Looked at an '83 240D today. Seller is asking $3800. Thinking they'll take a little less. 246K on the odo. N. Carolina car, very little rust. None on the underbody, suspension points, fender wells/fenders, etc. Jacking points and surrounding areas are clean and rust free. A couple spots here and there, mostly surface, nothing major. White exterior. The interior is "henna" and very nice, as well.
Engine starts right up after glow light goes out. Smoked a bit when cold. After warm up and when driving didn't notice much smoke at all. Engine seemed to run very strong, to me. However, when I did the oil cap test, it danced around a good bit and there was a good bit of smoke. The cap stayed in place, never blew off. Wondering how much weight to place on those results (as far as a buying decision is concerned)?
I don't have much to compare this car to. I currently own an '83 240D with about 50K less miles on it than this car (that's the extent of my MB diesel experience). My 240 is literally a dog compared to the one I drove today. I've done most of the recommended maintenance items on mine, i.e., valve adjust, fuel filters/screens, timing chain check, etc., all good and mine just seems lethargic comparatively. FWIW, mine is very well mannered in the "Oil Cap Test" dept.
Another issue of concern is the auto trans. The "for sale" car shifts very well from first to third but doesn't seem to want to go to fourth. The shifts are smooth, no jerking or flaring, although they seemed a bit high in rpm's compared to my 240. I had it up to 60, a few of times, and it still wouldn't go to fourth. The seller, who was along for the ride, said, "it'll go in eventually". I didn't feel comfortable pushing it any further so I didn't and began to wonder if every time they drove it, the engine was pushed to over 60mph, in 3rd, to get it to shift to 4th?
Wondering if there's something relatively minor, adjustment/part, etc. that will get the trans shifting a little better. The vacuum system seems tight. My 240D shifts smooth as butter. No jerk or flare, nice and easy.
Many more positive attributes about the Carolina car. Just thought I'd ask about what might be, or should be, a deal breaker.....