It is with great regret I list my 240D. Too many cars, too little time. Don't need to sell it or need the money, just it makes my life easier.

The story on this car is that it was built in May of 1983 and delivered to an American Intelligence Agent in Frankfurt, Germany on May 25, 1983. The car lived in Frankfurt and was serviced at the Mercedes dealer until July of 1985 when it was shipped to America in Warrenton, Virginia. The car stayed in Warrenton until sometime in 1998. From there it came to Pittsburgh and continued service there until sometime in 2006 it drove the whole way to Palm Desert, California and back. It's been in the greater Pittsburgh area until I found it in November of 2016 with a man and his son who were on the highway to hell with it. I snagged it from their grasp and over the past two years have been refreshing it as much as I can. I alternate this car with my W116 as a daily driver and would let it sit as soon as the snow started flying. In the past two years I've only done 7,000 miles with it. Mostly just to work and back 30 miles but sometimes I visit friends on a 200 mile trip.

I've taken it as far as I could basically and the next owner can continue to drive it as-it, or keep going with it to keep this beautiful car in all it's glory. Please be aware that this car attracts attention. For every 1 comment about I get about my other cars, this car gets 50. Almost everytime I stop at a gas station or story, someone is asking about it or wants to talk. I've had people walking down the sidewalk come up to my window to talk to me about this car. Everyone loves this car. Rich, poor, rednecks, gangbangers, grandmas, car people, not-car people, pets and just about everything else. I assume it is the Labrador Blue because no one says a word about my beige W116.

The full specs are:
292,xxx miles
4-speed manual transmission
Labrador Blue 312 with matching hubcaps
MB-Tex Navy Interior
Manual windows and sunroof

The OM616 purs beautifully. Always starts fast even on the coldest days. Never misfires or bogs, always runs strong. It'll keep up at 80 mph until you hit a steep hill but it'll climb as long as you gear down. Never once gotten hot and the needle barely moves over the 80 mark. Shifts amazing, no grinding into any forward gears. You can drive this car smooth with one hand and one leg if you wanted to. Clutch is very strong, never once have I felt it slip or give way. No wobbling down the road, it'll track true with no hands on the wheel. This car does not leak anything on the ground. I repeat, this is a clean driveway car. No oil, no coolant, no gear oil, no diff fluid, nothing. My damn OM617 spits oil everywhere, but this car is a clean as a whistle when it comes to any drips.

Cosmetically, this is a 5 foot car. I need to be very clear on this. It looks very very nice in photos, it looks very very nice driving down the road or parked somewhere, but once you stand right up beside it, there are flaws. This isn't a concours car, it is a daily driver. You can poke around all day and find flaws but from a few feet back, you'd think it was amazing. I don't want any potential buyer to think they are buying a pristine example. If you want that, call JG at MercedesMotoring and he'll gladly sell you that for $35,000. You should see this car before buying it so you can see everything with your own eyes and make a judgement as to if you want it or not.

I have all the paperwork in my time plus the service booklet that had everything up until about 200,000 miles. Here is the list I've done in repairs over my 2 years:

1/4/17 Speedocable
1/4/17 Front flex disc
1/4/17 Steel wheels with hubcaps
1/6/17 New dash cover
1/7/17 All shifter bushings
1/11/17 Power steering filter & flush
1/13/17 Diesel Purge with both filters
1/25/17 All 3 belts
1/25/17 New OEM voltage reg
1/27/17 Drivers seat springs fixed
1/31/17 New OEM brake booster line
2/14/17 OEM Air Filter
3/10/17 Oil Change
4/29/17 Clean and lubed ignition
5/28/17 Clean and lubed sunroof
7/12/17 New drivers headlight
7/19/17 New OEM ignition lock and switch
8/22/17 New Bosch starter
8/22/17 New Goodyear Douglas tires
8/31/17 New 4 Shocks
8/31/17 Change rear diff fluid
9/22/17 New LED dome light
10/11/17 Oil change
1/26/18 New wipers
1/26/18 Passenger fog light
2/14/18 Rear OEM pads and rotors
3/18/18 Right taillight bulb
5/12/18 Oil change and fuel filters
8/15/18 Speedo rebuilt
8/26/18 Lower coolant house
8/31/18 Front Goodyear Douglas tires
8/31/18 Speedocable
9/02/18 New rebuilt fuel sender

All that being said, it still needs some things. The door locks are manual, the A/C I haven't played with, it needs two door check straps, the previous owner has some kind of aftermarket muffler on it that sounds average, it smokes a little when its cold, the cruise doesn't work, the wiper fluid doesn't work, the headunit is kind of cheap but functions fine, the dash is cracked under the cover and I'm sure there are some other tiny things we can discuss in detail if you want. Again, please take a close look at all the photos and see the cosmetic flaws.

