C5 Golfer Posted October 28, 2011 Report Share Posted October 28, 2011 I am bored waiting around for my ankle to heal from my Titaniumectomy and play some golf.. so here are my latest bordom thoughts today. My car is a 1980 280 SL Mercedes with I6 … 2746 cc engine. Manual 4 speed Transmission with no overdrive. There have been no repairs to the engine except the timing chain was replaced at 125,000 miles and water pump at 140,000 miles. I bought it used when it was a young 4 years old, it is now 31 years old. It has 202,000 miles and at 70 miles an hour the engine turns at 3500 RPM – it is a low geared sucker. I average 35 miles an hour in my other cars – they have a computer – this one was born before the MS-DOS operating system – let alone computers running the engine. So if I use my same average the 280 SL car has been running for 5770 hours and @ 20 miles/gal it has burned 10,100 gal of gas or 1.75 gal/hour which accounts for about $26,000 of my income. $40,000 if gas price was not lower 10 years ago. Anyway – after running for 5770 hours the motor has probably 606,000,000 revolutions. Valves have open and closed 303,000,000 times. With a 3.10” stroke this would equate to 3,757,200,000 inches of piston travel or 59,300 miles. So in that respect my pistons are 26% on their way to the Moon. Or if the piston were to travel to Seattle to New York and back it would have done that 10 times plus already. Clutch is still original and I wish I had a counter on it to know how many times I have pushed that sucker in. Oil has been changed approx 3000-4000 miles and I think it takes 7 qts. , that’s 57 oil changes or 404 qts of oil. I think I have replaced the tires 4 times, and brake pads are changed on the average every 20,000 miles. The car looks as good now as it 30 years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarvingScooby Posted October 28, 2011 Report Share Posted October 28, 2011 I luv those I6 engine...what a torque they can produce... Thanks for sharing & get well soon, hope to make some turn together this season in Whistler. RT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John E Posted October 28, 2011 Report Share Posted October 28, 2011 Nice to see people taking care of their stuff. Nice car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gcarve Posted October 28, 2011 Report Share Posted October 28, 2011 Ahhhhhhhh yes, those were the years when German cars were bullet proof, and could almost literally last a lifetime, with minimal maintenance. Not really possible with the cars they're making now . Thanks for an interesting dissertation on the mechanical maddness just below the surface of car ownership! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C5 Golfer Posted October 29, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2011 I luv those I6 engine...what a torque they can produce...Thanks for sharing & get well soon, hope to make some turn together this season in Whistler. RT That is my plan and why I had the Titanium plate taken out now... 6-7 weeks recovery to let the holes in my bones fill in.. I thought they used Bondo for that. But no they fill in on their own. My first trip to Whistler is Dec 16th -- I just not sure how well I will ride with the Crash of last year still frimly in my mind.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gcarve Posted October 31, 2011 Report Share Posted October 31, 2011 That is my plan and why I had the Titanium plate taken out now... 6-7 weeks recovery to let the holes in my bones fill in.. I thought they used Bondo for that. But no they fill in on their own.My first trip to Whistler is Dec 16th -- I just not sure how well I will ride with the Crash of last year still frimly in my mind.... Glad to hear you'll be out and carving this season. Don't let the "crash of last year" linger in your mind too much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John E Posted October 31, 2011 Report Share Posted October 31, 2011 I too like to keep my cars in good shape. Attached is my 1995 Acura Legend. 150k miles. I'm the 3rd owner and have owned it for 8 years. It's pretty much my daily driver / commuter. I have another car that I'll drive in winter conditions. It is bone stock and I've put very little money in it. I just try to keep it in good shape so I don't have to go out and replace it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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