There is nothing for the sports driver like a 5 speed Manual transmission. I wish I had them on all 3 of my cars; my 91 Volvo 940 Turbo; my 87 300D and my 85 300D, as I think all of them would be much more fun to drive. I loved the 4speed I had my 240D which I rebuilt..
I just cant find these cars in manual. Does the 87 W124 300E have a manual that can be transplanted?
I'm so upset, I've been looking for Saab 900 Turbos lately...because they always have the 5 speed...
Does everyone feel equally irritated by the Dearth (and death) of the manual Transmission?

I hear ya! My Mustang is even an ATX... couldn't find a Fox body 5.0 5 speed that wasn't beaten to death. The only MTX in my fleet is the old VW bus now (Ok, and the Dodge p/u with a 3 on the tree, but she's not in use at the moment).

I have been eyeing up the VW TDIs. Refreshingly enough, it seems that the majority of them are MTX's. That'll probably be the next car I buy.

Chris

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1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)

I love a Manual Transmission...............Unless of course I am sitting in traffic like last week wen we got the first snow adn it took 2.5 hours to drive 16 miles due to idiots on the road. I was hot as heck after driving my honda with the 5 speed stick...

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Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
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Section 609 MVAC Certified
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"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

I've learnt how to drive a stick many years ago. Would I buy one today? Not a chance. I went back to auto for all my cars including a vette that makes 410 HP at the wheels. I have had the tranny modified to hold the power and shift hard and fast at WOT or any other point. If I really need to do an autocross or something, I would change to a manual valve body.

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01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

Carrameow


I also am a big fan of shifting my own transmission. Wouldn't a manual tranny be nice in a SD, either a 116 or 126? ? I like all the manual features of the 240D but I would give them up (even PAY someone to fix the climate control ) if I could find a 116, with a manual.

I just swapped a 5 spd into my wifes"79" 240D with the engine I rebuilt a couple years ago. Its pretty "spunky" as I bought the over size pistons. Its a fun car to drive but It was just about as much fun with the 4 spd The millage and engine noise are improved on the freeway but the fun of a manual tranny to me are our 2 lane roads around here where I never get into 5th.

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1985 Euro 240D 5 spd 140K
1979 240D 5 spd, 40K on engine rebuild
1994 Dodge/Cummins, 5 spd, 121K
1964 Allice Chalmers D15 tractor
2014 Kubota L3800 tractor
1964 VW bug

"Lifes too short to drive a boring car"

If I had the time and place to really use it like it should, yes. But the auto allows me to deal a little better with all the distractions from my kids. Plus, I'd never be able to wear my Dominators with a clutch petal in there too. And my truck has an automatic which is much easier to plow with compared to the stick that I had in the Willys.

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'82 300SD - 361K mi - "Blue"

"Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement."

listen, look, .........and duck.

Hey...... Have I got a Rare Saab for you....

Although I am not sure if it will go 500,000 miles
It's only got 42,000 on it now.

Stephen

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98 K2500 Suburban 6.5 Luxo Barge

"We cannot change the wind - But we can adjust our sails"

Are you in an urban area? I am SO anxious to swap my AOD tranny for a T-5 in the Mustang... after I get the 190E up to snuff, that'll be my next project. I can see how ATX would be nice in more populated areas, but out here I'll take an MTX any day. Personal preference, of course!

Chris

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1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)

I am in the Madison area and it is in the urban area. However, besides the fact I have wandering hands and eat, drink and what not in the car and that I prefer to go down the quarter mile, an auto is preferable.

