A friend of mine has the option of taking a 240D from her mother and has asked me to review the car with her and offer some suggestions on what it may need. Being somewhat familiar with M-B but not diesels I wanted to get some thoughts from those who have more experience with these vehicles than I (which means all of you ).

Since no money will be changing hands here, it's a little different than the usual 'is it worth buying?' question. I'm more concerned about what technical issues to look at and how to guage what will need to be done to get the car into good running order. It is my understanding that the car does run but has not been driven much at all during the last several years.

Any thoughts are much appreciated.

jlc

PS - if it turns out that my friend is not interested in the car, I'll make sure that it get's posted here for anyone who may be interested in either a project or parts depending on the car's condition.

__________________
Jeff

'87 560SEL 267K (177K on motor) Blue/Blue
'98 Buick LeSebre 60K (wife's car)
'56 Imperial Sedan 124K
Past Cars:
'67 Dodge Monaco 130K (Sold)
'87 Chrysler 5th Ave 245K and going strong (sold)
'73 Plymouth Satillite 175K (sold)
'96 Chrysler LHS 80K (totaled)

It is a reliable, no frills vehicle which served me very well during my college years. It is a snail when it comes to pace and needs careful shifting to survive the on ramps but with manipulation you can manage well. The OM-616 engine is bullet proof and frugal. The only weak spots would be the hydraulics which have a tendency to go bad and the OEM 185mm clutch which tends to go with heavy acceleration runs. Update to a LUK 235mm clutch and you have a winner there which would last a long time.

Hydraulics going bad? Weak Clutch?

In 533,000 miles, my 240D has had front calipers rebuilt once, master cylinder replaced once and both clutch cylinders rebuilt once each. I wouldn't exactly call this maintenance schedule evidence of bad hydraulics. It is very simple and inexpensive to flush hydraulic fluid annually. If you do this your hydraulics will be almost completely trouble free.

In the same 533,000 miles I have put in the third clutch. I wouldn't call this evidence of a weak clutch. If the car is driven properly, clutches will not require replacement any more often than any other car.

The achilles heel of these cars is the climate control if it has one. Most 240D's have manual a/c controls which are virtually trouble free and the steering box which will often get slack. I can't think of any other significant weak points of a properly maintained and properly driven 240D. As said earlier, they are simple and bullet proof. From a reliability and longevity standpoint, they may be the best car ever built IMHO.

Good luck,

If someone had problems with the hydraulics on a 240 it is probable that the flushing once a year or at least once in a while was not done... most people don't ever take the moisture out of the brake fluid unless the calipers are replaced... Preventative maintenance really pays off on these cars...

You guys forgot to mention the 123's real achilles heel, water leaks!

Lift the carpets and look for water in the floor, especially in the rear seat area. Pull the trunk side liners and look for water in those wells. And pull the battery to look for corrosion on the firewall.

Mechanical stuff is all relatively easy and cheap on a 240D (if it's a 4 speed manual). Body and interior stuff can get expensive.

__________________
Rick Miley
2014 Tesla Model S
2018 Tesla Model 3
2017 Nissan LEAF
Former MB: 99 E300, 86 190E 2.3, 87 300E, 80 240D, 82 204D Euro
Chain Elongation References

Yep, forgot about body leaks, however, again proper maintenance pays off. If you simply keep the underhood drains clear, this will not be a problem.

Have a great day,

Guys,

Thanks for all the ideas so far - keep 'em coming.

I believe the car is an automatic which eliminates the concerns with the clutch hydraulics but probably introduces its own set of problems...

jlc

__________________
Jeff

'87 560SEL 267K (177K on motor) Blue/Blue
'98 Buick LeSebre 60K (wife's car)
'56 Imperial Sedan 124K
Past Cars:
'67 Dodge Monaco 130K (Sold)
'87 Chrysler 5th Ave 245K and going strong (sold)
'73 Plymouth Satillite 175K (sold)
'96 Chrysler LHS 80K (totaled)

aside from having one replaced about three years ago.

If you get used to the odd diesel power curve, you can keep out of trouble. My '83 will cruise all day at 80 and above.

These are almost perfect cars, and a search of the posts here on diesel W123s will reveal a really vast body of arcana and fixes accumulated over more than 20 years of service life...THAT in itself is a tremendous endorsement for the longevity, reliability, and other positive attributes of these very special cars.

Automatic transmission introducing its own set of problems? You got that right.

Not only do you get an expendable transmission, but you have a car that doesn't have enough acceleration to get out of its own way.

A 240D is a MUCH better and simpler car with a manual transmission, and manual EVERYTHING for that matter.

Have a great day,