goyshahomer

I know it sounds kind of crazy, but I have always had this goal in my head. I always follow this guy Irv Gordon who drove his 66 Volvo P1800s for 2 million miles (he holds the Guiness BOok of records). I need to find a car that I could live with for the next 20+ years too. Something that will still be fun to drive, look nice, and be comfortable. It needs to have four doors and preferably a proper manual gearbox but not a deal breakeer. I am considering a 2011 MB c300 or c350. I know it's a fairly new car, but do you think with proper care and work the car could go that far?

If not the MB, what car could? We are obviously all "car people" so list any other good candidates.

I list the VW gti because I really have always liked the car, I love the plaid seats, the steering wheel is right up there with an M3. It's really incredible, and it's also the cheapest, by several thousand dollars.

My considerations:

BMW 328i
VW GTI
Cadillac CTS
Audi A4

jctevere

I am sure that any car could go 1 million miles - if you were willing to pay to keep it running. Go for a vehicle with a diesel, Mercedes will be coming out with a diesel c-class and e-class to the United States soon, right now they only have the ML, R or GL in diesel options in the U.S.

I'm sure a 300 "could" but you would have to re-build the engine maybe 3 times. Oil changes are key, make sure to always change oil on time and do all maintenance on time!

2nice4me

I don't think I would dare and try to keep a Mercedes for that long. I will be buying the extended warranty soon and once that is over i will probably get rid of the car (depends on the repair history over the years).

Parts and labour is more expensive then "other" cars, things that dont appear expensive are expensive and I dont know anything about cars to try and fix things myself.

There are enough older Mercedes vehicles on the road but doubt that any of them are at 1M.

ZeroSeVen

Today's car market is enveloped by advancement in technological breakthrough... all the onboard electronics and the complexity that goes with it makes a car more fuel efficient, faster (More hp and torque), safer, etc. which in turn also makes it hard to diagnose when problems arise... I doubt if there is still any car in today's market that will break the 1 million mile mark with no major repairs needed along the way

They don't build cars the way they used to, Society also play a major role in this dilemma, I hardly see anybody who still drives a 10+ year old car... Mostly replace or trade in their vehicles on an average of 5-8 years

But if there's any manufacturer who can put up to the test... I put my money on German ingenuity... the VW for example has been tried and tested along with some benzes

albert101

"The development of the W204 C-Class involved the use of a "digital prototype", which put a 2.1 terabyte digital replica of the car through a 15 million mile road course. This is an industry first which allowed for crash testing and more, before a physical prototype was actually constructed."

That was taken from Wikipedia. If it's true or not, sounds like the W204 seems to be the best bet if you're looking for a brandnew 1M mile car.

If not, I would suggest a Land Rover Defender or a Toyota Land Cruiser. The UN doesn't use those cars for nothing after all.

rberg925

+1 for any diesel Benz.

C300Sport

Try a bone stock E Class Diesel or maybe a basic Jetta Diesel. Staying away from all the added complexity of the options should help save some headaches.

An important factor in making a million miles is your driving style and even more importantly, the type of miles. If you are doing a lot of long distance highway miles, you have a good shot at 1 MM. If you do a lot of short trips and stop and go stuff, forget about it.

Glyn M Ruck

I have a friend in KL Malaysia that has a C240 - W203 that is approaching a million kilometres in taxi service from the Airport to the KL hotels & a E240 that is not far behind. No major repairs - lots of tyres, brake pads & rotors. Standard servicing by Cycle & Carriage. Ideal way to run mileage - fully warmed up on the highway - approx 180Km round trips. These damn cars still drive well with no rattles, whines etc. It amazes me. Some of the Hong Kong Merc hotel cars also have massive mileage on them as do Merc diesel taxis in Europe.

BMW, VW/Audi's will not do this sort of mileage without trouble in my experience - esp BMW.

Ron Jr

66 VW bug.

BoostedThrills

A guy with a Saab hit 1,000,000 and Saab gave him a new 9-3 I think.

Glyn M Ruck

Yes - with 10 exchange engines

Peabody

For such a car person you should know the C350 doesn't offer a manual transmission, and that diesel would be the best choice for durability. I would look towards the VW Jetta diesel as well if you want a car to drive for a million miles.. though given the availability of their dual clutch transmission, I wouldn't be the slightest bit interested in a manual transmission.

Ron Jr

Yes but they are cheap, easily found and you can do it yourself with a pair of vice grips, two screwdrivers and a can opener.

jctevere

What about a Crown Vic? You can get the car for dirt cheap from police auctions and the parts are cookie-cutter and the same, making them readily available nearly anywhere and for cents on the dollar for other common car parts.

I was looking into a 300TD Mercedes from the 80's, those have shown to go near 1,000,000 km, which is about 650,000 miles with just simple oil changes and basic maintenance. If any car had a chance it would be a diesel (engines are built for higher compressions and are simpler technology). Once you learn about diesels and actually use one, you'll get hooked.

RLE

Not quite any. The 3.5 smoker in the W126 and W140 was a disaster.

dcjwlee

No comment on what car to try this on but it sure is nice to see people keeping their cars for longer. My car just hit 50k and is stocked to the brim with options. I'm unsure whether I'm ready to sell or deal with potential problems down the line. Its only a 2009 but I just might opt for the 2010 jeep GC.

Glyn M Ruck

+1

raceway

If I had to pick one from your list, I would take a C300 manual. Considering longevity, I would not consider turbo/super charged cars, so no A4/vw, let alone Audi/vw are notoriously unreliable. BMW and Cadi are not known for durability either. Mercedes, at least was one of the most durable cars in the world before. And after 10 years or so dark age, the quality on their new models seem to have improved a lot. In another thread, someone has driven 100k miles in his 08 C300 without major problem.

btw, this guy logged 1m miles in four years in his F250. Although the maintenance cost was a whopping $67,000
http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/weird/P...our-Years.html

clkcadet

And Dodge hooked up Al Bundy with a new viper!