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01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

Viva la 5 speed

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5 speed '91 190E 2.6 320,000 mi. (new car, fast, smooth as silk six, couldn't find any more Peugeots)
5 speed '85 Peugeot 505 2.5l Turbo Diesel 266,000 mi. (old car, fast for a diesel, had 2 others)
5 speed '01 Jetta V6 (new wifes car, pretty quick)
5 speed '85 Peugeot 505 2.2l Turbo Gas 197,000 mi. (wifes car, faster, sadly gone just short of 200k )
5 speed '83 Yamaha 750 Maxim 14,000 mi. (fastest)
0 speed 4' x 8' 1800 lb Harbor Freight utility trailer (only as fast as what's pulling it)

My SDL has an automatic. It's really not a good candidate for a five speed. In 1993, I bought a 1986 saab 900 turbo. I think it was SAAB's top model in 1986. I drove it for six years then gave it to my Dad. It's still going strong. I leased a new saab 2001 9-5 wagon. I turned it in last may. The 900 turbo has a five speed and a was really fun car to drive. The 9-5 wagon, also a turbo, had an automatic. It was comfy, reliable, fast, etc. but not very much fun to drive. If I was getting another saab, I'd stick to the pre 1994 900 turbo's.
Dave

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1986 300SDL

I have a 5spd in the work truck and the Jetta is 5speed as well. I have always prefered to choose my own gears and hate the fact that autos use more horsepower and are more prone to problems. I will admit that I do prefer to drive the MB when I am tired. Not shifting once in a while is begining to grow on me. I must be getting old. If I could have my 300D in a good 5speed that shifted well like a T5 in a 5.0 that would be great but I don't really care for the feel of the factory MB sticks I have driven enough to warrant a conversion. I think the reason you see so many autos in new cars has to do with emissions. A computer controlled auto will do a much better job at staying in the power/efficiency range than most "average" drivers with a 5speed. RT

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When all else fails, vote from the rooftops!
84' Mercedes Benz 300D Anthracite/black, 171K
03' Volkswagen Jetta TDI blue/black, 93K
93' Chevrolet C2500HD ExCab 6.5TD, Two-tone blue, 252K

A 603 with a 5 speed would be very entertaining to drive. Mercedes automatics (not the electronically controlled ones) are very nice since you can adjust them to your personal preferences (shift firmness and shift point).

Driving my "other/winter" car, a 1994 Chrysler Town and Country AWD, is painful with Chrysler's 4 speed auto-box. I find myself deciding for it (with the column shifter and the O/D OFF button) most of the time, as that is the only way to make driving it tolerable. Deciding for it doesn't seem to irritate the transmission or decrease fuel economy. Downshifting also saves on brake pads, and limiting the tranny to certain gears extends transmission life by eliminating unnecessary shifting.

I'm seeing more and more 190-series around here...saw a 2.6l with a slushbox today...

Something about an automatic just **seems** like its fragile- I mean, -like in the torque converter you are transmitting the full power of the engine-through 3 quarts of liquid- I guess its just that efficient and heat-dissipative a device.

My 240's clutch has yet to make me unhappy (so much lighter than the VW Corrado clutch....) that comparatively light effort makes me say "heck yeah, I want a sticky-stick in every car I own"
My brother owns one of the vaulted 300E std shifts- its probably the "all around nicest" car I know of"

I have finally gotten over my S-class aversion and would now make that "sacrifice" to have a bigger nicer car. However-If they DID make a 5spd SDL, I'd flog it like it like a dominatrix and smile even bigger =)

-John

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2009 Kia Sedona
2009 Honda Odyssey EX-L
12006 Jetta Pumpe Duse
(insert Mercedes here)

Husband, Father, sometimes friend =)

after living in chicago and having the 5 spd jetta for 7 years and the westy three years my manual needs were done nothing like sitting it traffic in snow and not even getting first gear to its limit before stopping.

had a borrowed honda civic s 5 spd up here for a week and enjoyed it. third would hand up so it was 1,2,4. kept the revs down so i wouldn't go crazy with power.

i think the younger ytou are the more you enjoy stick. like aklim i eat and drink in my car and like holding my wifes hand in the car.

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currently
[1981 300 td tdidi 165500 dark brown/palamino-Brownie-mine-3k miles of ownership
1983 240d 162+++ Anthricite grey w/ henna red interior and hella lights-wifes car-Red

the above two cars are for sale
and can be seen on the cars for sale thread here. pix also available.


240d-144+ Manilla Yellow w/ palmino interior-greasecar kit-Blondie-the college kids car

23" gt 21 speed still on original tires-still got the nubs
21" khs tandem