W123 engine/tranny longevity question...
 

I am thinking of buying an '82 300D with 210,000 miles on it. The car has for the most part been kept up and runs well and looks like it is in good shape. Realistically, how long will the mechanicals of this car (engine/tranny) last in terms of mileage? Thanks -- Mike

mikey-az - can tell u from my experience anyhow that 210k is not a lot for original engine/trans.
you wil be better served if you knew the history behind the car- ie
what has been replaced and / or serviced.
otherwise with good care many of these cars can easily go double that 200k.

I had a 1985 300D...
 

that I bought off of the original owner. I bought it off of him with 267K miles on it. He was a salesman that used it to travel around so I knew that it was driven hard and long (diesels love this, I'm told). He took it to the dealer for regular service so I knew it was taken care of.

I had it for almost 2 years before I sold it to someone else.

When I bought it off of him I went to the dealer and they let me go thru the service records (they would not let me leave with them however). It had the original engine and trans and it ran great. I kinda' was bummed to get rid of it but the Michigan winters and salt had taken it's toll on the body.

Anyways, if you can get ahold of the cars records and history you should be okay.

Good luck,

The key to these diesels is to make sure they've
 

always had the oil changed every 3,000 miles. Auto tranny replacement MAY be on the horizon...but when I had it done it only ran $1,500...the ONLY really big expense I've had in ten years with this car.

Rust is the only really big worry...one indication of just how remarkable and robust these autos are is this website, and the fact that an ENORMOUS body of knowledge as to symptoms, problems, fixes, etc., has evolved over 20 years. This just doesn't happen with "disposable" vehicles.