German Parking Green: 1973 Mercedes-Benz 220D
Call me old fashioned or a fuddy-duddy, or whatever you want, just don’t call me Shirley…anyway…where was I…oh yes, call me persnickety, but I think this is a lot of coin to ask for an old diesel Mercedes-Benz. It might be the older (and stately…er?) W115 generation Benz executive car (instead of the more common W123 Diesel Benz you see rolling around streets of Calcutta, Cairo, or Cincinnati) but it is still a relic of a time when traffic didn’t exceed 55mph very often. But this car really harkens back to an era of Princes, Sultans, and Maharajas and I’m obsessed and mystified by that shade of green. Find this 1973 Mercedes-Benz 220D offered for $12,500 in Antrim, NH via craigslist. Tip from Cory.
From the seller:
1973 Mercedes Benz 220D
condition: excellent
cylinders: 4 cylinders
drive: rwd
fuel: diesel
odometer: 38200
title status: clean
transmission: manual
1973 Mercedes-Benz 220d. 2.2 diesel 4 speed manual. All original only 38k miles. Bought from original owner 2 years ago. Was in a garage since 1992 then i bought it. Since then i rebuilt fuel system, all new brake hoses calipers, pads and rotors, new tires, clutch master and slave cylinders. Original paint in immaculate shape no rust anywhere. Exterior 9/10 interior 10/10. Rubber is in good shape. Original owner installed a turbo in the 80’s. Runs great. Only issue is i went to reset the trip last time i took it out and now the odometer will not move, something is stuck if i have time i will adress the issue. Other than that the car is 100%. Asking $12500
See a better way to drive green? tips@dailyturismo.com
The original owner may have known the trip reset button trick. That would explain the low mileage.
1970s VDO odometers with the gears made of cheese.
Love these cars and took my first driver’s test in one. Would’ve passed except that the guy giving the driving test thought that I was shifting it all wrong.
Came back the next week and took it in an old Maserati 3500 GT convertible where the shift point from first to second gear was 60 miles an hour. (It could also do 60mph in reverse but that didn’t come up in the driving test) And it had straight pipes. Just left it in first except for the freeway part of the test.
Back then every year Mercedes-Benz would mail you a guide to diesel stations in the United States that would go in a little packet with the book of exploded diagrams and part numbers for everything from nuts and bolts to pistons and replacement blocks. Apparently you could telex a number and have the parts shipped to wherever. Totally different from the current organization.
In 1971 a ladyfriend decided she had to have a Mercedes, only needed someone to buy one for her. That wasn’t me. I worked at a German car repair shop though, and a local librarian had just bought a Mercedes 220d like this. She offered it to me to show my friend.
I went to where she worked, she saw it and got all excited. Ran out, sat in the drivers seat, looked at the dash and interior and said absolutely nothing. I don’t know what she expected but it certainly wasn’t utilitarian functionality, no matter that the doors closed solidly with one fingertip. Her mother later thanked me.
Mygodwasitslow! It did inspire me though to buy a 1963 220s for the heady sum in those days of $900.