This next car comes as a tip from Dave in Tampa who wrote: I owned a 240d, a W114 chassis like this in burnt orange back in the early aughts. It was absolutely mint condition with a four speed stick. It was so slow I became convinced that speeding tickets were impossible. A few months […]
I’m very familiar with this next car…well not exactly this car, but the W123 240D/300D chassis in general. I’ve owned and driven quite a few of these old oil burners and I can say with some degree of certainty that they are not reliable like a 2005 Honda that’ll just chug down the miles, but they are rugged like a tank. There will always be something wrong with the car (probably related to the vacuum system that controls the door locks and other ancillary features, like shutting down the engine when you key off) but it won’t stop you from reaching your destination. I once had a 300D that experienced what can only be described as total electrical failure – no lights, no horn, no gauges, but the engine kept running and the wheel steered the car, so I drove home before it got too dark. Anyway, enough reminiscing, on to the subject car — what is that color? Wet cardboard? Duchess Kate’s hair? Any thoughts Kaibeezy? Find this 1980 Mercedes-Benz 240D diesel offered for $2950 in Sacramento, CA via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!
This next car is offered at a price that is typically reserved for wrecked or rusted cars…and it appears to be neither. The seller admits that the driver’s seat needs fixin, and the window handle (yes…this means it has manual windows – score!) is broken…but then admits that part of the reason the price is so low is because it won’t turn off when you turn the ignition/key off. You need to dump the clutch and hold your foot on the brake — and I know a thing-or-two about this problem because I had a W123 with the same vacuum related issue that causes the mechanical fuel shut-off valve to stop working. It won’t stop you from getting the car home and it could be as simple as replacing a few dried vacuum hoses…but with new tires/brakes/rotors/steering column/starter…this thing had its value in maintenance in recent times. Seems like a great first car for a kid or 17th car for CFlo. Find this 1981 Mercedes-Benz 240D offered for $2000 in Napa County, CA via craigslist.
This next car comes from Jim H who writes; You guys love these. Yes, guilty as charged. But who wouldn’t love a cream colored beauty with a manual gearbox, manual roll-up windows and a super MB-tex interior. It would be nice to have the extra cylinder found in the 300D version or a turbocharger…but the non-turbo 240D engine will outlive the AI that will eventually turn us all into soylent green, so I approve of this next car. Find this 1983 Mercedes-Benz 240D offered for $6000 in Wilbramah, MA.
They say you should never buy a car in the rain…(which is good advice because you can’t tell paint condition in the rain and the water noise masks potential issues on the test drive)…and this begs the question; should you buy a car with pictures taken during a wash? The answer is no, but that shouldn’t stop you from looking at that car in person and making an informed decision on the condition of a W115.. Personally I like the fact that this car has a 4-speed gearbox and I don’t mind the blingy wheels or the lowered suspension. Find this 1975 Mercedes-Benz 240D offered for $5,600 in Dublin, CA via craigslist.
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.
Happy Father’s Day (a bit late maybe…but whatever) to all you fathers out in cyberspace — this next car is something that looks like a car my dad drove back in the day and brings back a strong sense of nostagia for me. My old man would get them with about 200k miles on the […]
One of my favorite automotive memories was driving a vintage Mercedes oil burner through the hilly streets of San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood. The 2.4 liter inline-4 cylinder non-turbo diesel engine didn’t have much punch, but it did have enough torque to lug up seriously steep hills will very minimal throttle (errr…rack) input. Few cars […]
If “slow and steady” does indeed win the race, then you’ll be the king of the trophies with this next featured car, because the only thing slower on the road is the oil that drips from your neighbor’s pickup truck — and why does he always park that thing in front of your house? Doesn’t […]
Do you need a car that is simultaneously the epitome of and antidote for the zombie apocalypse? Yes, indeed this next car is slower than a blue haired octogenarian driving a new Camry, but it’ll plow through fields of the brainless undead like a John Deere tractor. Find this 1982 Mercedes-Benz 240D offered for $3,500 […]