To the first question here, I think you would not really see much difference in repair costs between the two engines unless you buy a bad example or the transmission in the 190D goes bad. The automatics in the W201 are pretty good but have their weak points, mine was replaced probably originally because of the common issues with these transmissions (which usually is the B2 piston, not too costly of a fix DIY) but the PO took it to a guy that slapped in a transmission from a parts yard, and that transmission failed almost immediately, which I hoped was the typical problem but turned out that water got into that transmission as is sat in the parts yard and that was the end of that transmission. I ponied up and bought a remaned transmission with a 3 year warranty for $2100 after determining that it would not be viable to find another used transmission. Realize I just put that transmission in less than 5,000 miles ago so the original transmission had around 305,000 miles on it before it had problems, very good for an automatic, especially if you compare it to the Plymouth van I grew up in (died at 120K miles, past what they usually go at).
The engine's most common problem is the vacuum pump if it has not been replaced with the updated style, which many out there for sale have probably already been upgraded. An expensive weak point on the 240D would be the AC system, mainly the compressor, but by 1986 I believe it was, Mercedes switched from using crappy GM compressors and went to more reliable denso units.

Now for your second question: miles. I think you could honestly go out there and buy either of these cars with 800,000 miles and be fine IF the car has been taken care of. Look to see if the suspension bushings are rotted, the tie rods are loose, the ball joint boots are cracked, the axle boots are intact, the flex disks are intact, the engine and transmission mounts are not collapsed (cause terrible vibrations in the car), do a compression test if possible, a blowby test, make sure the diff is not leaking, check if the steering feels loose (worn steering box), the brakes are not spongy, the door locks work, the AC/heat works, check for sounds that shouldn't be there. If the owner has maintenance records, even better. Make sure the odometer matches the documentation.
Usually with a lower mile car, there are less issues but that is not always the case and there are as I said, exceptions to the idea that high mile cars are not good to get. I will say repairs add up quickly if you use a shop, but parts can still add up quickly if you do your work yourself. I have way more invested in my 190D than it is worth but it is starting to get to be to the point where most of the things that normally go have been replaced.

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Current: 1975 450SEL, 83 300D, 88 Yugo GVX, 90 300D OM603 swap, 91 F150 4.6 4v swap, 93 190E Sportline LE 3.0L M104 swap, 93 190E Sportline LE Megasquirt, 03 Sprinter, 06 E500 4Matic wagon.

Ah yes! Thank you.

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Cheers,
Bill

One thing I neglected to mention Dan...my 240 was a one owner car with maintenance receipts from day one totaling $13 K . Dealer maintained BTW.
I like the stick far better than automatic for 2 reasons. Longevity and MPG. My car still has the original clutch and many have told me the 4 speed gear box is indestructible.

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Cheers,
Bill

I would not consider anything but a stick in either car because of the expense to repair an automatic. That said if I found a really clean one I'd buy it and gather parts for a conversion and do it when the auto acts up.

Mileage really does not matter if it has been taken really good care of. There is nothing that cannot be fixed on them. I like the 300D's too but for daily driving a 240 with its manual heat controls is the way to go...if you can find a nice one.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

My two cents:

A 240D will be higher quality interior, more robust. Less power, lower mileage, won't brake and steer as well as a 190D. Prone to rust. Classic looks!

A 190D will be faster, handle better, and won't rust nearly as badly. Engine will produce less soot, so you can run extended engine oil drain intervals, up to 10k I'll bet, need to validate with lab analysis. Better mileage. Paint quality not as good as the 240D.

If you can live with the low-rent interior, slightly more complex and delicate engine, get the 190D. Look for a car with complete service record history, buy the best car you can afford/find.

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Respectfully,
/s/
M. Dillon
'87 124.193 (300TD) "White Whale", ~392k miles, 3.5l IP fitted
'95 124.131 (E300) "Sapphire", 380k miles
'73 Balboa 20 "Sanctification"
Charleston SC

The 190D 2.2 and 2.5 NA came with manuals in the US.

If it were me, I'd probably go for a 190D 2.2 5-speed for mileage reasons.

