Three million miles? You’d have to use it as a taxi - for about 30 years. (100,000 miles a year x 30 years = 3 million)
If you find another one that’s already working, you could keep yours as a parts car.
I like to keep my cars a long time too, but I agree with @Docnick " There is a cut-off is where you have to get rid of the vehicle." If you have the tools, time, and TALENT, and a backyard full of junk parts cars, you can keep a car going indefinitely, but if you have to pay someone else, the labor costs eventually make this impractical. Then its like making a car payment, only you’re making it to a mechanic instead of a bank - (of course one could argue the money is supporting the local economy, i.e.- enabling the mechanic to feed his / her family, as opposed to sending the money to some far away bank or foreign entity)
There’s also the aggravation factor. If you NEED your car to get to work or wherever you might want or need to go, and it gets to the point where it keeps breaking down, then its not worth the frustration of keeping it going. Just my opinion, I’m one who prefers to be sitting behind the wheel rather than laying under the car.
@EdFrugal Thanks for the additional comments. Owning a Mercedes is hardly the way to keep AMERICANS working since all the parts have to come from elsewhere.
Agree that OP should thoroughly inspect the old Mercedes and will likely come to the conclusion that selling it for parts or to a hobbyist is the best course of action.
I disposed of the following cars:
1957 Plymouth in 1965 Gave to kid brother in college
1965 Dodge Dart in 1978 Scrapped since thoroughly rusted out and unsafe…
!966 Chevy Malibu in 1978 Crashed during surprise snow storm
!976 Granada in 1992 Started rusting out
1977 Dodge Colt in 1996 Parts no longer available, orphan car. Scrapped
!984 Impala in 1996 Gave to son in college
1988 Caprice in 2007 Needed newer car for work, sold privately for $1400.
1994 Nissan Sentra in 2012 Started rusting out at rocker panels. Sold to student for $700.
1971 Mercury Comet in 1978 Gave to mother in law when I got a company vehicle.
The 3 key areas are engine, transmission and body. It’s relatively easy to keep the powertrain healthy on a good car. The body is something else, and usually does the car in eventually,
Since 1958 I have only done internal engine work on 2 cars and have only had one transmission repair ($185).
P.S. I also had the benefit of having had several company cars to drive; a 1961 Ford, a 1962 Pontiac Catalina, a 1977 Pontiac Lemans, a 1980 Olds Delta 88, and a 2001Malaysian Proton Waja.
1982 Mercedes-Benz 300SD - Classic Car Price Guide
History of the 1981-1986 Mercedes-Benz 300SD / 300SDL
The new Mercedes-Benz W126 sedan debuted at Frankfurt in 1979 as a replacement for the W116 series, and as such it heralded the next generation of the “S-Klasse” range. This second-generation flagship rode on a 115.6-inch wheelbase in short-wheelbase sedan form. Its bold styling was courtesy of Bruno Sacco, and it simultaneously paid homage to the previous car while exhibiting a more muscular presence and better aerodynamic efficiency than its predecessor.
A range of engines were offered, with the 300SD four-door sedan being U.S.-only and available from 1981-1985 with a 3 liter turbocharged diesel I-5 that made 123 hp at its 4700 rpm redline and 170 ft-lb of torque in EPA trim. This powerplant could propel the 300SD to a top speed of 109 mph with minimal drama thanks to four-wheel independent suspension consisting of double wishbones in front and trailing arms at the rear and disc brakes at all corners.
Interiors on the 300SD were trimmed in leather or a very pleasing vinyl with power seats, an automatic climate control system, wood accents throughout and a full set of instruments in front of the driver. As a whole, the cockpit provided a level of comfort that was unmatched by other volume production cars of its day. Just under 79,000 300SDs were built over a five-year period, with a long-wheelbase 300SDL following in 1986.
