I just had a crazy idea!

What does anybody know about importing a used car from Europe? I have an Uncle and a few cousins in Switzerland . . . my wife has a great aunt in Switzerland, I have a missionary friend in Poland who we have visited 3 times .. . would it be worthwhile do you think if when I went over for a visit, to get a car, and bring it back . . . ???

Worth looking at as long as you consider vehicles over 25 years old (from date of manufacture). There are import restrictions that can't be overcome inexpensively if looking at vehicles under 25 years old..

I believe the epa & dept of trans both have links to importation requirements. Study these.

Take a look at ebay.de (I think) for german listings. These vehicles are desireable there as well as here. Rust is an issue for W123's in most of Europe just as it is in many places in North America.

Perhaps you could just locate a 5 speed and ship that back over instead of the whole car!

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83 300d - 390k

I mean if I'm gonna go over there anyways . . . but that is an idea, about the tranny . . . if I found a 5 speed from a 300, I wouldn't need to worry about the whole flywheel & shaft setup . . .

I live in Southeast Arizona, I just checked and it is 80 degrees, and 10% humidity! So I'm actually hoping to scratch up something that has faded in the sun down here, paint is much cheaper than body repair/replace and then paint! In reality it is more my wife that likes shinny things, I just like things to work . . .

But the idea of a 300D without all the extra gadgets is very intriguing, and manually operated things like windows and such is right up my ally!

Well, if you're going to the trouble of locating a 5-speed in Europe, try to find the matching 300D clutch-flywheel too. In any case, you're going to need a compatible flywheel and driveshaft if you plan on converting a US-market 300D/TD to a stickshift.
My impression from the various Euro Benzes I've seen on eBay, and reading about the cars owned by some foreign Forum members, is that by the early '80s, manual trannys, especially the 5-speeds, weren't that common in Europe. By then, those foreign buyers that could afford a new Mercedes, often opted for the automatic.

Happy Motoring, Mark

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DrDKW

hey shawn,

i have an 87 300TD with 250xxx miles on the odo. these automatic transmissions are rock solid. my neighbor has an 86 300SDL with over 400k miles on it on the original transmission. and the 300SDL is heavy car so that transmission was always under a lot of stress. he just babied that car, but never very expensively. by that i mean no rebuilds or replacements.

my advice is to find a, 300D or 300TD, turbo with an auto tranny. because if well taken care of with proper maintenance, they will last longer than the car.

don't be scared away by an auto tranny. but if you absolutely must have a manual, then a 240D is the right place to look especially considering your budget. just know that towing anything in a 240 is going to be slow going.

now i know this may be blasphemy to some people on this forum, but if none of these cars match your needs, don't be scared by MB gassers. a 300E will get your towing done, with reasonable fuel mileage if driven carefully.

but let me reiterate that MB auto trannies are ROCK SOLID.



well theres my two cents. or two dollars.

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Current
2006 E320 CDI, 57K bought at 67K "Liesl"
1986 190E 2.3-16, 198K bought at 56K "Brigitta"
1987 300TD (Chuggin Along), 292K "Friedrich"
1995 E320 Wagon, 200K "Louisa"

Past
1987 300SDL, (sold) 125K, bought for 1$ "Kurt"

FWIW having computers doesn't make things hard to work on, you just need the right tools I'll bet you a dollar the injection timing on my TDI, or someone's 606 engine is set a lot more precisely then most of the purely mechanical injected cars here, my SDL included. Technology has its advantages



Don't overlook the 300D Turbo. They really run great. The turbocharger is a simple, reliable design, and yields good performance for day to day driving. As I'm sure someone here already noted 85s are the best year, offering the best transmission control system, and the added safety of seatbelt pretensioners.

-Jason

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1991 350SDL. 230,000 miles (new motor @ 150,000). Blown head gasket

Tesla Model 3. 205,000 miles. Been to 48 states!
Past: A fleet of VW TDIs.... including a V10,a Dieselgate Passat, and 2 ECOdiesels.
2014 Cadillac ELR
2013 Fiat 500E.

I dont know how much work you want to do to this car, but as a guy that bought one of these hoping for reliability and getting a pain in the ass, I would highly recommend you do, or get a compression check done before buying any old diesel mercedes.

