Meet Michael Nickl and his 1992 Mercedes-Benz 200D. CarScoops reports that Nickl purchased this model new in 1992 from the factory. The 200D was a very spartan model with the only options being a sunroof, center armrest, central locking, radio, and rear head restraints. Power came from a diesel engine only offering 75 horsepower and 93 pound-feet of torque. Nickl wanted a better-equipped model, but couldn't afford it at the time since he paid off student loans.
His plan was to keep the 200D for a year and then sell it for a profit. This was due to Nickl being a Daimler employee and getting the 200D with an employee discount. But these plans were scrapped due "the first suspicions about diesel particulates causing cancer" appeared, causing prices of diesel models to hit rock bottom. Nickl decided to keep the 200D and perform regular maintenance.
Over the 25 years of ownership, Nickl has sunk €58,563.26 ($62,842.86) for general maintenance and €53,786.28 ($57,716.79) on fuel. How do we know this? Nickl has been keeping an Excel spreadsheet with all of this information. The costs seem reasonable and shows how special the W124 was to the German marque.
Pic Credit: Mercedes-Benz