The Mercedes-Benz 300SD offers all of the refinement, comfort, and safety of the W126 series with the trademark economy and reliability that is inherent in all Mercedes oil burners. High-strength steel was used in the 300SD’s chassis, which resulted in a curb weight that was almost 500 pounds lower than the W116, with an accompanying rise in fuel economy to 30 mpg on the highway—impressive for a 3,500-pound car in 1981. It is not uncommon to see examples of the original 300SD with a half million miles on their odometers while still being used as daily drivers.
Hagerty
Have done some more homework on this make and model. Just throw this out there for anyone interested.
“There’s also the aggravation factor. If you NEED your car to get to work or wherever you might want or need to go, and it gets to the point where it keeps breaking down, then its not worth the frustration of keeping it going. Just my opinion, I’m one who prefers to be sitting behind the wheel rather than laying under the car.” (I’d rather be laying in bed, personally.)
That is an excellent point and the very reason I own 3 back up cars! One of them is bound to get me to work.
What if I could skype mechanical challenges to an expert who would charge say 100 bucks an hour for “hands on” advice from 3,000 miles away or wherever he/she is located? I could take the camera to the car and explain verbally and show visually what confuses me and through the wonder of modern technology, a real crackerjack could help me find the solution without having the car present? Do you know what I’m saying? Of course, I’d need to find a mechanic who is willing.
Lawyers charge by the quarter hour. So could the expert on the other end of a skype. In other words, if he consults on a project through skype for 5 minutes, he gets 25 bucks (or whatever the case may be.) If he consults for 6 hours and 29 minutes, 650 bucks.
Thanks for the additional comments. Owning a Mercedes is hardly the way to keep AMERICANS working since all the parts have to come from elsewhere.
How so? Any old car keeps a mechanic employed. Parts for an old car do not come from the current manufacturer (generally, past a cut-off date) ; they are made in 3rd-world nations and sold by multi-national conglomerates.
When my 1994 F150 needs a starter or fuel pump–what do you suppose the odds are that the replacement part came from an American factory? (Maybe in the geographical sense; unlikely in the national sense.)
cwatkin
"I really don’t think this will be a hard car to restore but DEFINITELY CHECK FOR RUST OR OTHER MAJOR DEAL BREAKERS FIRST! I think this will actually be quite simple for you to work on but look for serious rust before even going out and purchasing a new battery."
Excellent advice. Checked her out and found rust in rear, passenger-side floor thanks to you, cwatkin. It isn’t too bad, but it ain’t good. I just painted some rust converter on it. Appreciate your wisdom.
wesw “uncle harry! we are kindred spirits!
I just finished putting new plexiglass and new screws in my forty year old camper top, which sits upon my 1975 ford pickup (supercab!)
of course it has new home made floors and cab supports, and it just got a new starter.
nothing would make me happier than to be in Alaska, homesteading with my old ford, but alas I am too weak for the frontier these says…
…so my goal is to get the truck to at least 50 yrs, and only god knows how many miles…
as soon as I, also an abject povertarian, can afford an electric car , I will jump right on it…”
I wonder if I can afford not to go all electric, when considering the net savings on energy expenses over 30 years.
hey wesw, you are on target; we’re kindred spirits. I’m thinking of using hickory or perhaps red oak in my bomb to reinforce the rust weakened flooring or some other strong material, so great minds do think alike!.
Dick Proenneke returned to the lower 40 after living in the Alaskan wilderness for 30 years. He was in his 80s. I personally guarantee you, and everyone reading this, if you watch the film, “Alone in the Wilderness” you will be very, very glad you did. PBS uses it as a fundraising draw.
@db4690 I agree that the Yaris is not a comfortable car, but it is extremely reliable and cheap to keep running. Two relatives have them and they are essentially bulletproof. Personally I would not buy one because of the ride qualities, but low build quality is not one of its vices.
What if I could skype mechanical challenges to an expert who would charge say 100 bucks an hour for “hands on” advice from 3,000 miles away or wherever he/she is located? I could take the camera to the car and explain verbally and show visually what confuses me and through the wonder of modern technology, a real crackerjack could help me find the solution without having the car present? Do you know what I’m saying? Of course, I’d need to find a mechanic who is willing.
