My odometer has the same reading it did when I bought the car, so zero miles, divided by...

I have to guesstimate my mileage, based on how much fuel it takes vs. my truck. Seems to take about 2/3 for the same amount of driving. The truck gets around 16-17 so i figure mid 20's. Not real scientific, but I know people who would "swear to God" get 25 out of my truck and 40 out of the Mercedes. I don't get it, the fuel costs the same whether you lie to yourself about the mileage or not.

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

Guess I haven't worked on these cars enough to know what I'm talking about. Avg speed 55-65 with a light foot, good moving traffic and tall vehicles is all it takes. I don't see 35 either, that is a stretch. I checked my book and I actually topped out at 32.4mpg and I believe that trip I was consciously driving for mileage so I'd have to take back 33...but confining mileage to under 25 is ridiculous. I don't know about the w116 so I can't comment on that.

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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

I suspect that you could do a thousand oil changes and still not be able to calculate mpg any better that the average fifth grader.

Punching numbers into a calculator has very little to do with it. Your car's condition along with your driving style has everything to do with it. Keep your car in good shape, lay off the pedal and you'll see its possible to get over 25mpg, even 30 on a good day. Its been done. I'm not lying about my mileage as I'd have no reason to. As I've seen before (generally speaking), it takes a lot to persuade some members of the forum that you can achieve certain mpgs within reason.

When I first started tracking my 300E
What can cause "too high" mileage?

Since then I usually do a visual check on the tank, I let it bubble out and fill it right up to the filler lip to make sure its constant.

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

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

Here is what the federal government says about a new '84 300SD:

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/noframes/26870.shtml

It is interesting that the numbers keep changing. There is a big difference between the initial claim of 35 mpg and the more recent "over 25."

My 85 300Sd (380se with diesel conversion, 2:47 rear end) does around 29 mpg, or just under. I could see low 30's being attainable if it was in perfect tune and only driven on flat highways with no stop and go.

they say my 300sdl gets 19/21 http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/2008car1tablef.jsp?id=3411

I got 28mpg driving at 75-80mph and get low to mid 20's combined
Certainly not 35 but I could see 30 as possible

Just so we're clear...

Those fuel economy number have also changed. They have been modified to account for drivers with a heavier right foot.

Here's mine:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/calculatorSelectEngine.jsp?year=1987&make=Mercedes-Benz&model=300D

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1982 240D, sold 9/17/2008
1987 300D TurboW124.133 - 603.960, 722.317 - Smoke Silver Metallic / Medium Red (702/177), acquired 8/15/2009
262,715 and counting

I have the heaviest of feet When I drive my pickup I almost leave smoke every time. The back tires are bald. I routinely floor it to accelerate in the mercedes 300sdl and when I drove from maryland to lexington VA I ran between 75 and 80 the whole way. Couple times hit 90. Got 28mpg. Get 22-24 round town flooring it all the time. Those numbers are bogus for my diesel. 22-30 should be normal from an OP poll. 35 is a little unbelievable, 18 is bad.

Routinly got 27mpg in my 3:07 geared 300d NA manual trans.

New car has a turbo.... I always floor it just to chirp the tires.... 14-21mpg.

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1981 300TD 4 speed manual
Euro bumpers, zender valance and skirts, H&R springs, billy HD's, leveled sls, real AMG Pentas 16x8 et11, vdo boost/egt gauges intergrated into ash tray, eurolights, led 3rd brake light

I tended to get slightly better than the old EPA estimates in most cars, before they revised them downward. I don't intentionally hypermile or anything, but it seems I have an efficient driving style.

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1981 Mercedes 300TD, 1994 Honda Civic Del Sol
http://mefi.us/images/fuelly/smallsig-us/67195.pnghttp://mefi.us/images/fuelly/smallsig-us/103885.png

Please reread as you seem to be confused, I never claimed to have gotten 35mpg. I initially recalled 33mpg from memory but a quick check showed my max was 32.4, as openly stated in my above posts. I referenced 25mpg to address many of the other responses in the thread such as this one:
"There's no way in the world a 617 will return 35mpg in an SD. 22-25mpg is standard on a 617 in a car" among others implying its impossible to get more than 25 or so. My mileage figures are just very good from changing driving habits several years back, and I have no reason to lie about it. I'm merely trying to tell fellow forum members the mpg potential of these cars is actually much better than what is blindly assumed, from whom I can only imagine as owners who are not economical drivers and/or do not have economically tuned cars as to not experience those numbers. Obviously there is a limit to mpgs in any car, I feel as though I've topped it out without engaging in dangerous hypermiling habits (i.e. following trucks too closely, going very slow on interstates, etc). As I have repeatedly stated, keep your car in great shape and your foot light, you might be surprised. That goes for any automobile, which is why I posted my 300E's mileage which was also deemed widely to be "impossible". This isn't rocket science and its not 50mpg...

As far as government fuel economy ratings go...that's just great. Doesn't mean everyone is going to fall into those numbers. I regularly exceed EPA highway mileage in just about every car I've driven simply from having economical driving habits and traveling at times where car traffic is at a minimum (the 300E is rated 21mpg highway, I'm getting 30). My city numbers are right on with their ratings (and others) since these diesels will just end up holding up traffic if you stay light on the gas light to light.

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

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

In post #10, you cited a quote referencing 35 mpg, then posed this question:

Now, if the "high mileage" to which you refer is something other than the 35 mpg contained it the quote that you cited, one of us is most definitely confused.

As soon as anyone sees anything over 30mpg (or 25 for that matter) they immediately assess that its incorrect and refuse to hear the person out. In fact, you seem to provide a great example of this. Based on my own experiences and others who have hit 30 or come close, 35mpg is not completely out of the realm of remote possibility but warrants further investigation, as many responses of this thread did (such as inquire about odo malfunction and calculation means). Others just said "thats impossible, my mileage is XXX, EPA rating is XXX" which isn't very helpful.

More specifically, I don't understand completely dismissing something that isn't out of the realm of possibility. What are the chances here - 95% that he has a broken odometer, calculating incorrectly, or exaggerating, 5% that he's getting great mileage, replaced fuel system stuff and suddenly the car runs like crap. I'm willing to take the chance and listen to him and assess the details in the off-chance that he damaged his car and try to help, just have to eliminate the 95% and narrow it down. Seems most people on here understand that and share the altruism, which is what makes this a great forum. If my mileage were to drop to 15-20 I would hope to get useful responses and diagnose it rather than a bunch of people saying that I "didn't know what I was talking about" after posting that I originally got over 30mpg.

Why even waste your time posting on this thread? You've done nothing but try and tell me I'm wrong rather than try and help the OP. My original post was more of a general observation of threads focusing on mpgs on this forum being completely unhelpful it but sure does apply here.

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

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

In the case of the subject vehicle, 35 mpg on an ongoing basis is outside the realm of possibility. (Unless, of course, the car is listed on Ebay.)

What is not helpful, in my opinion, is trying to pass off some occasional fluke (like driving downhill with a tailwind while drafting a semi truck) as a normal, everyday occurance.