240 How far will you take your daily driver 240 from home?

IansPlatinum said:

Just arrived from a 500 mile round trip last night in the 1992 240 with 240K miles. 4 weeks prior, I did a 600 mile round trip. Preparing for a 1700 mile round trip next month.
All new sensors, and carry spares of just about every sensor & electric component on the car. Also carry full tool kit, full size spare, hoses, jack, belts, towing ropes, jumper cables, fire extinguisher, etc.

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....and 1700 mile trip (actually 1900 miles) went pretty smooth.

I trust the 240 more than my fiancee's 2011 sonata, whose transmission just blew up at 101K miles.

Took my '83 764 TD on a 1500 mile round trip from central Montana to Washington coast and back two weeks ago. Total of eight high altitude mountain pass crossings, four each direction. Towed a 14' boat on the westbound leg, no trailer on the way back. Set cruise at 90 most of the way back after crossing the Montana state line, which is still slower than the speed of traffic.

I expected no problems and didn't have any. High 20s MPG average on the way home, low 20s towing on the way out. Overdrive is getting a little tired, might need a set of pistons this winter.

Edit: this was on a 700 of course, but a 240 would be just as capable of doing it without problems. All it takes is absolute, total, utter perfection in terms of every, last, single maintenance-related item, with the greatest focus of all on any part made of plastic or rubber or whose job is to move or contain any type of fluid, and no "upgrades" that put the engine's health in jeopardy. The perfection part, fortunately, is a piece of cake to achieve on equipment as simple as these old cars, so it's no kind of challenging feat, just requires making the decision that the car isn't going to be a beater and you're actually going to spend some money buying parts. It's not even a lot of money.

Before i tore out the original B21A engine out of my 1978 245 I made several 200+ mile trips. And since it now has stood in one place for almost six months it's not very driveable still.
The only issue i had before renovating the drive train was the exhaust. At the beginning of the trip (some 400 miles total) the exhaust broke in half. The first 100 miles it was funny to drive around, after that it became really annoying and i had to use earplugs

I just did 500 miles in the 780 last weekend at between 75-80mph most of the way.

1995 940 B230F w/250,600 miles. My commute is almost exactly 700 miles per week. The only 2 things on this car that ever stranded me was a failed ignition module and a failed alternator. It was getting dark and the windshield wipers were on, the battery couldn't hang...

I do keep up on the maintenance of the car. I did quite a bit of work at around the 190,000 mile mark, including timing belt, water pump, all hoses, crank sensor etc. I switched to Iridium spark plugs so I don't plan to change those soon (next timing belt change). I've changed the plug wires twice in 60k miles (I paid like 5 bucks for a set, bought 3 sets). I also periodically change out a gallon of the coolant and several quarts of Transmission fluid and then top them off.

Really enjoyed reading all of these!!

Driven a 91 244 that I m47 swapped with a JY unit all over SE--> NE - NW USA and into Canada , 10 hour + of 85-100 mph over 5k miles in one trip.

It only ever "broke down " when the leads for the alternator rotted out and caused my volts to slowly drop, and light flash pulled over in Kentucky coming from FL rewired like 2 inches and back on the road still rocking the same repair !

As they all say they work if you work on em, and except for that 1 guy who did drive through Antarctica we road trip in USA where breaking down is more inconvenient than life threatening so screw it get AAA and whip it!!

Also picked up a 77 volvo 244 which I still have and drove that from Houston Texas to Jax at 85 mph the whole time and that car has been very reliable last few years all original over 355k on it !

My 7 series is much more comfy than the 2 series tho !

road trippin

I took my '86 244 & my '89 245 up around the Olympic peninsula and the only stretch that made me nervous was driving through the native american reservation heading south down the west coast. pretty big stretch of a whole lotta nothing other than beautiful landscapes.

also took my '89 all around oregon - painted hills in the summer , taking the long way home through Bend. i've never even had to stop to even contemplate any significant issues.

i've only had 240s four the past 6 years so i don't quite remember what it's like to drive a car with more power / faster / quieter / functioning ac / etc etc etc.

anyways ..... i'm actually leaving relatively soon to do the 2,300 mi from Portland, OR to Indiana in my '89. big crossed fingers & will definitely be on TB documenting any problems or surprises along the way.

If the world doesn't suck ****ing rotten eggs this summer, I want to take my 84 to the east coast of Canada to visit friends. Ontario-Quebec-New Brunswick right to the ocean.

Last weekend I took my 240 to State College, PA and back. 1100 mile round trip. Filled up my catch can and it started inhaling that crap, but other than that no problems!

i don't really drive the 780 T16V very much but when i visit mom it's a 450km (280 miles) roundtrip.
There are only 5 things i carry: a spare wheel, spare light bulbs+fuses kit, some V-belts, a voltage regulator and a known good fuel pump relais. I do have a breakdown assistence subscription.
Other then that i just check fluid levels, crank it up and GO.
It's not a Toyota or Lexus but a well maintained redblock car won't leave you stranded very often.

I just recently bought a Jag XJ6 series3 4.2L full of Lucas electric parts... , i suppose i better prepare a spares+tool kit for that car.

mhgreen said:

i've only had 240s four the past 6 years so i don't quite remember what it's like to drive a car with more power / faster / quieter / functioning ac / etc etc etc.

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I still daily drive my 700 TD cars or sometimes my beater VW TDI or beater Ford pickup so I was accustomed to the same. I bought a $2000 Audi Allroad 2.7T 6-speed a couple summers ago from across the state and driving it home, I literally laughed out loud many times. So fast, so silent, so smooth, A/C wafting and Bose stereo. This is how the rest of the world lives?? Sign me up. Felt more like flying a plane than driving a car.

Janspeed said:

I just recently bought a Jag XJ6 series3 4.2L full of Lucas electric parts... , i suppose i better prepare a spares+tool kit for that car.

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Well there's the problem with the nicer rigs -- complexity.

I LOVE driving that Audi but if I had to drive to the other side of the continent or the north coast of Alaska tomorrow, I would still take the 38-year-old Volvo instead.

Harlard said:

Just drove it 90 miles to the coast. Lots of high gear boostage. Needs better crankcase ventilation.

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figure it out the ventilation issue ?

I drive to Snoqualmie pass in Washington state to go skiing (130 miles round trip) 2-3 days a week for six months of the year. Usually average around 90-100 in my 1986 240 m46 in overdrive. Has some starting issues I've been working on for a while but when it runs it runs really good. Just over 200,000.

Otto Mattik said:

figure it out the ventilation issue ?

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Yeah it needs a real pcv system rather than a ****ty catch can setup

About 35k each year up until last year (about 20k). A lot of city to city driving. 1-2 round trip drives from orange county to Sunnyvale each month (~500 miles). Chassis is closing in towards 500k. Removed spare last year. 10mm socket wrench and fuel pump relay. Found a 240 armrest at lkq pick a part in stanton, oc yesterday. Super stoked (1st time I came across one in 10 years)