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-->1971 mercedes 220D; 617 951 engine, 4 speed

Is that done by pulling the glow plugs, and putting in a compression tester like a sparkplug on a gasser? Is it the same thread as a spark plug? I believe some where I read the number 400 . . . is that PSI! I know they have high compression . . . what would "too low" be? (needs rings, or worse!)

Obviously what ever I end up buying I will get a repair manual to go along with it, which do you recomend?

You all are so helpfull! so many things to think of . . . but . . .I'm taking notes!

Thanks! One thing I still find intriguing about the US 240D is the abundance of simple manual things . . . towing is not a big concern, it will be an infrequent event . . . for instance If I needed to replace my fridge . . . I'd hook up the trailer and go get me one . . . just plan on taking longer to get there, or atleast back! I don't plan on buying a new fridge every year either . . .

On another note, I was looking around the ebay.de, and right now there are 2 (yes two) 240D Langversion! which are 4 doors, but have an "extra" fold up/down middle seat that fits 3 people . . . they do not seem to have a different motor . . . but able to haul around 3 more people . . .

^^You can use either the glow plug openings or the fuel injectors. Either way, take 'em all out.
I doubt it's the same threads, but most testers come with a variety of adapters, one of those will work.
Yes, PSI and I doubt you'll hit 400, but anywhere around 320 is okay. What you're looking for is less than 10% difference between all cylinders. You can conduct a leak down test, I understand is a better indicator of something that needs attention than a compression test. Does the cylinder hold pressure vs. does it produce high enough.
On one car while I did this, the gauge kept dropping after a decent reading, I repeated the test several times, with the same result. The car started fine tho.
I'll suggest obtaining a FSM on cd-rom from MBUSA.com. Click on classics, then technical literature.

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83 SD

84 CD

Jimmy, let me bust your balls for a second. Did you ever think that the problem might not be with the clerical people, since the brochures and all of the other literature calls them DT's, but the problem could have been with the mfr of the badges themselves? The company had problems, and had to get them to Mercedes quickly to avoid a delay in the assembly line. Roll out 1500 cars or so, and someone in management says "Hey, these are supposed to be 300DT's"? Well boss, these are the badges they sent, we'd better go with it, since people are waiting for the cars.
Just a thought.

My apologies to the OP. Back to topic. The 240 sounded good til you mentioned towing. Not sure I'd want to tow anything with a 240. Well, maybe a 600 lb johnboat would be ok. I'm partial to 300d's, and mid to high 20's for mpg isnt' too bad in my books.

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79 MB 280 SEL Euro 133k
77 MB 450SL 154k
05 Mustang GT Vert (3) 104k
12 TSX Wagon Tech (66k) (192k)
06 Subaru Outback base (135k) 164k
16 Acura MDX (109k) 111k
18 Silverado 2500 LTZ Midnight (212) 56k
97 Ford Ranger 163k
11 RAV4 154k
01 Escape 173k
04 Honda Pilot 292k
1967 Mustang (Resto Project)
1968 Mustang (Parts Bin)
00 Ford Ranger 124k

When was the last time you called a MB diesel with a turbo, a "diesel turbo?" -Never......

The dieselturbo crowd is welcome to call their's dieselturbos, anytime they wish...... Mine's a turbodiesel.....an E300TD

Boy did you miss the arguement.

if they are still there, (doubtful) jump on them right now because those are rare. let me repeat rare. so rare that ive never seen one in real life, and ive been to many places where i could have seen one.

GO GO GO

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Current
2006 E320 CDI, 57K bought at 67K "Liesl"
1986 190E 2.3-16, 198K bought at 56K "Brigitta"
1987 300TD (Chuggin Along), 292K "Friedrich"
1995 E320 Wagon, 200K "Louisa"

Past
1987 300SDL, (sold) 125K, bought for 1$ "Kurt"

I would think you can do all, or most of your research via the Internet.

In reverse, I've looked into shipping my diesel motorcoach from the Port of Baltimore, MD. to Belgium, (already got a shipping quote last Summer ) then with my interior electricals modified, and insurance in place, hitting the road in Europe for a few months. Storing it for a few months when returning to the states, then going back and touring some more countries! There really isn't that much to it as long as you have the funding, and are prepared to work through the hassles that invariably occur.