It has always been Hondas for us.
Currently it is a '97 CRV with 172k miles. Been with us for 8 years. It is my experience that this is probably one of the most economical (except for fuel) vehicles that we have ever owned. It has all maintenance records and to this day does not have any squeaks/rattles. I have had to replace one front cv joint and a couple brake jobs. The check engine light has never come nor have I had to replace either of the o2 sensors.
I have not owned MB's as long as Hondas but feel, with the right maintenance, the MB should go longer. I do apply pretty much the same maintenance schedule to the Honda as I do the Benz.

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Jim

1984 300SD. 40,000 miles, going on 4 years and i've only replaced the front brakes/rotors.

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0o==o0

James 4:8

"...let us put aside the blindness of mind of those who can conceive of nothing higher than what is known through the senses"
-Saint Gregory Palamas, ---Discourse on the Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ


Centrally located in North East Central Pa.

98 neon coupe- 138k, it was my first car, i got to pick it and drive it off the lot. im nostalgic for it and its sitting right outside!

its never needed mechanical repair to speak of: a head gasket under warranty, a set of brakes at 90k, still on the original clutch. some plugs and wires, 2 sets of cheap tires.

one of the most reliable cars my family ever had was an intrepid of a similar vintage, 97 model, it was my sisters car(dad decided he didnt want to fix anymore cars and bought all our family members new cars) she had a bad valve before 20k, but once that was remedied, that car never stopped, it has 170 on it and its the spare now. after driving the 240 i get in that one and boy, its like a rocket ship. that car is very quick for such an old girl!

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http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i1...Untitled-1.jpg

My wife and I bought our 74 240D new and drove it for 20 years. It was carported for the first half of it's tenure and then lived outside for the next 10 years.

When we sold it about 200k miles later, it had its original paint and a shine to die for! The head had never been off the engine and the transmission had not needed overhaul. The only things it needed was a new exhaust system and an A/C compressor.

The dealer we traded it to (for 20% of the original purchase price) wholesaled the car. The woman that wound up with it took the time to look me up and call to thank me for taking such good care of her "new" car.

Memories? Yeah... Our 2 sons were brought home from the hospital in it...
A few speeding tickets... Car seats, vacations, trips, ice, snow, rain...

The wife managed to lock one infant child in it one summer day while I was on the west coast with the only other key... The "tank" was hard to break into!

The memories were the hardest part of letting it go!

Did it ever let us down? well... I must admit there were several times, but nothing of major failure. Bad fuel, rubber transmission cooler line, cracked transmission dipstick tube (twice).

This was by far the most reliable car I've ever owned and the great experience we had with it sold me on continued reliance on these wonderful automobiles!

Keep 'em rolling!

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02 S500
92 500SL
92 400E (Sold)
87 300E (Sold)
83 300D Turbo (Sold)
75 300D (Sold)
74 240D (Sold after 20 years)

I purchased two new Mazda's; a 626 and one MVP (van) both had over 100K miles when I sold them. The only major maintenance were tires, brakes, and batteries.

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2000 Ford 7.3 Powerstroke 4x4
2006 Mazda Tribute
1983 Black 300 D (donated to charity)
1993 Teal 300 D (160K) Sold
"I love the smell of burnt diesel fuel in the morning, it smells like ....VICTORY"

Semper Fidelis
USMC 1973-1976

I really do wonder - but how will the Neons and Intrepids look and run when they have 250,000 or 300,000 miles on them? What I have heard so far is impressive enough, but time will tell.

Have you seen that Mercedes advertisement? It did in images what you wrote in words. I think Ted (W126) had the pointer to it.

B

Botnst,

I have seen the ad and I related to it very closely when it aired.

Of course, I wasn't copying the ad, I was speaking from the soul! These things do become part of our lives and sometimes part of our character. It seems the diesel owners are most avid about it.

I don't know how many times I've said: "Yes, I said it has FIVE cylinders."

SPeace

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02 S500
92 500SL
92 400E (Sold)
87 300E (Sold)
83 300D Turbo (Sold)
75 300D (Sold)
74 240D (Sold after 20 years)

THe longest I have owned a car was my Saturn SL2...Bought new in '96. Soon to be the property of my kid brother. I've been quite happy with it...its had its minor issues...but that would be expected with the type of driving I do...mostly city, lots of stop and go. 120K miles...hate to see it go but I need more space in my driveway.

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Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
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Section 609 MVAC Certified
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"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

Correct me if my information is incorrect, but I understand that the vehicle that has accumulated the most miles is a 240D from Greece, that was used by a taxi & was sold back to Mercedes Benz with 1.5 million miles on it.

Then there is the well known Volvo P1800 from N.Y. with a million plus. However, from the pictures I have seen of it, the car was beautiful - so it must have been a million extremely pampered and no-expenses-spared maintenance, as compared to the daily pounding the 1974 Greek 240D taxi that really looked like hell when MBz bought it back off the guy.

The most mileage I have ever personally seen is 465,000 miles on...a flathead Ford V8.

My own 1983 300D has a mundane run-of-the-mill 280,000 miles on it, with no major components having yet been rebuilt. It runs and looks just great, however needs new rocker arms and rockers soon.

THat car from Greece has had four engines in it..........

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Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
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Section 609 MVAC Certified
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"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

Four engines in 1.5 million miles - that is an average of 375,000 miles each, on 4 cyl. carbeurated diesels. I wonder how many transmissions it went thru? I would imagine that the interior and body must have been pretty bad by the time the Greek guy sold it to MBz. However, I recall seeing a picture of it on the internet and it didn't look too bad.

Do you know anything about the famous Volvo P1800 from NY?