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

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Scott
1982 Mercedes 240D, 4 speed, 275,000
1988 Porsche 944 Turbo S (70,000)
1987 Porsche 911 Coupe 109,000 (sold)
1998 Mercedes E300 TurboDiesel 147,000 (sold)
1985 Mercedes 300D 227,000 (totaled by inattentive driver with no insurance!)
1997 Mercedes E300 Diesel 236,000 (sold)
1995 Ducati 900SS (sold)
1987 VW Jetta GLI 157,000 (sold)
1986 Camaro 125,000 (sold - P.O.S.)
1977 Corvette L82 125,000 (sold)
1965 Pontiac GTO 15,000 restored (sold)

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

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-Dan
1983 240D AT, 163K running on VO, "The Patience Tester"

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

Scott

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Scott
1982 Mercedes 240D, 4 speed, 275,000
1988 Porsche 944 Turbo S (70,000)
1987 Porsche 911 Coupe 109,000 (sold)
1998 Mercedes E300 TurboDiesel 147,000 (sold)
1985 Mercedes 300D 227,000 (totaled by inattentive driver with no insurance!)
1997 Mercedes E300 Diesel 236,000 (sold)
1995 Ducati 900SS (sold)
1987 VW Jetta GLI 157,000 (sold)
1986 Camaro 125,000 (sold - P.O.S.)
1977 Corvette L82 125,000 (sold)
1965 Pontiac GTO 15,000 restored (sold)

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.

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Currently driving a very clean 1985 300SD from the West Coast.

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.

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

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?!.

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Current:
05 E320 CDI
07 GL320 CDI
08 Sprinter
05 Dodge Cummins
01 Dodge Cummins

Previous
2004 E55 AMG
2002 C32 AMG (#2)
1995 E300
1978 300D
1987 300D
2002 C32 AMG(blown motor :[
1981 300SD
1983 300SD
1987 300SDL
2002 Jetta TDI
1996 S420
1995 S500
1993 190E 2.6
1992 190E 2.3
1985 190E 2.3 5-Speed

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.

Anyone else out there want to report actual findings?

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Bama1


2008 SLK 280, Firemist Red - "Hurricane"
2001 F150 Lariat 4x4, Black on Black - "Badboy"
1982 240D 4 speed survivor -"Pearl" - Donated to Vietnam Veterans
1962 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 -"Gertrude"

1954 model original owner - ~2.5M
Gray softtop/solid exterior/modified chassis

SHOW ME

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

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Bama1


2008 SLK 280, Firemist Red - "Hurricane"
2001 F150 Lariat 4x4, Black on Black - "Badboy"
1982 240D 4 speed survivor -"Pearl" - Donated to Vietnam Veterans
1962 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 -"Gertrude"

1954 model original owner - ~2.5M
Gray softtop/solid exterior/modified chassis

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.

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2004 VW Jetta TDI (manual)

Past MB's: '96 E300D, '83 240D, '82 300D, '87 300D, '87 420SEL

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

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

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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 560SL convertible
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
2005 Dodge Sprinter 2500 158"WB
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!