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

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

Thats about the kind of driving I do in NW WA. I travel down I5 and have no complaints with my 240Ds going over the passes. I know a nice big SD would be a sweet ride, but my 240s are fun too drive, I'll stick with them:D

Yup, the 240D is a great car if you can live without the top end.

Ok, someone has to do it, three pages is long enough...

Yes. A 240 is slow.

While they may have their up's and downs, their lack of power is well known.

There I said it. Now go drive the vehicle and see if it's something you can live with. But at least the question you asked has been answered.

For the record, I'm a mechanic, and over the years have driven any number of vehicles, from Kenworths (not as slow as you'd think when unloaded) to Ferraris (not as fast as you'd think), and about everything in between. Many an owner will tout their make/model's benefits, but from an unbiased standpoint, 240s are slow.

MV

Well, I live in Miami and I'll get run over here if it's slow. Here's the link in case anyone is interested.

http://fortlauderdale.craigslist.org/car/347325957.html

How about a 1980SD, is that slow and could I live with its a/c in hot Miami??? I want a diesel so bad but am going to patiently wait for "the one."

The 5 speeds give me a nice top end, I usually keep it around 70 but 80, 85 is no problem. The two lanes roads around here are traveled in 4th, 45-50 zones.

SD's have turbos and are a lot faster, as long as the turbo works. An '82 or later 300D would have a turbo as well.

That 240D has a good price, but I'd like to see some interior pics...I think with a car that old you should test-drive it before purchasing. Also, the 4-speed manual is not rare among 240D's.

It will not average 35 mpg as claimed. The most I would expect from a 240D is 30. I've heard from some that the 300D's (5-cylinder) can get better mpg than the 240D's (4-cylinder) simply because the 300D's don't have to be driven pedal-to-the-metal to keep up. :D

I agree, 35 mpg is just not true. You would have to work pretty hard to get 30 mpg, the high-20s are more realistic. I probably get slightly better mileage with the 240D than the 300D, but I don't push it as hard. If you drove a 300D like a 240D (same acceleration, same top speed), the 300D might do a little better (due to higher gears and the turbo engine being slightly more efficient).

I used to have an '82 300D and it got about 4 mpg less than my 240D. I agree high 20's is more realistic and that's what I get. How far you press the pedal doesn't matter. What matters is how much fuel is being injected into the engine. Turbocharged cars inject more fuel at light throttle if the turbo is spooled up.

35 MPG is a tad much to expect as an average but a well maintained 240D, driven 55-60 mph on, say a commute to work will do close to that. I have sold two (4 spds) in the past couple years that are doing just that. I told both buyers to expect about 30 and they reported back with close to 35 MPG. Needless too say we were both happy. This was in the summer and under ideal conditions for the 616.

That would take a much lighter foot than mine, even with a manual transmission.

This thread reminds me of this:

http://www.thebenzbin.com/hotrod.html


street racing with the 240d

LOL
It sounded like they were actually racing...until he mentioned how fast they were going :D