Mercedes-Benz 240D cab in service since 1988 has traveled 4.35 million miles

Cabs usually have it rougher than most personal cars, but how much can any car be driven continuously?

Well, the right answer is ’round the clock’ because a Mercedes-Benz 240D cab from the W123 generation has more than 4.35 million miles clocked.

You read that number right — 4.35 million miles, or 7 million kilometers.

It’s an outrageous amount of distance, even for the long routes in Spain, where the cab achieved this feat.

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The never-ending drive of the Mercedes-Benz 240D

This W123 Mercedes-Benz 240WD is easily the topmost candidate for the highest-mileage cars in the world, but since it’s a taxi with different people driving it, it doesn’t hold a record.

However, recognition comes where it’s due, even when it has to be for the car instead of its driver.

According to local news outlet Tenerife News, the extended limousine first entered service in 1988.

The owner purchased it in 1986 but registered the car two years later, in 1988 — you get the point.

Unlike an Uber Sedan these days, the Mercedes-Benz cab can fit up to seven passengers, plus its driver.

Moreover, it’s 17.6 feet long, which gives it a unique ‘Lang’ moniker among other W123 variants.

It even got a special nickname from residents of Gran Canaria, who call it ‘Dominguito.’

Regardless, 4.35 million kilometers is no joke, so how did the car pull it off?

It was driven for 24 hours every day by three different drivers on their 8-hour shifts.

The odometer would have had to be reset to zero after reaching 1,000,000 miles, as those things can’t record any distances past the one million mark.

Keeping up with the rough use

Naturally, you might think, ‘But a car that goes through all that would eventually break down.’

You’re not wrong because it goes through 52 oil changes every year — which is basically one per week.

However, oil changes aren’t enough to keep a car running in ideal conditions, so it goes through a series of routine maintenance sessions after traveling for certain distances.

Irv Gordon’s Volvo remains the world’s highest-mileage personal car since a cab doesn’t count.

Since its entry in the late 80s, some parts have been replaced.

Although the Mercedes-Benz 240D retains its original chassis, it has a new engine, a modernized steering wheel, and some other hardware.

Because it goes through endless passengers every day, the seats get reupholstered every now and then.

At this point, it’s more of an icon rather than a practical choice to use as a cab today.