Another "should I buy" thread... '82 240D

[MaydayMike]

I went and looked at a 240D yesterday. It's an '82 model, automatic, power sunroof, power windows. Pastel Grey over navy blue tex.

The good...
NO RUST! Not a single little spec anywhere, even underneath. Starts and drives great. Much quieter than I was lead to believe from people here. At 75mph, it was smoother and quieter than my wife's 99 v6 mustang, despite the fact it's turning almost twice the RPM's. Shifts great. Firm but not harsh, no flaring or delayed shifts, and kicked down properly when required. No visible leaks. Fresh looking amber colored coolant. Good oil pressure, and never got over 85C on a 20 minute test drive. No visible smoke. I followed him to see a second car that he had, and was able to watch for smoke under varied driving conditions, including a mile long 6 percent grade. (he was able to maintain 55 mph up this hill with the AC on. Some new AC components, ice cold AC. He has cleaned and greased the window regulators and the switches. No issues there. Same with the sunroof. Front end bushings look good (rubber is not hard and cracked). CV boots also look fine.
It has half worn Michelin X's and plastic wheelcovers on it that resembled Bundts (never seen these berore), but will come with good used freshly painted hubcaps.

The bad...
Cracked dash, console wood is cracked and wrinkled (but still shiny), 2 inch crack on drivers seatback on the outside bolster where wear usually occurs. The cloth backing of the tex is intact here, its just in the outer vinyl covering. Some blow-by at idle, oil cap rattles but does not blow off. Engine shakes a little at idle, but this is not very noticeable from inside the car. Working odometer shows 242k. No records. Ran a carfax, but it did not tell much. It had only three records. 1/2004 237,000 mi service facility. and 5/2007 no milage new owner (which is when current owner purchased the car) The third entry just says no recalls from MB.

The current owner says he bought this car to drive himself. He has a rusty euro 5 speed!! and he was going to swap the cool bits onto this car. However his mechanic friend advised him to find a 4 speed car to simplify the swap, and he did so, making this car avalible for sale.

He's asking $5000. Within this price he will buff the slightly oxidized paint, and install a dash cap. It seems a little high, but with the exception of the dash and console wood looks as good as the high dollar Ebay cars. And I can be assured that it has no rust, which is hard to do with an ebay car that is hundreds of miles away.

I'll put up a few pics shortly. EDIT... crappy cheap camcorder pics here.
http://s239.photobucket.com/albums/ff103/maydaymike_album/

[JackG]

It sounds like a very nice car, with a very nice price
tag to go with it. I think it is a little on the steep side,
but if you are looking to keep it for the long haul, it will
work itself out. Rust free is hard to find and a big plus.

[Stevo]

5K is way too much for an automatic 240D. Heres what ya do. GET THAT EURO WITH THE 5 SPD, tell him you want too start with a "parts car", then go look for a good rust free 123. A manual 240D would be an easy swap then you'd have yourself a fine car.

[MaydayMike]

I already asked about the euro... He just laughed at me!

I do think $5K is a little high, but it's a nice car. You will end up spending a couple $1000 to fix the wood and replace the dash and seat cover if you want it correct. I paid about $3K for my 240K with a little lower mileage and a better interior. However mine had a couple of minor dings and needed the usual $1000 worth of AC work. I would probably try to get him down a little on price, but if you really like it, what's the difference? The only hard part will be finding a replacement blue dash that isn't cracked. I would probably just install a black dash anyway.

It depends what you want, for $5000 you can buy a serviceable, but not great, 300D with more power. Just don't expect to buy either for $5000, put in a couple more $1000 to clean up the nits, then get your money back if you sell it. These deals only work if you plan on keeping it for a long time.

I wouldn't get hung up on the auto transmission. Personally, I think autos are just fine in 240s, a four speed might be fun (for a while), but a five speed is pretty silly unless you spend all you time driving downhill. These cars are slow with either tranny, if you want a sports car buy something else.

[MaydayMike]

I thought the auto suited the car just fine. I havn't driven a manual 240, but I imagine it would be a lot like my Yugo, constant shifting to keep it in the narrow powerband, and it's still not much faster.
I'm looking for a car to keep for a while. The current owner says this is the nicest body that he has seen in a long time, which is the reason he bought it in the first place.

[Jim B.]

Sorry to hijack the thread but could we see a picture of the '64 Biscayne?
Been so long since I saw one. Not very many survive. I almost got a '64 Bel Air sedan as my first car. A family of nuns had one for sale. But I got their '64 Chevelle 300 instead (Almond Fawn) instead. It was for sale too - my first car. Will never forget it, and wish I had it today.

And the '82 240D auto. will be slooooow. Definatgely more than the stick,on hills. If you don't mind that, rust free ones are tough to find nowadays.

[Stevo]

Originally Posted by Craig

a five speed is pretty silly unless you spend all you time driving downhill. These cars are slow with either tranny, if you want a sports car buy something else.

I gota disagree with you on that one. True, my 5 spd 240Ds are no "sports cars" but they have plenty of zip and are a pleasure to drive on the back roads or on the freeway in fifth gear. I can actually stay in 5th going up a "not too steep" incline if I'm going 70+MPH, not too mention good fuel economy.

[t walgamuth]

I am concerned about the engine shake. A smooth even idle is the sign of a good engine. I would not buy it until I knew what is causing the shake. It could be anything from a tight valve to a broken ring.

His mechanic telling him to get a four speed donor sounds fishy. Swapping a stick into an automaitc car if you have a complete donor is pretty straight forward.

It is either a fishy story or the mechanic is not very knowledgable, imho.

Tom W

[holthoff]

^^^^ I agree with Tom's post above.

Also, the price is at least double what it should be. Five thousand dollars should get you a near perfect 240D automatic.

Originally Posted by Stevo

I gota disagree with you on that one. True, my 5 spd 240Ds are no "sports cars" but they have plenty of zip and are a pleasure to drive on the back roads or on the freeway in fifth gear. I can actually stay in 5th going up a "not too steep" incline if I'm going 70+MPH, not too mention good fuel economy.

I'm sure it will work on level (or nearly level) ground, especially near sea level, but it hardly seems worth the trouble to squeak out another 5-10 mph from a 70 hp car. I'm glad it works for you, but I don't think I would bother.