1) Vehicle model and year

1983, 240D that I've owned since new.

2) Factory install or owner inflicted retrofit?

Came with an automatic. Installed the manual when the transmission went at about 292,000 miles. Parts came from a used MB.

3) Any other modifications (i.e. 4 to 5 cyl, turbo/nonturbo, intercooled etc) made to vehicle?

Nothing else.

4) Level of satisfaction with manual transmission performance

Car now has 335,00 miles and is just great. Feels like it has more get up and go. 0-60 time is about the same, but it feels so much peppier. No change to speak of in mpg, still aropund 28 or so in all conditions.

5) Anything else you can think of?

Absolutely the best improvement I could ever have made to the car. Wish I had done it ten years earlier. Cost was a little over half of what a rebuilt automatic would have been and that's with me paying labor to have it installed. It's pretty much a bolt in operation and if you are a medium to heavy DIY'er, you can probably handle it.

Len