Who would like to make some money relaxing in his recliner as I skype a live, in real time, video-like presentation with whatever I need help?
For $100 dollars an hour you can have a technician do the work for you in half the time. You can also get free assistance right here although without the video camera.
@unleharry Since you have several vehicles and appear to have lots of time on your hands, you should maybe treat this Mercedes as your hobby car and do things as you go long. We have a guy down the street, a retired engineer, who does that. At this time he is working on a 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme door hardtop. He has 2 sons who are mechanics, so they help him with the really tough stuff.
Posters here, including myself assumed you wanted to turn this vehicle into reliable and economical day to day transportation. That is probably out of the question.
A friend of my wife’s husband retired and bought a used Jaguar sedan which he spent most of this time fixing and restoring. His wife’s rationale was that it kept him out of the bars.
I fundamentally misunderstood the use of the term, “restore” as it pertains to older cars. Just getting this monster running again, to me, meant she would be partially restored. That’s before I started reading what you guys have to say. So, restoration was a concept that was blurry to me, but it is clearer now. I do want to get her in running condition- for occasional use. I’d like to restore her appearance and overall condition, but those things are secondary. If, as I’ve said, I can get her running again, I’ll be thrilled.
Before I bought this car, I decided to try to figure out which cars, if any, and in general, 1) were the most durable and 2) kept some value, Invariably, Mercedes diesels, at least back in the '90s when I began my search, were the cars mentioned most frequently. People, across a broad spectrum of backgrounds and interests, insisted Mercedes diesels would last a long, long time if maintained. I noticed they usually kept some monetary value, too, regardless of their age or mileage.
So, my initial plan is to try to find the drain plug in the fuel tank and to let her rip. (Don’t worry. I’ll find something to catch whatever flows out of the old beast.)
While MB diesels are fairly sturdy, there is a mythology around them far in excess of reality. One owner was honest about how they got 1,000k miles on their non-turbo 240D - 4 engine rebuilds. These engines are made out nothing magic - they do wear out.
these Mercedes 240’s are the best damn diesel taxi cabs that drivers in third world countries ever got their hands on, even with a half million miles on them
The OM617 engine family is a straight-5 diesel automobile engine from Mercedes-Benz used in the 1970s and 1980s. It is a direct development from the straight-4 OM616. It was first fitted to the W115 series in 1974. The OM617 is considered to be one of the most reliable engines ever produced with engines often reaching over 1,000,000 km without being rebuilt and is one of the key reasons for Mercedes’ popularity in North America in the 1980s, as it was powerful and reliable compared to other automotive diesels of the 1980s.
Theoretically, many engines can last for hundreds of thousands of miles without a rebuild as long as proper maintenance is followed. The reason (in my experience) that the OM617 has such a great reputation is because it can put up with a ton of abuse. Now I am NOT condoning redline launches off of every stop sign, or never changing your oil again! The OM617 simply has a very stout block and very stout internal components. I have seen original engines with 400k on the odometer run like clockwork with minimal blow-by–which leads me to the #1 layman’s way of quickly assessing engine health…
Could the OM617 be the most reliable automobile engine ever made? A very good case could be made for it, although its successors haven’t been around long enough for us to judge whether they might be even better. Sure, diesel engines have the advantage of using a fuel that is itself a lubricant, and they generally operate at lower RPM ranges than gasoline engines… but once you get past 500,000 miles (as so many 70s and 80s Mercedes-Benzes powered by the OM617 have done), that line of argument loses much of its power. Make the jump to see some video of this engine in action
I was at an auto auction this morning in Reno Nevada. This mint 300SD Turbo Diesel came through… Anyone that knows the Turbo Diesel motor, will know these cars run for 500,000+ with no problems if they are taken care of.
…this diesel is widely viewed as one of the best motors ever produced. Many people have gotten 500,000-1,000,000 miles out of these. Just insane when you think how old it is.
I have found statements like these to be so plentiful, sincere, and expressed without any apparent guile or ulterior motive, that I think there is probably some truth in there.
