

If you're worried about it, and have the money, get a truck with a nice Roo-Bar. I'd go Unimog 604 DOKA, ... my brothers prefer the LandCruiser with a good Aussie Roo-Bar setup on the front.

I hit a good sized deer with the Wife's E150 at 70mph, took out the grille and cracked the hood, popped the airbags. I stuffed the airbag back in the wheel and duct-taped the headlamp assemblies back into place and drove the remaining 30miles home (towing a trailer). Elk are a bit different.

You can't really prepare for the unexpected, cause it's unexpected. Remember that mother nature sides with the hidden flaw.

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Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

Considering the situation, I'd probably fit an aux pair of lights...don't really have to worry about blinding other traffic if there is none, right? Make sure your headlights are up to par, good tire condition, good brake condition and generally be on top of maintenance. I would feel fine driving a MB in your situation as described.

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TC
Current stable:
- 2004 Mazda RALLYWANKEL
- 2007 Saturn sky redline
- 2004 Explorer...under surgery.

Past: 135i, GTI, 300E, 300SD, 300SD, Stealth

Oh and those "deer whistles" that they sell haven't proven to be worth their weight in plastic from what I've read. Seems the Michigan State Police installed them on some cars a few years ago in an attempt to reduce car-deer accidents with their cruisers, ... no statistical difference between the cars with and those without. I wouldn't waste your money.

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Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

I hit a deer with my '85 500SL once. Got the car slowed down enough to where I just knocked the deer over, then she scrambled away.

There's a very shallow dime size ding in the grill as a memento that you can't see unless you look at the correct angle.

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1985 500SL Euro w/ AMG bits 130k
1984 300SD Turbodiesel 192k
1980 240D Stick China 188k
2001 CLK55 AMG 101k
2007 S600 Biturbo 149k Overheated Project, IT'S ALIVE!!!

SQUEAAAL BOY! SQUEAAL LIKE A FAN BELT!

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CC: NSA

All things are burning, know this and be released.

82 Benz 240 D, Kuan Yin
12 Ford Escape 4wd

You're four times

It's hard to

more likely to

concentrate on

have an accident

two things

when you're on

at the same time.

a cell phone.

www.kiva.org It's not like there's anything wrong with feeling good, is there?

101 or maybe highway 4? I live in more or less the same neighborhood (Oregon side of the river) and I wouldn't worry about it. I do long distance drives for work often enough and I generally try to be on the road in the middle of the night - less people to annoy me. I usually drive my Toyota rather than the Benz for these, but its less than 10 years old and its a simple matter of missing work costing me a LOT of money. If the Toyota weren't available, I wouldn't hesitate to count on the Benz. My rules are: keep up on your maintenance, pay attention to weird noises and always have a backup rig available.

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'82 300SD - Somewhere over 220k - Becoming reliable...

Both 101, and 4!! Sounds like you know the area well and can relate.

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2012 Mercedes ML350 Bluetec 91K (hers)
2005 Corvette 55K (fun car)
2002 VW Jetta TDI 231K (mine)
1998 Volvo S70 T5 Turbo 196K (kids)
1994 Ford F150 4WD 249K (firewood hauler)
1983 Mercedes 300D 376K (diesel commuter)

There definitely are a few of those areas around here, but less "get raped" and more "get shot because someone thinks you're after their meth lab or pot crop."

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'82 300SD - Somewhere over 220k - Becoming reliable...

AMEN Brother!!!

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2012 Mercedes ML350 Bluetec 91K (hers)
2005 Corvette 55K (fun car)
2002 VW Jetta TDI 231K (mine)
1998 Volvo S70 T5 Turbo 196K (kids)
1994 Ford F150 4WD 249K (firewood hauler)
1983 Mercedes 300D 376K (diesel commuter)

Yeah, its been home my whole life, and no place I've been has ever convinced me to relocate. If I get east of the Cascades I start to dry out.

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'82 300SD - Somewhere over 220k - Becoming reliable...