Hey Craig.

I went from Volvo to MBs, having owned a bunch of 240s and one 7 series (I'm shopping around for Volvo's now, so maybe I have a foot in both worlds).

I will say, an MB (especially the later stuff) is much much more complicated than a 240. 240's are dead simple. I mean they have beam axles. They're tractors. Which is the reason I loved them. With an MB you have to be ready for 2 things that you don't really get with a Volvo. 1. Lots and lots of vacuum. 2 (If a gasser). I hope you like K-jet.

I see you had an 83 240, so maybe haven't been through the nightmare that is troubleshooting an old k-jet 240. With the MB you get the K-jet nightmare + a smaller engine bay + a computer (aka black magic, technically the system is KE-jet). LH-jet really is a beautifully designed, dead simple and reliable system (if you can keep the insulation on your wiring harness ). I really wish MB had started using it in 83, just like Volvo.

With MB, you'll start hearing things that you'd never hear around Volvos, like "technology" and "engineering" and "pinnacle." These are all dirty words to a Luddite like myself.....beam axle goood. Technology, of course, means tight tolerances which, of course, means things break. Unlike a Volvo, it really is hard to buy an MB for $700 that has things that work (like a heater).

Parts are also most definitely more expensive. Before I got deep into Volvo, I'd express interest in them and hear regular car guys (blue oval bowtie types) talk about how ungodly expensive the parts would be. It simply wasn't the case. Yes, more expensive than parts for an old F-100, but still not bad. Some MB parts prices are reasonable, some are just stupid. You have to shop around. Example: a timing chain for a Om616 runs anywhere from ~$40 to about $140, depending on where you go.

If you like Volvos and want to get into MB's, I'd really recommend getting an old 240d with a 4 speed and manual everything. It's a cheap option, most everything will work. Best of all, it's a Tractor .