I'll have to agree with you on the above statements.

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1974 240D 3.0L 4(M) - 250K -OM617.910 + 300D FW + Rajay turbo power!
1977 6.9 3(A) - 84k

[QUOTE=Stevo;1392153]Hey Stevo,

Thats a great story too! What a deal.

I expected the same thing....a ratty, rusty worn out parts car. Wife was belly aching all the way there to look at it and when we pulled up out front she was the first to say "Hey, that car doesn't look bad". It's got a little spot of cancer but thats it and the henna interior, although not my favorite color, doesn't look too bad either. The carpet is barely faded and only the drivers seat has a hole in the bolster and thats it. No cracked dash either. Original Becker that actually works including the tape player.

The guy that gave it to me just wanted to see someone have it who cared about it and could get some use out of it. His wife actually cried when we took it away. She said that car was so much a part of the family after having it so many years. And it is a great car. We love it too.

Cheers,

Bill

and I agree too that they take more skill to operate, especially mine with worn synchros and a turn signal lever that doesn't stay down. Someday I'll get around to fixing the latter, but till then, it's quite fun coordinating turning the steering wheel while holding the turn signal lever up, double clutching & downshifting all at once to make a right turn

There's a rhythm to shifting an older Mercedes manual transmission, you can't cram it into gears like many other cars (not that that's good for them, either). Then you've got the interesting torque characteristics of the 4 cylinder N/A diesel (it feels sluggish until you get to a certain RPM and then it gets very responsive, then kind of levels out at even higher RPMs) and combine that with the heavy weight & mass of a car with only 67 horses. Add that to modern traffic conditions and impatient drivers in front of and in back of you, and driving a 240D can be a real art! I think it has made me a better driver though, and honestly, ever since I bought my 240D, I periodically take drives just for the sake of driving - not necessarily because I have to go somewhere. Curvy, hilly backroads are especially fun.

I still wish I had bought that Euro W123 300D 5-speed manual w/ turbo 617 transplant that was on eBay last year; that would have been the cat's meow, but I'm really happy with what I have (in-between repairs). Although, one thing to consider if buying the 1976 and older models (W115 chassis) is they are more of a pain to work on than the W123's....the oil filter is much harder to change, and you have to check & change the oil in the injection pump and air filter periodically as well as the crankcase! While I love the "personality" of my W115 it seems from what I've read here that the W123 chassis has fewer overall "issues."

-AC

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1976 240D "Katja"