Hi all,

Recently I've been looking at getting another car to use as a RELIABLE (key word here) beater, an errand, shopping, get-around type of car. Browsing through the ads, I found an '82 240D sedan. Today I went to look at it. It's beige and pretty crappy looking. The front grille is messed up from a previous accident (bumper was not affected), and there are some blotches on the paint. It's a diesel 4-speed manual. The car seems to shift and drive smoothly. However, that is based on me being the passenger. I did not drive the car, as I haven't driven a stick in a long time. I'll test drive it when I'm serious about buying it. I've never owned a diesel car before. What do I need to know about this particular 240D? Do they use special fluids? The owner said he adds regular 10w-40 oil in the engine. Also, when he turned off the car, it seemed to run a little before shutting down. He said it has always done that. The car seems to be in good running condition; it just has a few cosmetic blemishes. Here is a quick overview from my preliminary check today:

PROS
-pretty quiet for a diesel
-runs nicely
-no major dents

CONS
-dirty-looking engine
-driver-side passenger door does not open at all
-power sunroof stopped working
-radio removed
-power antenna removed (replaced with an ugly aftermarket one)
-armrest torn
-missing a couple of hubcaps
-fog lights don't work
-interior is in OK condition, no major tears
-odometer stopped working
-300k miles

The asking price is $550, but the owner said it's worth more. Is this car a good deal? I'm pretty interested in getting a diesel car. Although it will be a beater, it still has to be reliable and not cost much to operate. I don't want to spend money fixing things just to drive it. I heard diesels are pretty reliable and that they last a long time. Any comments about the 240D is appreciated. Thanks!

Sounds like a good $500 car. When you get to 300K miles, any car, even a Benz, is going to require maintenance. Hard to say what yours might need. The basic engine is probably good, so it's likely to be other things that will need work. If you can do some work yourself, there's probably nothing you can't handle. If you need someone else to do the work, it could get quite expensive!

Cossie,

You're definitely on the right track by looking at the 240D. They're a great car and very simple to work on and don't have any of the a/c or heating problems that the 300D and 300TD have. They lighter, have a different spring rate, meaning they handle better and their steering iws quicker.

If like most of us, you fall madly in love with them, you can always find a cheap turbo diesel engine and stuff it. The you'll really be in love!! Double the power and handling too!! Plus you get the simplest MBZ possible. Good luck. You don't say where you're located. If you're anywhere near the L.A. area check out this site, www.recycler.com . Lots and lots of good, rustfree MBZs!!

Ben

I have one and love it despite its problems!!! I would also agree that $500 is a good price, but not anything more. The 4 cylinder diesel and manual transmission combo makes for a vehicle that will last almost forever if taken care of. As Bill stated, the run-on will be vacuum related. Seems the most likely source of trouble will be the hose that leads to the driver door.

Looks to me like the vast majority of the cars issues are cosmetic.

A 240 w/ a manual tranny is the perfect car for a "reliable beater". It is probably the most durable car Mercedes, or anyone else for that matter, has ever built. It's very simple, easy to work on, parts are mostly cheap and plentiful.

$500 sounds like a good price...maybe you can talk him down because of all the defects you listed? I figure anything that runs and drives is worth $300-$500, even if just for parts!

Does he have any maintenance/repair records at all? That would be a big plus.

Mike

__________________
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1979 300 SD
350,000 miles
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1982 300D-gone---sold to a buddy
_____
1985 300TD
270,000 miles
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1994 E320
not my favorite, but the wife wanted it

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