EBay 240d

Is this car for real? I'm having trouble with it for some reason.

__________________
1981 240d
Newport,RI

My god, that thing looks like it just rolled out of the factory!!!!

The engine compartment is so perfect, and the interior looks awesome, and the paint is ridiculously shiny!!!!

I think I'll go drive my poor car off a cliff now...

Only inconsistency I could find is that the odometer seems to say 24,40something, which is a couple miles off what he says, but that's lower so what the hell.

It's going to go for a pretty penny, though...and I just couldn't justify paying that much money for a "new" car that went that slow...I'd love to get a 240d, but for 1 grand tops, then restore it for a couple grand more.

But maybe that's just sour grapes.

__________________
"I would rather be ashes than dust!
I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brillaint blaze
than it should be stifled by dryrot.
I would rather be a superb meteor,
every atom of me in magnificent glow,
than a sleepy and permanent planet.
The proper function of man is to live, not to exist.
I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them.
I shall use my time."

-Jack London 1876-1916

1983 300CDT (running WVO since 12/05)
1981 300SD (parts car)

suspicious of the sheep skins and the aftermarket rugs. if i had a car of that low mileage i would want the potential buyer to see the actual seats and rugs. also i would never pay a premium for low mileage on a car that i could not absolutely verify the mileage. that means a personal inspection. also i couldnt get the report/ inspection to open, could you?

what you can see in the pics does look good though.

the car also has euro hupcaps on it, for what it is worth.

__________________
[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

i dont like the cut pile carpets in the newer models

give me some nice old knot weave carpet!

i agree that sheepskins and floormats should not be present on a car that will sell as highly as this one will or should. it just seems like its hiding something. i also agree with T-W, an inspection shouldnt be trusted when it comes from the person that stands to profit the most from it!

it does look mighty shiny, though. and im a big fan of blue cars.

__________________
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i1...Untitled-1.jpg

Look closely... The cargo nets on the seatbacks are sagging. Mileage claim is obviously bogus.

Why would anyone want a car that perfect anyways? Imagine the guilt you would feel with every mile the odo rolled over. Parking lot paranoia would probably drive me nuts too..

__________________
'90 300SE 298k
-300K and it gets put into retirement.
'80 300D 255k Purchased new by family in 1980.

Had a:
1973 220 (gas)
1980 300SD
1992 400E

Wow! It's beautiful. About the sheepskin covers, I think they were a dealer option back then, they still are today. I am looking for some sheepskins for mine, they're just so dang expensive though.
-Joe

__________________
'81 MB 300SD, '82 MB 300D Turbo (sold/RIP), '04 Lincoln Town Car Ultimate

Sooner or later every car falls apart, ours does it later!
-German Narrator in a MB Promotion Film about the then brand new W123.

I found a nice set of sheepskins in Denver for my 123 for less than $250 (Colorado Sheepskin Co. 1-800-392-9665).

Too nice a car to use as a driver, it will be interesting to see what it sells for.

I'm a little unsure of this car. It may be the real thing but the seller has zero feedbacks and then, as someone has mentioned, the cargo nets are sagging. Would like to see the drivers seat under that sheepskin too. This one is hard to believe.

Cheers,
Bill

... and the photography really sucks! Can't trust a seller that doesn't own a decent camera or know how to take good pictures

DM

it is hard to tell with a photo and don't know if it means much anyway but the glove box door doesn't match the surrounding dash material. i am not sure if the sagging nets mean a lot.

again, i wouldn't pay a premium for mileage on a car that i cannot feel, drive and touch. there are a lot of fakes out there. heck, benzes are so well made that if an odo has been changed, which most have been after this many years, you just cant tell by the usual methods if the car has 100k 200k or even 20k. and a non benz nut might buy one and think it is actual low mileage and then sell it along fully believing (or really wanting to believe) that it is very low mileage.

i had a 74 240 from california that showed 70k. (99,999 mile odo). the guy i bought it from believed it was first time around... i didn't. but when i took the wheel off to do brake pads ,the calipers and all around that area was incredibly clean and the factory paint on the calipers was all solid and clean, so i wondered again. the seat pads were all squished flat though.

so it is pretty much down to looking at very believable maintenance documents. of course at 26k you wouldn't have to fake that many. not like a 200k car.

tom w

__________________
[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

The speedo on my 240 only goes to 85, I think that MB stopped putting 100 mph+ speedos in those things right after 81/82. This car is an 83...which would mean that the speedometer may be new...which means someone may have played with the mileage.

I'm probably jumping to conclusions. Maybe it's a euro? I saw that the headlights are european; perhaps euro 240Ds have different speedometers.

__________________
1982 240D.
My name is Michael, and I am an 18 year old binge-drinkin', cigar-smokin', novel-writin', all around unsavory and unnattractive guy. I tell long-winded stories, and I only shave once a week, although I've had to do it every day since I was 16.

euros have speedo in kilo. the id # will reveal origins. the web site from austrailia has a comprehensive breakdown on the #s. most euro cars have cloth interior, at least a lot do. also most that i have seen have no cruise. i own a 84 280e euro. if i could look at in person there are a lot of small clues that give it away.

not that being a euro is bad, it just means that the speedo has been changed.

i could write an essay on the plusses and minuses of euro models, but another time.

__________________
[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Assuming this is a US spec car (which I think it is - it appears to have US bumpers and interior), I believe the speedo is correct for the year. I think 82 was the last year for the silly 85mph speedo rule. I think MB went back to normal US speedos in 83. If you look at the other 83 240s on eBay they seem to have the same speedo. Am I correct?

lol...it didn't even occur to me that a euro would a kmh speedometer.

__________________
1982 240D.
My name is Michael, and I am an 18 year old binge-drinkin', cigar-smokin', novel-writin', all around unsavory and unnattractive guy. I tell long-winded stories, and I only shave once a week, although I've had to do it every day since I was 16.

I've got an '83 240....it has a 100mph speedo. I know the speedo is the right one in mine.

Cheers,
Bill