I am preparing a '90 240 to give to my daughter. At 96 Kmi the car seems to be in excellent condition and to have been well maintained. I am having trouble deciding which type of oil to use.

Previously I have used Mobil 1 in two VW Vanagons with mixed results. The first one was reputed to have been fed a diet of Mobil 1 from its infancy so I continued to use it. When the transmission of that van went bye-bye at 230 Kmi, the engine was still running like a top and using very little oil. I bought my other Vanagon with 127 Kmi. on it and shortly afterward switched to Mobil 1. It has not started gulping oil, but it does like to sip it at about a quart every 1500-2000 miles.

Although this most recent 240 has no obvious oil leaks, I thought I would just go with a dino oil because my daughter will be far from home and I would not want to risk her frying an engine due to the synthetic finding its way past a weak seal. When I went for oil, I noticed some oils, including a Mobil blend, which were labeled as high mileage oils for cars with more than 75 Kmi. Another fly in the ointment!

I would appreciate any wisdom regarding which oil to use: dino, full synthetic or high-mileage.

Thanks one and all,
Rich