1980 Mercedes 240D on Ebay

[tradonguy]

Please make sure to ask the seller lots of questions on the 1980 Mercedes 240D listed on Ebay #4624225513 as this was mine (owner #3 after my Dad who bought it from owner #1, kept it for a few months, and brought it to me). I had it for about 3 years before I sold it to the present owner (#4). Don't hesitate to ask me questions about it as it was my 'pride and joy'. I loved the car but I bought a 1981 300SD and I couldn't spend any more money on the 240D.

The paint is all original except for touchups and some work on the left fender. I painted the grille a charcoal colour to give it a nicer look.

New to the car while I had it: Euro lights, new clutch, Red Line Synthetic oil in the transmission and rear end (aided it in getting 40+ mpg), left front jack point repaired as it was rusted out, new seat covers (seats were fine underneath with no ugly rips), new brake line, 3rd brake light (GM) in the back window, white faced gauges, cd player, a new battery and one vacuum part for the door locks.

I made some biodiesel in small amounts and ran it like an additive in the car. It ran smoother and took away quite a bit of the typical diesel rattle.

The vacuum door and trunk locks worked fine but the gas cover lock did not. The sunroof worked well most of the time but once in a while it would stick so I lubricated the rails and that seemed to help. The transmission shifted very smoothly after I had the clutch replaced and Red Line synthetic oil installed. It started very well with semi-synthetic oil in the engine but I did park it most of the winter.

Areas that needed work when I sold it: rust at the top of the rear coil springs where they mounted had to be worked on to pass the Ontario Safety Inspection, and the cruise control lever had to be replaced as I accidentally broke it when I installed the white face gauges. I sold the car as a parts car as a parts car since it didn't pass the safety inspection. It is important that you find out if the rust problem at the rear springs has been fixed before bidding. If that has been fixed, it is a fantastic car. If I were bidding on the car, I would like to see a copy of the safety inspection showing that it passed.

[tradonguy]

I just received an email from the present owner of the 240D and he did fix the problem with the rust at the spring mounts. With the work I put into it and he put into it, this is a very nice car. I'd buy it back myself if I didn't have my 300SD.

[pawoSD]

I doubt that 240d achieved 40+ mpg, factory specs from Mercedes in the 70's proclaimed "9.4 liters per 100km" with a 240d w/manual transmission at 130km/h or 81mph. That works out to roughly 25-26mpg, most get a little higher (28-31) due to lower speeds etc...but I don't think its possible to surpass 35 mpg with a 240, maybe if it was all downhill at 55mph....but not in normal scenarios. If they could get that good of mileage, I'd be driving one.

[tradonguy]

Please note that 40 mpg in Canada equates to about 32 mpg in USA. I did get 40 mpg per Imperial gallon (Canada) for sure. You're absolutely right. Getting 40 miles per US gallon (50 miles per Imperial gallon) would be pretty close to impossible unless it was going downhill with a tailwind.

I hate getting poor fuel mileage out of any car so I keep the engine tuned properly, run with semi-synthetic oil in the engine, synthetic oil in the transmission and differential and keep my tires properly inflated. It works for me.

[pawoSD]

Ohhh, that makes sense then. I thought that liters were used primarily in canada? The fuel pump I went to when last there was in liters....or are both systems used?

[krs]

Originally Posted by tradonguy

I just received an email from the present owner of the 240D and he did fix the problem with the rust at the spring mounts. With the work I put into it and he put into it, this is a very nice car. I'd buy it back myself if I didn't have my 300SD.

Given the rate of vehicle rusting in Canada et al, this may be a very different car than it was when you last owned it.

Also, in several vehicle dealings with Canadians I've noticed that the fact of rusting is seldom acknowledged until there is complete rust THROUGH of vehicle frames or visible panels. All other rust is deemed to be"sweat blisters" or other odd thing and not rust at all.

[tradonguy]

Actually our fuel sold in Canada is all in litres. I still think in miles per gallon because it sounds better to me than litres per 100 kilometers.

There won't be a whole lot of difference in the car since I sold it last spring. The current owner has parked it in his garage. I can tell you most of the areas where there was rust. There was some minor rust around all the jack points except the left front where I had it fixed. There was some very minor rust bubbles around the rear wheel wells and in the front fender wells. I did replace the crossmember underneath the radiator that was rusted quite badly and I did some fibreglass work on the front fender wells. And there was some rust in the trunk side pockets and at the bottom of the front doors. When I sold the car, I advised the new owner of all the areas of rust.

[tradonguy]

32 miles per US gallon = 40 miles per Canadian gallon = 7 litres per 100 km