Here is an interesting tale. My daughter is a sophomore at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The University is 313 miles down I-20 from our home in NE Louisiana. She has been driving her 2000 Toyota Camry since she was a Junior in high school and has nothing but respect for Toyotas. So do I. Trouble free driving with now 107,000 miles on it....until a few weeks ago.
She came home from school for a 4 day mid fall break. Dad checked her car out and all was well, until Dad drove it to dinner on Saturday night. As I was coming to a stop a very loud metallic sound came from the left front brake area. I stopped, pulled the wheel off and found out that the bolt that holds the caliper to the bracket fell out, and the caliper was hitting the inside of the rim. Luckily it happened to me at 5 mph, not her at 70 mph on the Interstate. I told her it needed to stay at home and be fixed and she would have to take one of my cars to school on Sunday morning. She had her choice; 1967 VW Beetle (over my dead body), 1986 300sdl, or my 2007 BMW 530i. Oh you would have thought the world was coming to an end. She couldn't take the Bimmer because it was sooo expensive and someone would key it in the school parking lot, and she certainly could not take the Benz because it was a TANK!!! Well, I was on call that weekend and I couldn't drive her there myself so she had to make a choice.
She picked the Benz because it was old and pre-dented and she figured no one would mess with it at school.
That night we took a little test drive because she had never driven it before.
Oh the tears came, " Daddy it is a TANK!!"
Sunday after church came and it was time for her to leave. We loaded up the Benz and off she went, tears in her eyes. Two hours later at the Mississippi welcome area in Vicksburg, she stopped for a break. She called home. "Hey this thing is not too bad! It has a great ride and people keep staring at me!"
Two hours later at the Alabama welcome area, she noticed a man in a VW Jetta TDI checking out the car as she came back from the rest area. He told her it was sweet ride. She made it to campus, parked it and all was well.
That week it was used for numerous trips around Tuscaloosa, and her friends though the old tank was cool.
I arrived with her fixed Toyota on the following Friday to switch out cars. She started to get her parking permit out, her Rosary on the rear view mirror, her St Christophers medal, her CD's, and then she had to take a picture of it in the parking garage. Then I had to take one of her with the "TANK".
I have owned this car for 4 years now, and this is the first time she had ever shown interest in it. She even said she was going to miss it.
Hmmm.... Do we have a future Diesel Benz owner here?? I hope so.

Anyway, the return trip home, 313 miles at 70 mph on I-20 and 29.6 mpg.
What a great tank!

__________________
John
1986 300sdl
1985 380se

touching.

i hope my diesel outlasts me and it becomes an heirloom. Might have to leave that new paint $$job$$ for the next generation.

__________________

I'm not so lucky... My wife will agree to switch to a MB from her junky Toyota......but it has to be "smaller" and "not so ugly and huge" as my W126.... So, she's getting some flavor of a W201 or W124 (She approves of their appearance).....whichever comes along first and in the nicest condition. It will probably end up being a 300E..... a gasser! A 190d would be preferred, but finding one in nice shape for a reasonable amount of $$ around here is pretty much impossible. There's tons of not-expensive 300E's to choose from....means we can be more picky.

__________________
-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

When my kids learned how to drive, we had bought the 99 E300 Turbo diesel. So the 86 300SDL became the kids car. I told them that as long as they drive the 300SDL I would pay for maintenance and diesel. I wanted them in a safe car. A "Tank". Actually the W126 had the lowest personal injury report rate for 86-89 for all cars.
My daughter loved the car. When it was time for a "newer" car for her she wanted to rebuild the 300SDL. but with a bent rod and a tranny that was looking at a rebuild I decided it was time to get rid of it. Then she got her 82 240D.

Sound like your daughter will come around. It was a $60,000 car in 86 The top of the line S class for Mercedes. It drives very nice.

Dave

__________________
1970 220D, owned 1980-1990
1980 240D, owned 1990-1992
1982 300TD, owned 1992-1993
1986 300SDL, owned 1993-2004
1999 E300, owned 1999-2003
1982 300TD, 213,880mi, owned since Nov 18, 1991- Aug 4, 2010 SOLD
1988 560SL, 100,000mi, owned since 1995
1965 Mustang Fastback Mileage Unknown(My sons)
1983 240D, 176,000mi (My daughers) owned since 2004
2007 Honda Accord EX-L I4 auto, the new daily driver
1985 300D 264,000mi Son's new daily driver.(sold)
2008 Hyundai Tiberon. Daughters new car

Touching story......Both my daughters LOVE riding in my Big Tank. I just hope my 10 year (who didn't like the quick, jerky ride of the 85 300D) comes around and wants to drive one when she turns 16....

