E-Class Greek cab driver hits 1 million kms with 2003 Mercedes-Benz E-Class

[MBFanToDeath]

George Vassilakis, a taxi driver in Greece, has allegedly reached the coveted 1 million kilometer (621,000 miles) mark with a 2003 Mercedes-Benz E270 CDI, a diesel-burning mid-range w211 E-Class that was never sold in the United States.

Vassilakis bought the four-door sedan new and he says that it is still equipped with its original five-cylinder engine and six-speed manual transmission. Over the years he has changed the intercooler, the clutch and a nozzle inside of the turbocharger, but apart from that the car has always been content with regular maintenance.

Much to Vassilakis’ chagrin the digital odometer stayed stuck at 999,999 instead of going back to zero. Vassilakis still drives the car every day for work and based on how much diesel he puts in the tank he estimates that it currently has approximately 1,030,000 kilometers, a figure which equates to roughly 640,000 miles.

If the w211′s mileage can be verified by Mercedes-Benz Vassilakis might be eligible to trade it in for a brand new E-Class.

According to Mercedes’ Classic Center the man who put the most miles on a Mercedes is Gregorios Sachinidis, also a Greek taxi driver. From 1981 to 2004 he logged an intergalactic 2.8 million miles on his 1976 w114 240D before donating it to the Mercedes-Benz museum in exchange for a new C200 CDI.

Vassilakis is far from Sachinidis’ record but he likely holds the honor of having put the most miles on a last-generation w211 E-Class.

All photos courtesy of Greece’s Autoblog.

Hey Giannis, is this your favorite taxi driver in Greece?

 

[K-A]

Awesome. This is truly one of the main factors that draws me to the M-B brand. That ultimate in underlying utilitarian durability that NO other car company has proven they can surpass, covered by of course an aesthetic that is meant (if all goes as planned) to have its own characteristic qualities to seduce you into enjoying said underlying qualities. I recently drove a W210 E55 with 210,000 miles, and it felt tight as a drum, seriously solid as a rock. Very impressive, and that wasn't even supposed to be one of M-B's good cars.

 

[MikeJ]

Vassilakis is far from Sachinidis’ record but he likely holds the honor of having put the most miles on a last-generation w211 E-Class.

Nope... this former taxi from my home town was auctioned a few months ago with 1,205,000 km on the clock:

 

[mini_cooper4]

Yes I know E-Class(W211) taxis with more than 1M km. on the clock...
My grandpa had an E with over a million km. on it and it wasn't even a taxi

 

[K-A]

The crazy thing is that the 2003 W211 especially is known to be an utmost POS. A total quality disaster trap. However, still has that longevity and ultimate durability engrained within it.

 

[fortuner]

WOW Amazing this make me just say WOW Mercedes...We had a W123 230 E the car did over 1.4 million before we had to touch the engine...at 1.4 million the cylinder head had to be replaced..

 

[Giannis]

Hey Giannis, is this your favorite taxi driver in Greece?

I rarelly take a taxi, but yes, the W211 is my favourite one!

 

[MBFanToDeath]

Sure it is; Σίγουρα είναι!

 

[Giannis]

Gianni, pou meneis?

Patra

 

[cawimmer430]

Impressive.

My parents owned a W211 E320 back in the day and it never had any reliability issues except for a dead battery one winter when the car wasn't used for about two weeks. The served us loyally until about 120,000 km when my father fell in love with the W212 and sold it.

 

[cawimmer430]

By the way, the E-Class remains the favorite car of German taxi drivers who cite comfort, durability, reliability, interior space and low running costs as the primary reasons of why it's so popular.

In this Autobild article, taxi drivers talk about the best taxis in Germany: http://www.autobild.de/artikel/gebrauchtwagen-ratgeber-2823615.html

The E-Class gets extremely high marks. Many taxi drivers feel the W211 and W212 are better than the legendary W124. The worst German taxi is the Volkswagen Touran, primarily because it's plagued by electronic issues, suspension failure and DSG problems even before most of them reach 100,000 km.

 

[MBFanToDeath]

Thx for link Chris! Btw nice to see you again

 

[Giannis]

Nice to see you posting again, too, MBFanToDeath

 

[Merc1]

The crazy thing is that the 2003 W211 especially is known to be an utmost POS. A total quality disaster trap. However, still has that longevity and ultimate durability engrained within it.

Its hard to explain, but as I've been told by several MB mechanics, its the was the accesories and eveything attached to the car that was cheap, the underlying structure was still Mercedes through and through, if that makes sense. He was saying the A/C units, instrument cluster, things of that nature were junk, but the engine, transmission etc and the body was as solid as any other Mercedes. Just 2 mechanics POV.

My personal view/some experience with Mercedes' is that they'll run forever in terrible condition, but when they do finally "break down" the cost is astronomical. The W124 and the W126 (before all of the electronics of the W140, W210, W220 etc) were some of the toughest cars on the road and really quite simple to fix/maintain.

M

 

[Hofmeister]

Apart from the dirt on the inside of the headlights it could pass for having 20,000 miles on it

 

[MBFanToDeath]

Nice to see you posting again, too, MBFanToDeath

Thx man! I was busy too much; new job, new city...but here I am now and I promise I'll be there for GCF.

 

[Wolfgang]

By the way, the E-Class remains the favorite car of German taxi drivers who cite comfort, durability, reliability, interior space and low running costs as the primary reasons of why it's so popular.

In this Autobild article, taxi drivers talk about the best taxis in Germany: http://www.autobild.de/artikel/gebrauchtwagen-ratgeber-2823615.html

The E-Class gets extremely high marks. Many taxi drivers feel the W211 and W212 are better than the legendary W124. The worst German taxi is the Volkswagen Touran, primarily because it's plagued by electronic issues, suspension failure and DSG problems even before most of them reach 100,000 km.

Some pics from that article.