Its an idea that Toyota has currently put on a TV COMMERICIAL of theirs claiming 80% of Toyota Camrys are still on the road 20 yrs later ,this puts the year at 1992 .If Mercedes did a similiar check of how many 1985 123 models are still driving around Im wondering what kind of numbers could be realized, maybe 50% to 60%.

I wouldn't bet that half the '85 300Ds sold in this country are still on the road. A counterpoint to the 300D being easy to work on is how many mechanics will actually work on them. My guess is you can take a '92 Camry with a rod hanging out of the block to the shop around the corner and it'll have a good used engine in it by noon tomorrow and it won't cost you a month's rent. Take an '85 300D with a clogged ALDA line to the same mechanic and he'll tell you to walk away from it because the compression is low and replacing the engine will cost half a year's rent. If you're lucky, you'll have a chance at it before it gets to the scrap yard.

Sixto
87 300D^2

I agree with Sixto. Way too many mechanics panic at the sight of a diesel. And, with very little reason too! After all, they are way simpler than gas engines.

Go figure.

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Codifex
1981 240D ChinaBlue (Got her running with a donor engine.)
1983 300DTurbo w/sunroof.
1984 300TD manual sunroof. (Electrical Gremlins)

This.

This is NOT a new advertising idea. In the seventies Ford made a commercial with statistics about the percentage of Ford Trucks that were still registered, after a certain number of years. The commercial was memorable because it had some scenes from the Charles Bronson movie "Mr. Majestyk" where a Ford truck was jumping off of a raised area at high speed. Quite a memorable scene.

Not long after that a movie came out with similar scenes with a Chevy pickup, but it never caught on. In advertising, the first one to the punch whens that round.

What goes around comes around.

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2001 SLK 320 six speed manual
2014 Porsche Cayenne six speed manual

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