is a 1983 240D a turtle?
 

I don't know much about the 240D's, four speed. Are they painfully slow? Anything in particular that you have to look for mechanically? One just came up for sale that I am interested in, asking $1950.

If you're used to a 560SEC, then yes, it will be slow. ;)
Otherwise they are great cars, pretty much bombproof with the 4-cyl non-turbo diesel and manual transmission.
You will have to look ahead on the highway to get your momentum up, because they don't have a lot of passing power or hill-climbing power, what with 68 horsepower...when new.
If the car you're looking at is in good shape, go ahead and get it. Nothing like a classic Mercedes diesel.

That is a good buy for a car as well built as the 240D! This of course depends on condition! Also these cars were advertised with 68 or 69 Killowatts of power, horse power is more like 85 to 90, still not a lot and turning on the AC will make it even slower! However mine is getting 40 MPG on Biodiesel so there is a lot to be said about how much power you will really need at $3.00 per gallon and rising! Buy it. If you don't, send me the info, OK?:D

I'm pretty sure its like 60-70 at the flywheel when new. Subtract a lot at the wheels and some more from age. They are slow but not too bad. Flordia is pretty flat so I think it will move you around OK. Don't expect to be a racer but you will need to be a thoughtful driver who plans their moves ahead of time.

Painfully slow was a 1967 200D 4spd that I had for awhile. I have a 1977 240D AUTOMATIC that starts in second gear(set up that way from the factory)and it is slow but on the highway it is just fine. Mine also has the BIG York A/C compressor. That takes alot of power out of the little 60hp engine but it is fine on the highway.

0-60 in 22 seconds I believe. I didn't mind driving mine, just had to pretend I was racing the other cars on the road. :D

Yup, you'll be accelerating from each stop with the pedal to the metal, and you'll barely keep up with the other cars that are accelerating casually. The acceleration isn't too bad and it really depends on your expectations.

I dont know about Killowatts of power, but my 240Ds only have 67HP:D

This MB is actually the one that's a "turtle", shape and all!
http://www.mbzponton.org/images/mb_190D_1959.jpg

The 240d is a fine car. Perhaps not suited to very congested high speed traffic in the perimeter areas of very large cities though. I have two and live in a sparsly populated area and they are just great.
Some examples are a little noisey at highway cruise speed so before purchasing try the car on the highway. If youi find it acceptable fine. Also try to keep the 240d well tuned as you cannot spare a lot of power by inefficiency. I have nothing against automatics in general but a 240d with one decreases performance further.
A really nice upside is later you can buy up a really rusty but mechanicxally good five cylinder turbo car and transplant the engine,transmission and rear end in. Same chasis.

Not like a Turtle.....
 

....more like a Brick.......I had an '84 240D several years ago, and from my experience....one must be careful when accelerating onto an Interstate or Freeway, but once up to speed it's not too bad.....but you may have to shut down the AC on really looooong hills........:D

SB

i love them especially with a stick.

i do think though it is the only car where shutting off the ac during acceleration is a part of the routine!

tom w

Where did you find an 84? ;)

I like them too, but they are very slow. They are not really useful for highway driving, but a great little "around town" car.

[QUOTE=Craig;1531947]Where did you find an 84? ;)

I have an "85".... they didn't send them to the US after "83".

My little old four-speed 240D will leave even the automatic 300D's in the dust, off the line. :pleased:

Howsomever, I totally disagree with the opinion about the highway. They are just great for in-town driving, curvey country-lane excursions or road-rally and freeway driving. Granted, they do not have the top-end speed that the heavier, more horsepowered iron offers, but who really actually cruises over 75-85mph anyway? Even with my big old V8 427 hp Ford, I do try to keep it legal.

I have driven mine from Alabama to Maine, all over the South, including Tennessee, Kentucky, North Gawja, both Carolinas and Virginia and the mountain/Highway combinations were not difficult at all. Matter of fact, seems to handle them pretty well particularly since you can use engine braking aspects that you just cannot get from an automatic. And it is exceedingly comfortable on the looong road trips of 300-700 miles or more. And it gets what? 25-30MPG?

The manual transmission is practically bullet-proof. However, I am on my second clutch...I guess those things just wear out after a hundred and seventy thousand miles or so. Looks like I'll be due another one in about 80K Oh, the clutch is a DIY repair that takes all of four hours...

Anyway, If it is solid-bodied and reasonably well cared for, I would jump on it, offer him much less cash (like $1150), negotiate a reasonable price($1400) and not look back. If you don't like it you will likely be able to turn it for close to cost if you don't go overboard with non-essential add-ons. Heck, with some careful detailing and judicious care, you could end up making a few dollars.

Anyway, they can be great fun to work on if you enjoy that sort of thing. I gave a 240D to my son when he was 15 for him to learn on and he pretty much repaired everything on the car short of tearing into the engine. Course the engine only needed occasional valve adjustments and is still chuggin along. That was six years ago and now that diesel fuel is cheaper than gas he opts to use it for a daily driver instead of his '05 pickup. It is still a great value that will get him from one place to the other:D