__________________
daw_two
Germantown, TN

Links:
Sold last car --- 05/2012 1984 300D Light Ivory, Red interior
Cluster Needles Paint
New Old Stock (NOS) parts

Past:
3/2008 1986 300SDL "Coda"
04/2010 1965 190D(c) "Ben"
& many more

What a great story, and mileage too. I had no idea those cars were worth that much in '86. Phil

My older daughter, who has a Ford Explorer, thinks Max, my 300TD is "gross." Her little sister, who just turned 16, thinks it's cool. Not only her, but most of her friends at school think so, too. I'm thinking about finishing up my refurb of the inside of Max (including the back door that won't open) and giving that to her.

Some kids just seem to have better taste than others, I guess . . . .

__________________
" We have nothing to fear but the main stream media itself . . . ."- Adapted from Franklin D Roosevelt for the 21st century

OBK #55

1998 Lincoln Continental - Sold
Max 1984 300TD 285,000 miles - Sold
The Dee8gonator 1987 560SEC 196,000 miles - Sold
Orgasmatron - 2006 CLS500 90,000 miles
2002 C320 Wagon 122,000 miles
2016 AMG GTS 12,000 miles

Nice story. Tell us more about the Toyota's brake caliper. Only one bolt holds it on? Do they use locking stuff on the threads, etc., etc.?

__________________

"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970

Something about a SDL....Great story.

Lots of people call my car the tank, mafia staff car etc, until they ride in it "Wow this car is how many years old? Dang!" They are surprised at the Features, plushness and quietness.

"This isnt a diesel..."

__________________
91 350SD
14 F150 Eco
19 Fusion Hybrid
11 GT500

My dad drives a 1987 300SDL and i got to admit it i am a little jelous because i drive a 1984 300SD which is a little noisier, lower mpg and little less smooth when comes to idling and driving. Now my dad is planning to put a Dodge sprinter engine into his 300SDL and giving me that OM603 engine for my car...

__________________
Current Garage
2008 Mercedes GL320 CDI 188k mi Repair/Work in progress
1994 S350 160k mi Garage Queen & prepping for repairs
2005 E320 CDI 203k mi Healthy & Daily Driver
1994 S350 357k mi Retried as parts car
1984 300TD 214k mi Blown OM617 Poss OM603 Swap??

Sold
1987 300SDL 200K+
1994 S320 181K mi
2008 E320 Bluetec 127k mi
1999 S420 130K mi
1980 240D 360k mi
15+ Others that has come, stay and gone

GONE, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
1995 E320 SE 220k mi
1984 300SD 350k mi

My 85TD is the exact same color as John Lennon's 79TD. Hard to beat that connection in a teenage girl's eyes (unless Paul McCartney also owned one).

__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

My 17 year old loves my SDL and considers it to be his car. I told him he can have it since it is solid and does well on fuel. Unfortunately, the car lost oil presure the other day. Shut motor down and had towed home, but now I have to dig into the motor and see what happened.

A lot of front drivers just use a hat shaped rotor over top of the spindle. They just slap a single screw in there to keep it together during assembly and it's really not a load bearing piece. It's the pressure from the wheel being bolted into place that really holds it tight.

__________________
-Evan


Benz Fleet:
1968 UNIMOG 404.114
1998 E300
2008 E63


Non-Benz Fleet:
1992 Aerostar
1993 MR2
2000 F250

I only get to drive my 300 SDL when my daughter calls and says DAD your car is broke

__________________
commercial fisherman diesel in my blood in my boats trucks and Dear old Dad has had me drivin them since i got my first license in 1968
1986 300 SDL 427654
1999 Chevy Crew Cab Dually 225423
1986 300 SDL 287000 Dad's
1987 190 Turbo 158000 Mom's (my inheritance)

My wife has been driving her 300SD for the last 26 years. In the interum she has also had an ML320 and her current Land Rover, but won't give up the SD because it's the most reliable and most comfortable on a long trip.

__________________
Houston, Texas
1984 300CD 235K miles, Elvira, one owner
1987 300TD 180K miles
1974 TR6 78K miles Sarah Jane, one owner
OBK #27