To the OP: the pre-W123 240D is made on the W115 platform. The confusing thing on that is that they called the 6-cylinders W114s and the 4/5-cylinders W115s even though they used the same body.

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"Senior Luna, your sense of humor is still loco... but we love it, anyway." -rickymay ____ "Your sense of humor is still loco... " -MBeige ____ "Señor Luna, your sense of humor is quite järjetön" -Delibes

1982 300SD -- 211k, Texas car, tranny issues ____ 1979 240D 4-speed 234k -- turbo and tuned IP, third world taxi hot rod

2 Samuel 12:13: "David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die."

My pick would probably be the 190D 2.5, manual. If you could find one, that's not been abused by some college kid who's idea of maintenance is filling the radiator with water. I remember road test reviewing these cars when they came out, and they were fantastic! Fun to drive, quite, very good on fuel, and very tightly built (actually, better than some other M-B cars at the time, as Mercedes was intent on this "baby benz" being perceived as the genuine article).

A common problem with the 190's as they were passed down to neglectful kids pretty frequently (at least by the condition I see most of these cars in, it's clear someone owned them with a "disposable car" attitude).

A nice clean, lower mileage, well maintained 240D manual would be hard to beat, for ease of repair.

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1983 W123 300TD US spec Turbo engine, with Euro bumpers and manual climate control, and manual transmission.

I think the main concensus is a 'well maintianed' car. Mine had a good body. The interior looked bad. It cleaned up though. I went through a lot of the stuff. Still have the front end to do. It was aprtially done by the previous owner. I probably have 5K to 8K into it. 240D. It probably would have been better to get a $5K car or such. Mine probably has $300K on it. I did some engine work, but not a rebuild.
I like my 240D for the short drive to work. It will get up to 70 75 mph farily easy. Its a manual 4spd. If it where a 5 spd, and a bit better seats, then longer trips would be OK. Maybe when I get the front end done, and see about the seats, my opinon might change. It is soothing to drive though. Meditation of 4 wheels. No radio, only rap is the deisel.
Tom

The 83 and 82 240D's were pretty rust resistant.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Yeah, find one that was taken car of by a college kid like me. My 190 would likely be in a junk yard if it was not for me. My 240 would be in worse shape too.

Yeah my '83 doesn't have much rust at all but my '81 parts car is real rusty even though it was garage kept for 20 years.

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Cheers,
Bill

Like all metaphors, and similes nothing absolute was intended.

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1983 W123 300TD US spec Turbo engine, with Euro bumpers and manual climate control, and manual transmission.

No harm; makes me feel better when I am above the status quo of college students.

For the OP, or anyone else contemplating a 240D. I've just posted a thread here in the diesel section detailing my 240D's fuel log and maintenance history. Bear in mind that this was a 1300 dollar car for me and if it were not for my stupidity I would still be driving it. Real bedtime reading

- Peter.

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2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S

Lots of good information here. Thank you for taking the time.

Would anyone mind taking a look at these listings and mentioning what they think of them? I'm not necessarily looking to buy this month, but I feel it would be good to keep an eye out and have the experts give their opinions.

This one is priced at the higher end of the spectrum, however it looks like there may be a reason for it. Unfortunately, it is an automatic:
1983 Mercedes-Benz 240D *NewTrans/RebuiltEng/2Owner**DIESEL/AUTOMATIC*

My favorite, however it's miles are undocumented and it needs a few weekends of elbow grease:
1974 240D Diesel w/ Manual Transmission OVERHAULED

Looks clean:
1983 Mercedes 240d 4 speed manual

Here are a couple 190Ds:

Looks clean, but automatic:
1986 Mercedes 190D DIESEL

Not as clean, but a few less miles:
1986 Mercedes Benz 190D diesel none turbo

Why not throw in a 300D:

Is it rare to have a manual in a 300D?
1984 Mercedes-Benz 300D Sedan Blue, Classic, Great Shape

As for the automatic, I'd much rather have a manual for this drive, however I have an injured left leg. I guess this is a good time to ask how stiff these clutches are? As long as they aren't as stiff as the ones in 300 hp+ cars, I'm ok.

Thanks again,
Dan