Red Wine Interior: 1974 Mercedes-Benz 240D W115
I’m a sucker for many things automotive, but there are a few that really get my motor revving. The first is a red interior — I love ’em. The Draken had a red interior that was to die for but this next car has it beat. Another thing that gets my coil all charged up is a manual gearbox mated to a diesel engine. I know diesels are low on power and manuals require all sorts of effort and concentration…but the combination of a non-turbo diesel engine and 4 or 5 or 18 speed gearbox just makes you feel a man-machine connection that is nothing this side of a jet pack or a neural network. And this next car has both. Find this 1974 Mercedes-Benz 240D offered for $3900 in Victorville, CA via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.
From the seller:
1974 Mercedes 240D
condition: good
cylinders: 4 cylinders
fuel: diesel
paint color: white
title status: clean
transmission: manual
type: sedan
( Sorry some of the photos are of the car as I removed all the trim and bumpers to polish the paint, some of the photos are of the car now, with bumpers back on )
- Nice original, and great driving, 1974 stick shift, factory A/C Mercedes in rare, light grey with red interior. *
Odometer is working and reads 59,000 miles.
@30mpg
Lots of recent work to get it for reliable daily driving.
- New clutch slave cylinder
- New tires
- replaced battery with correct deep cycle, Diesel Group 49 one
- replace starter and cleaned/ re-ground all connections
- Rims were run-out for trueness and are not bent. They were painted before the new tires put back on. Brakes are good all the way around now.
- Shift bushings are now tight and the glow plugs work properly.
- Fuel filter change.
- New stick shift boot ( since photo)
- Replaced one cracked tail light.
- Engine was professionally degreased and cleaned. NO LEAKS.
-Paint was cut and buffed with all the trim and bumpers removed. Some of these photos I took before the side moulding gets put back on, its included. - Front seats were re-stuffed and have the original seat covers on them in nice condition. The plastic side roller which adjusts the seat back needs to be re-installed, its in the trunk. The back edge of the headliner has come down away from the roof.
- Replaced the rear window seal with a new genuine one.
The front windshield is still the ORIGINAL Sekurit Merecedes one.
The car was equipped from new with air conditioner but does not blow cold air.
There is some rust in the rear right lower part of the rear fender but its not structural and in fact there is no other rust on the car- its a very solid car.
The car had a lost title so I asked a DMV service to complete the paperwork since I can not go into a DMV office. The back fees plus registration will total $650. It can be processed in a couple days and you can have legal, California paper plates while you wait for the title.
Drives well and is ready to take anywhere.
See a better way to have yourself a Mercedes-Benz? tips@dailyturismo.com
That black and chrome dash/ steering wheel just oozes class. I’d be a little worried about the title status but I’m not typically out shopping for 46 year old Mercedes sedans so maybe it isn’t too big of a deal. The quarter panel rust looks a little “heavier” than the seller is noting too. This would be a fun and absurdly slow tank to rumble around in for the next few decades.
I’m not supposed to tell you, but I know this diesel manual W212, and OK, it’s got brown MB-Tex seats, not red, but rest of the interior is black, and yeah, it’s a turbo, but it’s a twin turbo and one of those is dual port, and also it’s an estate, and we all know how you feel about longroofs, and so anyway, it told me it would like you to come up and see it some time.
Wow. Why is it so cheap? The seller has done all the annoying stuff! I would buy and bring it back here to my no title on old cars state, but don’t have a spot for it. It would melt into my gravel driveway into a scaley pile of flakes. Except for the seat covers. Those will stay just as they are into eternity.