I posted some pictures in one of my past posts. Some people think the car should not be parted and scrapped, but should be saved. I have read posts stating engine rebuild costs of $2500, which by a quick look on ebay is 2 to 2 1/2 times what a 1976 240D is worth. The rational for sinking $2500 into a car that has virtually no resale value eludes me. Am I missing something?

if its not rusty and or crusty an engine swap should do fine.. just keep the old one and rebuild it one day..

We will run out of decent junk yard engines one day.. we need to conserve our natural resources!!

MetricMotors rebuilds the engines for around $4k if I recall. It's all what you think it's worth. For $4k you could buy a used Ford Taurus that would likely last you another 70k - 100k and all the interior features would work and the body would be in decent shape. Or you could fix that 240d and have an engine that should last another 300k or more with good maintenence. But the body, trans, and interior components would still be old.

So... is it worth it. I don't know. It's all in what you think of the car. Personally, I'd take the Taurus. Much less work.

__________________
-E300d '99 350k
-Suburban '93 220k
-TDI Jetta '03 350k
Sold
-F250 '96 7.3
-Dodge Ram 12V
-E320 '95 200k
-E320 Wagon 1994 155k
-300d Turbo '87 187k miles
-E320 1994 200k
-300d Turbo '84 245k (sold to Dan62)
-300d Turbo '84 180k
-300sd '80 300k
-7.3 Powerstroke Diesel 15P Van 500k+ miles
-190d '89 Non Turbo 2.5 5cyl 240k (my first MB)
Tom's Imports of Columbia MO Ruined the IP in changing leaky delivery valve O-Rings - Refused to stand behind his work. Mid-MO MB drivers-AVOID Tom's.

Contrary to everything I have heard my car died with 148k on it: No where near the 300k plus I hear people talking about.

You will get a pretty low-end engine rebuild for $2500. If I wasn't willing to spend about $4-5000 on a decent rebuild, I would either drop in a used engine for $500 or sell the car to someone who will fix it correctly.

Based on the economics, we would all be driving used honda civics.

next on my list if my car ever dies...

Exactly what "died"?

The OM616.916 motors are tough to find in good shape. They are not as common and always seem to be worn out as nobody wants to rebuild them. I have a running but shot motor in my car and have opted to drop a 300D motor in it rather than rebuild it.

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

A lot matter on how much you like your car. My engine went out on my 300TD and I had a complete rebuild done on it. I love my wagon, but I also looked at the costs. A new car was going to cost a lot more over time than the cost of the rebuild. Also, a used taurus or civic can still break down and have costly repairs. Buying used cars can be a crap shoot. I bought my 300TD 10 years ago and have put maybe 15K into it and that includes the purchase price and a complete engine rebuild. A civic will not be much cheaper to buy/own over 10 years.

Nothing wrong with them, they just don't interest me very much.

Craig,
I have heard of these $500 dollar engines, but I have never found/seen one. Frankly, I know that almost all the pre-1977 engines are either junk, are in clean sparcely used vehicle, or if not junk are so rare that they can garner a hell of a lot more than $500.

148k is terribly low. Not that weirder things haven't happened. But with good maintenence, the 61x motors should last 2-5 times that long.

__________________
-E300d '99 350k
-Suburban '93 220k
-TDI Jetta '03 350k
Sold
-F250 '96 7.3
-Dodge Ram 12V
-E320 '95 200k
-E320 Wagon 1994 155k
-300d Turbo '87 187k miles
-E320 1994 200k
-300d Turbo '84 245k (sold to Dan62)
-300d Turbo '84 180k
-300sd '80 300k
-7.3 Powerstroke Diesel 15P Van 500k+ miles
-190d '89 Non Turbo 2.5 5cyl 240k (my first MB)
Tom's Imports of Columbia MO Ruined the IP in changing leaky delivery valve O-Rings - Refused to stand behind his work. Mid-MO MB drivers-AVOID Tom's.

oh yea.. what caused the engine to "die"

You may be right, I've never looked for a used 616 engine. Personally, I would get a good rebuild and drive the thing forever (if the overall condition is good enough to justify preserving it). The resale value is only significant if you are going to sell it.

So what did happen to kill the original engine?

Craig, if I could find a $500 engine in would buy it. You said, "or sell it", but I can't because it has no value, even when runnng these cars are cheap. Non-running, they are worthless. I posted it for parts and can't even sell it that way.

I didn't buy the car because I love MB, in fact I had no experience with them before. I bought it because I wanted a diesel and there are few choices in that department. Where I made my mistake is that I believed, what I heard: That 148k is nothing for a MB and didn't check the engine out close enough. Based on the oil in the air cleaner though I bought this tired and near death.