yea... riiigghhhht.. all of florida except my area is flat .. lol My area is a 200 series diesel's enemie


A 4 speed 240D is something nice and 98% bullet proof. If everything checks out I would soo buy it

Don't get me wrong, I really like the 240D, I own one. However, it is not really a highway car. It is a 3500 pound car with less than 70 HP and the aerodynamics of a brick. I doubt you can find anything else on the road with a worse power/weight ratio. The manual does feel slightly less underpowered than the auto, but that's mostly "seat of the pants" perception. With lower gears, it is a tad quicker than a 300D up to about 25-30 mph, but so is my daughter's electric scooter.

Everyone in the west does actually cruise at 75-85mph, if you don't you will have semis all over your rear bumper, even in the right lane. I just drove back from MN to CO (in my 300D) with the cruise control set at 80-85, and more than a few cars passed me like it was driving a moped. I have made that trip in a 240D, and I was just about the slowest thing on the road. Try driving a 240D up a mountain (at 8000 feet above sea-level) with 80 mph traffic in the left lane and 35 mph trucks in the right lane. Trust me, that's not the car you want to be driving on the highways in this part of the world.

my experience has been that the car is fine for any kind of driving.
if the throttle control isn't set up properly, a 240 will run ok, but lack acceleration and lose something on the top end.

I can cruise my 240 at 80mph at 5,000 feet without any problems. There's a big hill going to Santa Fe where you reach 7,000 feet. I start the hill at 80 and end up at about 62mph at the top. I find that I can keep it at at least 60mph up most any hill at higher elevations.

Scott

I have an 83 240D automatic and it is painfully slow

I think even slower than it should be as I'm still sorting out some problems. The linkages in this car play a crucial role in the performance. I haven't got that sorted out yet so I don't think its delivering enough fuel.

If you want to know your 0 to 60, get out a calendar, it takes forever. Once its there though its golden

I would get a 240 ONLY if it was a 4-speed - for that very reason.

Scott

Its funny because it is a slow car, kinda like a VW bug (old bug). If you can get use to it you can actually have fun with it. You can beat on these car and they just keep going. I think its the perfect around town buzz bomb and it can do the highway if you are a smart driver. Simple to work on. Changed my starter and didn't even have to touch the air cleaner. Love mine.
Everyone has opinions and experiences, you just have to drive one and see what you think. Thats the best test.

Yup, I've been up that hill a few times in my 300D, the difference is that I can set the cruise control at 80 and it will stay there all the way up. There are a few hills in CO that will slow the 300D down, and you don't want to try them with the 240D unless you have all weekend. I agree, the 240D will easily maintain 60 mph under most conditions.

That's absolutely true, a long time ago I was looking, and tested '77 240D models, a manual and an automatic, on the exact same highway. There is a difference, and you will really notice it when you go up hills.

Definately matters.

damn man you must have some magic 240 there. Ive only heard of 190D manual 2.2's that get that mileage on diesel, and your getting it on bio?!.

240Designed for the autobahn
 

Miami, FLA...sea level

Yeah, the 240D is no hot rod...

Yet a good 240D with a manual transmission will travel at 85 all day if you want to...unless you're teleported to Pike's peak or Cabbagehead mountain, then they'll go as slow as the rest of the traffic.

I'll see if I can actually find the top end speed sometime in the next couple of months. I'll have to be especially careful because speedlimits around the Eastern half of the US are posted at 60 to 75 MPH depending on the state. Daily Average speeds around St Louis is 35-45 MPH due to traffic and waywayway BAD Drivers.:rolleyes:

Anyone else out there want to report actual findings?

SHOW ME

"A sucker is born every minute"
P.T. Barnum

It wasn't Barnum that said that.

Over here, certainly not everyone does 75-85 mph. Quite to the contrary, even in my 240D I frequently get stuck behind some moron in the fast lane doing the speed limit or under while being totally oblivious to everyone passing him or her on the right. Normally, I cruise at 70 mph in my 240D which is about the average speed on the freeways here.

I have gone over Donner Summit (about 7500 ft) in my 240D and it wasn't too bad either. Toward the top of the peak my speed dropped to about 55 mph. I was in the middle lane passing semis on my right, but getting passed on my left as expected. No big deal.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There's_a_sucker_born_every_minute

the story is here
http://www.historybuff.com/library/refbarnum.html