240D's stick shift vs. the automatic? Looking - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Guest987 · #1 11-23-2013, 07:17 PM

I was wanting to ask if the '83's were a better car with the stick shift vs. the automatic or not? Like for acceleration and like running on the highway.

toomany MBZ · #2 11-23-2013, 08:12 PM

Sticks will be a bit faster, you control the shift points.

Automatics take some horsepower to even move.

As for once moving, negligible difference.

charmalu · #3 11-23-2013, 08:38 PM

Any year 240D, a manual Transmission is a better set up than one with an automatic transmission. The manual trans wakes them up some.

A manual trans 240 will get better mileage. the acceleration will be better.

My bro in law has an 82 with over 140K miles on it and auto trans, our 80 240d has 359k and a manual trans. A yr and half abo we both went up to Portland, Or. we both filled up at the same Truck Stop in Lathrop, Ca. It is 100 miles east of Santa Cruz here on the coast. We got 100 miles into Oregon and he needed fuel. and we had enough and made it just shy of Portland. had a Motel in Wilsonville. we fueled there, it was 634 miles. we got 33.23mpg and he was getting 27.

I have driven his car, and it is doggy compared to the manual trans.

If you are shiftless, then I guess an auto trans is for you.

These old W123 are old, so when you are looking at one, condition condition condition is important. You are buying deferred maintenance and prior neglect along with rust and accident damage. so which ever one you look at, better check everything over good. I don`t are what the owner says how wonderful his baby is. once you hand over the loot, it`s your baby now.

.

Charlie

shertex · #4 11-23-2013, 08:44 PM

I had an 83 240D manual....I liked it fine and found that it had adequate get-up-and-go for whatever I needed to do. But I remember thinking that I would NEVER want to own a 240D automatic...if it were much slower at all than the manual it would just be too sluggish.

Skid Row Joe · #5 11-23-2013, 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shertex

I had an 83 240D manual....I liked it fine and found that it had adequate get-up-and-go for whatever I needed to do. But I remember thinking that I would NEVER want to own a 240D automatic...if it were much slower at all than the manual it would just be too sluggish.

As long as the AC was turned off for dead start acceleration, the 240D was a fine car. My Father bought several new 240Ds, and even a new 220D - all automatic transmissions with AC. I was permitted to drive all of them as a teenager.

sokoloff · #6 11-23-2013, 10:43 PM

I've got a little perspective on the original question. I bought my 240D new and for the first 16 years it had an automatic transmission. For the last 14 years it has had a manual transmission. Same car, just different transmissions. Changing the car to a manual transmission was the best thing I ever did to that car. I say find a manual if you can.

ichris93 · #7 11-24-2013, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skid Row Joe

As long as the AC was turned off for dead start acceleration, the 240D was a fine car. My Father bought several new 240Ds, and even a new 220D - all automatic transmissions with AC. I was permitted to drive all of them as a teenager.

This is so true!

bricktron · #8 11-23-2013, 09:20 PM

sometimes i wonder if there was ever an automatic 200D. aufgh!

Skippy · #9 11-24-2013, 06:16 PM

Stick. I would never buy an automatic 240D.

Guest987 · #10 11-25-2013, 10:00 AM

Is there anything you might suggest beyond maybe jumper cables to take along for the tripping back?

Mölyapina · #11 11-25-2013, 11:05 AM

Oh no -- here goes -- do not be intimidated!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jooseppi Luna

Tools:

Jumper cables
Wire (Spool, coat hangers, whatever)
Duct tape and pantyhose
12" x 12" metal sheet (for jacking on soft surfaces)
Complete set of tire changing tools -- lug wrench, working jack of somesort
Metric & standard wrenches & socket set -- something like 1/4"-5/8 and 7 mm to 19 mm along with a 27 mm.
small emergency tire compressor^
tire gauge
folding shovel
Piece of pipe to use as breaker bar

Emergencies:

Fire extinguisher
Flares/warning triangle (bonus points if it's M-B)
Fully stocked first aid kit.
AAA
Cell phone car charger and charged cell phone

Spare parts:

Properly inflated spare. Make sure the spare is in good shape & well inflated.
Fuses
Inline & secondary filters
Set of belts (if you need to replace belts on your car, keep the old ones as spares)
Spare fuse for preglow relay
At least two spare glow plugs (if you change out the GPs all at once, test them all and keep the good ones as spares.)

Fluids and miscellaneous repair items:

Quart or two of oil
Bottle of power service grey/white (depending on the season)
Bottle of ATF
WD40 (ok as penetrating oil but also can double as starting fluid if your glow relay goes out)
Good penetrating oil
Green Slime^
Distilled water*
Kitchen sink
Paper towels and gloves (not rags, because you don't want oily rags sitting in a hot car

)
Duct tape
Electrical tape
JB Weld

Other miscellaneous needs:
Reading/listening material (for when you're stuck on the roadside for hours)
Snacks
Distilled water*
Maps if you will be in a rural area with no cell reception/don't have a smartphone
Booster (jumper) cables.
Flashlight
Common credit card and debit card

^These go together
*Serves a dual purpose

Snow driving:
Tire chains or treads
Length of tow chain
Come-along
Wool blanket(s) or equivalent(s)
Tube sand or equivalent
Some sort of shovel
Scraper/brush

barry12345 · #12 11-25-2013, 02:36 PM

More important to a person like myself is a real serious look around at everything sometime before departure. Plus if the car has had no frequency of breakdown type issues as a general rule. Usually they will go the distance.

For example if the car has been developing issues say once every two months in general service that would impact roadability it is not going at my hands.

Overall acquired true milage is another factor. I would much rather take a 123 with say 200k true miles across the country than one with 400k miles.

Unless the majority of wear items are or have been replaced. Another general rule of mine is almost anything is easier to replace at home if there is any indication it is questionable at all before leaving.

Yes I guess I am just an old fuddy duddy. Still my cars have always went there and back no matter whatever the milage travelled except on two occasions.

Once I lost a rear wheel bearing in a volkswagon in Pennslyvania. And once I lost a front cv joint in upper Michigan. Both times there were no garages locally to take the car in.

So with some effort I got the parts changed out myself. Luckily I could source those parts in the towns where the car was.

DieselPaul · #13 11-25-2013, 03:00 PM

Having a 240D automatic that will hold upshifts to the original maximum speed in gear is also very important. I've driven lots of the purely vacuum controlled autos that shifted days too early.

My dad has a really nice 83 240 that we tuned the VCV and modulator back to spec and it will let you rev to the hash marks on the speedo in each gear and that car isn't noticeably slower than manual 240s I've driven and swapped.

The manual is more fun but if a 240 is slow to you, a 240 4speed isn't a totally different car in my opinion. Regardless of gearing the car has 67hp.

upshift · #14 11-25-2013, 03:10 PM

Regardless of transmission choice, you're still pretty much out of steam at 77-78mph, and neither transmission will give you the magical ability to downshift at highway speed- by that point, the engine is wheezing pretty hard as it is.

Dan Stokes · #15 11-25-2013, 03:17 PM

I only take one item on these type of trips - my car trailer. Doing an assessment at the buyer's place is sketchy at best. Why set yourself up for an unpleasant trip? Pop it on the trailer, bring it home, and then go thru it from nose to tail and make it right so you know you can count on it from here on out.

Before I had the trailer I did these "bring it home" trips and I had about a 50/50 success ratio. Now I've upped my odds to 100%.

Dan