1969 220d
 

What would you pay for one in decent condition? My brother picked one up and is using it as a daily driver, but any idea on a resale range?

Thanks

As daily driver the use value is hard to beat. But diesels are special interest cars for people who dont mind chugging along without alot of acceleration.

There's always 1/2 dozen 240D's available at/near $1000 on ebay. But finding one with less than 250k miles is getting tougher and tougher. I bought one 3 years ago for $500, racked up 70k trouble free miles, drove cross-county twice and have since upgraded to one with an excellent rust free body for $1200.

Anybody who knows these cars wont pay more than $1800 tops. Vintage diesel fans tend to be eccentric, few and far between. Appreciation is also highly localized often with rural folks liking em more than do city dwellers. And whenever the price of gasoline goes up there's always a surge in interest for diesels.

Chugging, indeed
 

If ya ain't looking for an interstate rocket, they're wunnerful! And, as Dog points out, there ARE diehard aficiondados out there. In latter years, of course, many 220D guys became 240D fans, then 300D fans, then 300D Turbo
fans - but they've become increasingly complex and harder to work on...

As for gas vs oil prices...the MPG benefits of the diesels have lately been somewhat eclipsed by the hard fact that home heating oil and kerosene and jet fuel and diesel are all similar refinery fractions...which is why diesels may have lost some of their "economy" cachet, at this moment in winter.

e.g. - perhaps a good time to buy one. Especially if you don't mind gradual acceleration. May take all morning to get up to 75, but will then happily chug along all day at it...well, maybe happier at 65...

220D lover
 

I've got a 1970 220D I've been driving for years. I have own 200Ds, 240Ds, 300Ds, 300SDs, and 300SDLs, etc - the 220D beats them all for reliability and endurance. If you can find a rust free (ha ha ha) buy it! (or email me and I'll buy it). I have seen clean 220Ds sell for upwards of $4000.00. I would spend around $2500.00 for an exceptionally clean one - personally inspect for rust, do compression hot/cold testing, etc.

220d
 

I have a 69 220D that had a ton of problems, but was basically a clean car, little rust, good interior, decent compression. I bought it for $750 and have a fair amount of money for parts in it and a ton of my own labor. I've started the car (with block heater) at 10 below zero F. Am now tackling a number of age-related suspension problems (degraded bushings for the most part. With the 4-speed manual the car is governed at 84mph. On flat interstate I've easily brought it up to 80mph, but ddn't push an old engine too hard. The car is relatively simple to work on and very reliable when one has everything up to snuff. I get about 28 mpg in mixed driving and 35 mpg on the highway. Even though I have a lot of suspension work yet to do, it handles and drives like a dream without power steering. If you find a decent one with car condition and price reasonable it's a heck of a nice driving machine.

1969 220D for sale
 

Said car is for sale in Canada for anyone interested. It comes with most spare parts (including engine and transmission, etc). Hardly any rust (if any). My brother is selling it because his wife doesn't like driving it and it was to be their only car.

email me if you're interested.