I feel great about driving this car anywhere. Please understand that it is a 240D with 67 horsepower so climbing long hills is not an enjoyable thing. I could drive it to Florida tomorrow, but some of the long hills in West Virginia, Virginia and the Carolinas would slow this car down. 4th gear is really long, 3rd gear just keeps it above bogging and 2nd gear would be banging the limiter.

Price is $5,500. I am located about an hour south of Pittsburgh, PA. I'll be more than happy to take any calls or texts if you want. I feel like I can explain anything about this car now and answer any questions that I've gone through it.

The photos in all their glory:

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'80 300SD - '83 240D - '00 E55 AMG - '02 G500

Here is a ''cold'' start video from this morning.

https://youtu.be/UaBMr0PFbLo

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'80 300SD - '83 240D - '00 E55 AMG - '02 G500

Looks like a really nice place to begin......

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-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

Thanks.

This is a car you could drive home tomorrow and do nothing with and be totally happy with. It doesn't really ''need'' anything to be a daily driver.

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'80 300SD - '83 240D - '00 E55 AMG - '02 G500

Ah ;

Disagree strongly ~ no central locking, needs seat repairs, other piddly things I won't mention are all visible but the color combination and general tidiness of the car overall makes it stand head and shoulders above 90 % of the 240D's I see even in Los Angeles .

Fit a 5 speed and this would be a peppy commuter as well as a serious road burner .

Sadly not many understand the 20D's appeal ~ I love mine and would possibly keep it over my turbocharged coupe is I had to choose between them .

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-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

And some folks simply have absolutely no sense of irony.

You might be surprised about that .

Certainly in used cars the sizzle will outsell the steak every time .

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-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

I have no desire to start ripping off all the door cars to track down central locking leaks. I am a single guy, I open 1 door 99% of the time. I assume this is true for a lot of people who are interested in 240Ds because I doubt there are lots of families out there using these cars as their main transportation.

I already pulled the seat out of this thing and reinforced the bottom piece so it doesn't sag. If I could find a blue seat that is in better condition that this one that won't cost $500 just to ship, I'd buy it. But for now, this is what it is.

The LA market is soft as **** for Mercedes and all luxury cars. You know this because the guy that bags you groceries drives one. In the northeast, a lot less common.

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'80 300SD - '83 240D - '00 E55 AMG - '02 G500

You nailed it .

Those idiots who drive old Mercedes ruined most of them and are now busily tearing up the W124's and so on .

I have a slightly better driver's seat but I'm using it right now in my '82 240D.....

I didn't mean to down grade this car, as I said I think it's better than most I see .

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-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

Which is exactly why it is priced as it is.

You can go grab a bunch of tan/beige/silver/primer 240s that need a laundry list of things done to them around that $3,000 mark all day.

You want a 240 that is above average and in a bright color? This is what the market is for them.

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'80 300SD - '83 240D - '00 E55 AMG - '02 G500

As an exercise in assigning value please do this:

1) Price the above subject car equipped with an M102 (4-cyl gas), rather than the 616, which is a common European configuration.

2) Price the above car with an M110 (6-cyl gas), used in W123s in Europe thru 1985 and in USA thru 1980.

3) Price a 1984 base European W126 (280SE), 167,000 miles, with manual windows, manual cloth seats, manual HVAC, manual antenna, central locking, electric sunroof. Grey market, one owner, no rust California, federal bumpers & headlights.

This means absolutely nothing.

Why would I compare a 4-speed diesel to any automatic gas cars? And why did you throw a 126 in there too? I'm sure they are all Labrador Blue too, right? Not some bland color that no one wants.

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'80 300SD - '83 240D - '00 E55 AMG - '02 G500

Certainly the desirability and the added value of such a bright blue are not to be denied, as demonstrated in this example:

1983 300SD Eastern CT $500 OBO

83 SD free to good home

Apples and oranges Frank, don't be obtuse .

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-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

well it worked on me

but "500" thru "free" are my triggers

plus because old benzes are fairly thick on the ground here, the color will stand out a little.

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1991 300D