You're just getting emotional and not being logical. Not every 240D will reach 500K miles. 500K miles is A LOT and most people don't drive that much. I've seen plenty of W123 diesels for sale with rebuilt engines, some not even reaching 200K miles on the original engine. Could be a maintenance error, could be something else. I've also seen some newer TDI's with over 200K or 300K miles on them already. All miles are not created equal and there will always be exceptional cars reaching crazy mileage.

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2004 VW Jetta TDI (manual)

Past MB's: '96 E300D, '83 240D, '82 300D, '87 300D, '87 420SEL

For some reason, in this thread there is a lot of "reading into" my words things that I did not say.

I did in no way state that every 240D could make it a half million miles, although with the correct care and operation, most everyone of them could do it. My point was that these cars are CAPABLE of high mileage although the poster was correct in saying that it can't last forever. Is a TDI capable of lasting forever? Probably not.

I am not getting emotional. I am merely responding to posts that are making statements without adequate data to back them up.

For the record, I changed the timing chain on my SDL at 280,000 miles because it had 10+ degrees of stretch. It ran much better after that. Parts and labor was about the equivalent of a timing belt change on a mid-2000 VW TDI.

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2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI - 103,000 miles
2004 Volkswagen Touareg V10 TDI - 160,000 miles
2003 Ford F-350 PowerStroke 6.0 -- sold
1987 Mercedes-Benz 300SDL -- 307,500 miles -- Retired
1991 VW Jetta GL ECOdiesel -- 429,531 miles -- RIP
2000 Volkswagen New Beetle TDI -- RIP
1987 Mercedes-Benz 190D 2.5 Turbo -- sold

You guys did not read my post very carefully. I said that Hitler "took credit for" the design of the Beetle. It's a fact.

You also will not find anything that I wrote that indicates that this has anything to do with my not wanting a modern VW. You guys are reading too much into what I am writing. You didn't even focus on the important part about history repeating itself. This is much more important than the car you wish to drive. Takeover of the auto industry? Takeover of the banks? Takeover of health care? It's not the Germans or the Japanese that I'm worried about.

I read the book Small Wonder while at an Army Kaserne in Ludwigsburgh, Germany in the spring of 1969. I was reading about the buildings that Hitler let Dr. Porsche use for the development activity. I realized that those buildings were right across the street from where I was sitting. They were at that time a US Army Motor Pool. Yes, I'm quite aware of Hitlers involvement, it had nothing to do with design as he claimed, but everything to do with funding.

You guys need to lighten up.

For the record, Hitler preferred Mercedes-Benz. Volkswagens were for the little people.

I had a Rabbit diesel for 5 years, concurent with my 1980 and 1983 300SDs. Both were enjoyable in their own ways. The Rabbit was cheaper to maintain. My best friend and I adjusted the valves on the Rabbit and changed the timing belt ourselves. It wasn't that difficult. My Mercedes seemed to cost me $1000 just for crossing the threshold of my Mercedes dealer. Because of the high cost of repairs, I was afraid to try and fix my Mercedes by myself, lest I break something. Once my extended warranty expired, and I quit taking it to the MB dealer for service, it became much cheaper to maintain.

With just the driver aboard the first generation Rabbit Diesels weren't that slow if maintained properly. The early 49hp engine liked to rev, while the 81 and later 52hp version ran out of breath earlier, but made more low end torque. Anyways, my Rabbit was quicker to 20 mph than my Mercedes but reached 60 about 2 seconds behind. The coefficient of drag on a Rabbit is exactly the same as the MB W123. Curb weight is about 1000lbs lower though, so they did get blown around a bit more.

My Rabbit was still running at 340k miles when my sister got rear ended in it. Up until my current 240d, I never kept a Mercedes for more than 130k miles. Sometimes I wish I'd kept my 83. I sometimes wonder if it's still on the road somewhere in the Pacific NW. It still looked and ran like new when I sold it. My Rabbit didn't look bad. The Leatherette upholstery only showed slight wear on the drivers seat. All and all they are both great cars, and I have equally positive nostalgic feelings for both of them.

For the money invested, the Rabbit was the hands down winner.

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1979 240D, 4spd manual, Power Sunroof, manual windows, 147k miles, Pastel gray/Black MB Tex.
1991 300D 2.5 - Smokes like it's on Crack!

The 123 was designed in the late 60s / early 70s. It came out in 1976. Shows how amazing the technology was at the time It's amazing to think the W126 was designed in the mid 70s and came out in 1979!

