I know what you mean. I drive to school with my brother in his 81 brown 240D. We always get that look. I dont think the kids at my school could run their new cavaliers and 80's GMs up curbs and still drive home. Like you said , after they get a ride, they say they want one, but its just not reasonable for someone who doesnt know whether or not a diesel has spark plugs. Thats whats cool about being able to work on cars, you can drive the equivilant of a 40-80k car everyday for under $5000. Its cool getting a ride to school in a benz, and pay less than the people with their "better" new plastic cars, who think newer is better.

I hate people who are ignorant about cars. End vent.


Thanks for all the replies, its greatly appreciated since I need to make some decisions by friday.

Here is your answer.
This picture is of W110 cars, but not the ones in the PM.
This only shows you the style...

Attached Thumbnails

 

Actually my newer plastic car was cheaper to run. Cents per mile my Camry was dirt cheap, not to mention a very good car for getting from point a to b. My SDL might be getting replaced by a late model Camry if it doesn't stop costing me so much money! I'm doing dollars per mile with this thing! Off to the dealer tomarrow to drop another $400.

Get a 300SD the SDL's have some very expensive parts, also buy a well taken care of example. Poorly maintained ones tend to be money pits!

I don't want to scare you off but just be carefull.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

"I just dont know if a turbo car or anything other than a 240 is reasonable at my age."




im 16 and i own an 83 300sd and i can tell you that you will love it. i bought it when i was 15. its a great car

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have no worries.....President Obama swears "If you like your gun, you can keep it

I totally agree with whunter,

The 300sd and 300d is 99% the same engine, and hardly (if at all) a difference in parts pricing.

The turbo is a 2 hours R+R, tops, taking a coffee break in the middle. I could probably do a turbo RR in about half an hour. lol.

Im 15, just bought my 300sd 2 months ago. Havent driven any MB yet, but that will change, SOON!

If your thinking between 300sd and 240d i would deffinatly go for the 300sd but thats my opinion. Also, if your planning on DIY then, niether is harder to work on. I mean, one more cylinder and a turbo.

My $.02

You can't go wrong with a 123 diesel. Any of them, as long as you get a well maintained example. Having said that, I think the 126 chassis 300SD (81-85) gives you the best combination of realiability, safety, comfort, economy and ease of diy that there is - that's why I drive one. Any of the MBs on your list will be OK IF - and this is a big if - you make sure to get a well maintained example. I would get well maintained 240d over a dicey 300SD any day of the week. Please don't fall in love with a car and settle for one that hasn't been properly kept up. You want one where the engine has been properly cared for, where the suspension parts have been replaced, where there's little or no rust. These cars do exist in your price range (esp. if you don't need working A/C) but you need to take your time and look.

Good luck.

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Tjohn

82 300 SD
77 450 SL (gone)

The 300SD is with 50 miles of my house, so I should really go look at that one. Do you think that car will sell for under 4000?

The thing about the 300SD that worries me is the climate control, and the things like hidden windshield wipers. Theres alot of little gadgets to break, but I dont know much about those cars. I like big classy cars that make you look like your rich, but I just want to be sure I can afford to maintain it.

My father and I are concerned about the engine on the SD. Its got 250k mi. Ive heard they need topend rebuilds at 300k, or they get hard to start in the winter. Opinions?

Someone asked if he could cruise with his auto 240D at 70mph. I have personally cruised at 70-75 for over a half hour. Those engines need to rev. Ive seen the needle pegged and bouncing at 85mph, so Im sure 150 miles at 70 mph wont be a problem. If you think you are being too hard on it, just think to yourself "Im giving it an Italian tuneup."

I've had a 4-speed 240D and and 2 300SDs.

