Neat '68 200D....e-Bay..... - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Shorebilly · #1 06-09-2007, 07:34 AM

Folks,
I was just browsing this AM, and I turned up this 1968 200D...Green/Tan...looks like it's in good shape.....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Classic-Mercedes_W0QQitemZ150129549265QQihZ005QQcategoryZ6329QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Unfortunately, I just can't squeeze out that much cash at the moment....I need a new concrete floor garage...SOON....but I think that the car would be a fun piece.....

SB

Jim B. · #2 06-09-2007, 01:50 PM

Nice little fintail, and instantly identifiable as a '68 because of the front and rear factory side marker lights on it, it was the first year for those on all new cars sold in the USA.

Also, it was the last year for any fintail, so it's the newest one you could get, and if this one really has just 31k, it's pretty near to unused. Probably the best bet if you are looking for a brand new heckflosse diesel.

It won't be very fast though, you had better put away the GTechPro and get out a calendar for timing those acceleration runs

Don't worry SB, your W123 is a really fine car, those are a classic look also, and with pretty low mileage, especially for a diesel.

Alberta Luthier · #3 06-09-2007, 02:18 PM

I e-ed him to ask about engine bay pix, rust in the usual places and hazing of or cracking of glass. Does any one know much about that M121.940 I4 Engine ? from what I can discern from a couple of other websites it wasn't used for a lot of years... What are the typical issues with these cars/ engines etc?

Palangi · #4 06-09-2007, 06:51 PM

I would love to have that car if the mileage and condition are as described.

BUT.....

And this is a BIG BUTT....

Engines in those cars in 68 and 69 will not make it to 100K (miles). They had some bad metal in those years.

Other weak point is the suspension. It has at least a dozen grease fittings, and does not take kindly to neglected lubrication.

Really a fun car otherwise. Slower than snake poop though.

Also, you will need to be a tenacious bastard to get it started on a cold morning. The owners manual recommends bringing the battery (which weighs a ton) and the coolant indoors on cold nights.

R Leo · #5 06-09-2007, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Palangi

Also, you will need to be a tenacious bastard to get it started on a cold morning. The owners manual recommends bringing the battery (which weighs a ton) and the coolant indoors on cold nights.

That is soooo German. But, I bet one of those radiator hose heaters would probably do the trick down here or, a couple of glow plugs sitting in the intake tract, downwind of the governor run with a relay and a toggle switch on the dash...if I lived up north? I think I'd leave it running.

Palangi · #6 06-09-2007, 07:45 PM

Yep, a lower radiator hose heater solves the problem down to about zero or so. Good thing too.... I don't think the average American (or Canadian) wife is gonna let you heat up a pot of antifreeze on the stove.

As far as leaving it running, I knew an old Michigan farmer with a 190Db who did just that. He believed in 30 weight oil, year round. He would start it up in mid December and shut it down in March.

Alberta Luthier · #7 06-09-2007, 11:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Palangi

Yep, a lower radiator hose heater solves the problem down to about zero or so. Good thing too.... I don't think the average American (or Canadian) wife is gonna let you heat up a pot of antifreeze on the stove.

.

Yah, I'm always getting introuble for cooking hide glue in the microwave or heating some greasy thing or other in the oven. But I was sortta thinkin of this car for the spousal unit(at least in the summer), maybe I could stuff a 617 in there... What do you think??

Palangi · #8 06-09-2007, 11:21 PM

I don't think you could easily put a 617 in there. This is a primative old beast. Mechanical fuel control would be a problem to convert. Oil filter location would be a problem too. You would have to swap pretty much everything in the engine compartment. You could probably use a 220D engine, or possibly a 240D from a 115, but those would not be easy to find in good condition.

JimmyL · #9 06-09-2007, 11:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alberta Luthier

But I was sortta thinkin of this car for the spousal unit.....

Geez, I can't even get my spousal apparatus interested in a W124, much less a more vintage example. Boy would I love a nice standard column shift diesel. Don't like the "inferior metal" issues with the engines, though...

vstech · #10 06-09-2007, 11:58 PM

isn't that odo reading 3100 miles? it looks like a 5 digit odo. the fifth being tenths of a mile... so there is no way to know how many miles are on the thing. right?

Palangi · #11 06-10-2007, 01:37 PM

I think it is 31286 (km). I don't think there is a 1/10 digit. Hopefully that might make it less prone to odo gear slippage like the later models do.

TheDon · #12 06-10-2007, 01:50 PM

needs a nice buffing and wax application.. I'd drive it

oo it has a 4 on the tree

athensbenz · #13 06-10-2007, 03:38 PM

My Dad had a '67 200 D. Eventually, we moved overseas so the car was put in storage for about 4 years. It seemed to be in decent shape with no known issues. We took it to upstate NY (from Georgia) and needless to say it was not a fan of the cold. Eventually we moved back to Georgia and the car suffered from a low compression issue. I remember the back seat and trunk as being huge. The speedometer looked like a thermometer. and as everyone has already mentioned ......it was slow. Once on the highway, though, I absolutely loved that car!

Palangi · #14 06-10-2007, 08:08 PM

Yep, that old barber pole speedometer was really cool, although it might be + or - 10 mph depending on how you read it.