-J

Every diesel burns oil. Every gasoline car burns oil. The wiper rings do not remove all the oil from the cylinder walls.

Also, remember diesel is a light weight oil.

Larry is correct about Hitler wanting a People's Car hence Volkswagen.

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RRGrassi


70's Southern Pacific #5608 Fairmont A-4 MOW car

13 VW JSW 2.0 TDI 193K, Tuned with DPF and EGR Delete.

99 W210 E300 Turbo Diesel, chipped, DPF/Converter Delete. Still needs EGR Delete, 232K

90 Dodge D250 5.9 Cummins/5 speed. 400K

Gone and still missed...1982 w123 300D, 1991 w124 300D

If I don't have to add any oil during a 5-10K mile oil change interval, I'd call it not burning any oil, even if there actually was a tiny amount that got burned.

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2004 VW Jetta TDI (manual)

Past MB's: '96 E300D, '83 240D, '82 300D, '87 300D, '87 420SEL

No car can last forever. OTOH, any car can last a really long time if enough parts are thrown at it. Given the simplicity of a 240D, I'd guess it's CAPABLE of lasting longer given a fixed budget for repairs and maintenance. However one would be giving up a lot by driving a 240D compared to a TDI IMHO. I've had both and it's a night and day difference, even though the 240D has its charms.

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2004 VW Jetta TDI (manual)

Past MB's: '96 E300D, '83 240D, '82 300D, '87 300D, '87 420SEL

If I had the money I would, right now, go to my local VW dealership and plop down the money for a brand new Jetta TDI with black paint, tan leather interior with the sunroof and manual transmission.

Mine is black as well, but it's the worst color for a car if you ask me, particularly when it comes to keeping it clean. I already knew this before I bought it, but the price was too good to pass up.

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2004 VW Jetta TDI (manual)

Past MB's: '96 E300D, '83 240D, '82 300D, '87 300D, '87 420SEL

AGAIN, there are many in this thread that are comparing oranges to apples. These are two different cars, designed 30 years apart for different markets.

The comment about throwing parts at it is one that I am prepared to take issue with. I have a very detailed log book for my half million mile 240D. I didn't start the log until a little after 140,000 miles, but there were virtually no repairs before that mark.

The parts that I "threw at" that car were so minimal for so many miles that it is incredible. I never replaced a u-joint, ball joint or tie rod end until a little before the 500,000 mile mark. It went through a few starters, a couple of alternators a couple of clutches, a vacuum pump during this course of time. At 380,000 miles I did an overhaul because it seemed time due to the rear main seal suddenly beginning to leak profusely. Once the engine was apart, however, everything was in amazingly good shape with very little bearing or piston/cylinder wear. There was the beginning of a ring land failure on one piston. It was in good enough shape that it is very possible that had I simply replaced the rear main, it would have made it a lot farther.

I turned the car over to my son at 450,000 miles on his sixteenth birthday. His goal was to see a half million miles on it before he left for college and he made it.

Another thing about that car which is hard to describe is the UNBELIEVABLE reliability and dependability it offered. Almost the whole time I drove that car I was driving 60 to 70 thousand miles a year covering several states. It was just another average day for me to jump in that car at 3:00AM for a six hour drive to an important meeting. That car NEVER, EVER caused me to be late for a meeting. It came close one time when a belt broke, but luckily I had enough pad in my schedule that I showed up on time and this was about a five hour one way trip. Given the cars designed in the sixties and seventies, I doubt that very many of them could give you that kind of serious dependability. I didn't even carry a tool kit in the car until it had about 300,000 miles on it and just about every time I started it up I was going for at least an hour and a half drive.

As I said in a previous post, this car cost fewer pennies per mile ALL EXPENSES included, than any other car I ever owned that I purchased new or near new. Ammortizing the original cost and ALL operational expenses including insurance gave me the cheapest cost per mile of anything I ever drove. I wish I could say that for my 124 car.

Wasn't that a gasoline car?

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Jim

Yes Jim, My 124 is a manual transmission 300E. Beyond the engine, the car has required much more attention than any 123 car I ever had.

No wonder 240D lasts forever. There is nothing to break since there is no turbo which also makes it a turtle to drive. In todays world I would rather walk than drive 240D since 0-60 I can walk faster

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1993 Mercedes 300D 2.5

1987 Mercedes 300D 3.0

2000 Volkswagen JETTA TDI diesel 5 speed

2002 Lexus ES300

2006 Lexus GS430