The 240 will be faithful and easy to care for. Utterly reliable and cheap to operate if it is a good example. At 70 mph though, your mileage may be LESS than a 300SD due to gearing. I got 27 travelling at 70 from MD to FL (on the way back did 65 and got 29 - I averaged 30 on a 35 mile commute to work). I get about 29 on the highway at 65 in my SD. Also, the noise at 70 is enough to make chatting a chore - it's not very relaxing. Overall an outstandingly reliable car, but a bit of a slowpoke. By the way, I sold my '82 240D for $3100 on ebay. It was a 2 owner car in 9.5 condition. Had a small leak in the AC and a tiny rust spot. Cruise worked, everything was nearly perfect. Use that as a guide.

The 300SD is a tough car with the exception of the transmission - make sure the trans is working well. There is more stuff to break, and it will, but it's usually not too bad to fix - these guys here are a great resource. The big difference is in living with it. The SD is just COMFY. And I believe safer due to the weight. Also, look at the ridge running along both sides of the roof - that's an aluminum beam designed to protect passengers in a roll-over. I also believe it is safer for inexperienced drivers (sorry, we were all once inexperienced and hated to be called that) because of the greater power. I did not want my college age daughter to buy the 240 from me because there are times when the lack of power can be dangerous for rookies. I drive 130 miles a day and I'm glad every time I get in the SD.

As for a 300D, I've driven them, but don't see the advantage over an SD unless it's because the car is in better shape.

I bought 2 300SDs in the last few months, one for me and one for my wife. One was in DC - 155k one owner, neglected the last couple of years of its life, but good mechanically after a couple hundred bucks. A little rust, but strong AC and decent paint. $1600 (not ebay). The other I bought in Penn. Beautiful white with near perfect paint and interior - 203k. Everything except cruise works great. New $2500 trans 20k ago. Paid $2500. These prices are for reference - I see you're in my area. Check cars.com and autotrader.com - that's where I found these. Ask your parents to help you negotiate. Both of these cars were going for close to twice the price I bought them for. A car on ebay will go for market price usually - you'll probably not find a bargain.

Good luck!

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1984 300Sd 210k

Former cars:
1984 300D 445k (!!) (Strider) Original (and not rebuilt) engine and transmission. Currently running on V80 ( 80% vegetable oil, 20% petroleum products). Actually not, taking a WVO break.
1993 300d 2.5 275k. Current 120/day commuter
1981 300SD 188k (Hans) Killed by a deer

When you talk about the noise, you are refering to the 240D right? $2500 for a trans rebuild? I thought a trans rebuild was under $1000. I guess it would be cheaper to have it rebuilt at the shop?

Whats the difference in parts between the 240 and the SD?

Thanks for all the replies

The 240D sounds like it's going to blow up anything over 70-80mph.. it's working real hard. Forget about climbing grades with it.

No way. Some people on this forum have had theirs over 100. My bros car will do 90 or so. You cant bog the 240D's around. They need to rev. Alot of people say that if you dont run them hard, they will fail prematurely.

My 4-speed 300D sounds overworked at 90 and 100 but it gets there. 240D's are not meant for the highway, IMO. They are city cars.. they made great taxi's in Europe.

I see what you are saying, but they are also not good in areas where quick bursts of speed are needed. A major city would be good, as well as roads with 55 mph limits.

I literally spent months chasing vacuum probs round the system. I'm good at it now, but if you're going for auto trans, we'll see you soon on the thread! Otherwise go for manual - much less time spent fixing, more driving.

A reman trans runs about $1,200-$1,500 give or take. If you change it yourself throw in another $100-$200 for a new trans mount, flex disc, and shifter bushing. If you have a shop change it add another $1k to the price of the trans.

Now as far as the head on a 617 no they very rearly seem to need any head work. The timing chain can be checked for stretch every 15k miles while your adjusting the valves. 250k miles isn't bad if it has been very well taken care of, if not pass. Also check for blow by with low compression winter will be hard. Depending on how much you are looking to spend real nice 300SD's seem to go for $3k-$5k. But their was a nice looking W116 300SD that sold on ebay last month for about $1,500. It was a CA car too so no rust! It migh be worth a plane ticket to get a rust free example. Body work isn't cheap.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200