220D questions from a newbie
 

I've been looking at a number of 300SD's from the mid 80's, but a 220D has piqued my interest. I know even less about this car than the 300's.

Is it roughly the same size as a 300D? Same platform I think?
Turbo? I'm thinking not.
Butt slow I'll bet, or maybe not with a 4 spd.
Could this car be daily driver realistically?

Any and all opinions welcome, and thanks for your help!

http://flagstaff.craigslist.org/cto/1347995579.html

I'm waiting for more info from the seller. Was AC common on this vintage and how repairable is it? Every 300 I've looked at has and problematic AC.

I'm sorta thinking one like this might be easier to cut your teeth on, simpler to work on, fewer luxury gizmos to fail etc. I'm not a mechanic but can turn a wrench with guidance.

Nobody?

This is a fine well engineered car. Weak on rustproofing and pretty slow. I'll talk more about it later. Now is a bad time to get lots of responses. Folks are out working on their benzes.

Sorry for the impatience. Anything you can add later is appreciated. Owner says no rust. Normal for AZ cars and says that patience is required on hills..Hopefully I'll get more pix and info later.

I've never owned one of these, but this is the kind of vehicle I've been looking for - decently low mileage, manual windows, manual tranny, manual a/c control, the more manual the better. Elegance in simplicity. I've owned an 84 300D and an 84 300SD for a total of about 9 years now. I love the 300SD, but really want something simpler for a daily driver.

Check for rust in the floorboards, in the trunk, battery deck, etc. - pull the carpets up and look. Check the rubber in the suspension, listen for creaks and groans. Take it to a mechanic if you think it needs a full going over to see what will be needed if you buy it.

These cars did have a/c. i'd expect it to be standard. Its going to be smaller than a 300SD. Manual would be faster than an automatic, but still it's not going to be doing 70 up a grade. These cars were the standard for taxi's for years in Europe, so very dependable daily drivers. Just need to be maintained like any other classic MB diesel. Mileage is low enough to last a long, long time.

Good luck if you buy it!

I've owned a 1973 220D. It was my first Diesel. It had PS, AT and A/C. Yes, you had to be a patient driver. In reward for your patience, you got a very dependable driver. If I still had my 220D, I would consider updating the glow plug system. It took a long time to get the original glow plugs hot.

The A/C was manual and while not troublefree, it wasn't a big pain either, much less that my subsequent MBs. The original A/C was R12 - you might want to see if this particular car has been upgraded to R134a.

Good luck!

these cars are nice and pretty fun to own.

I still haven't seen the car, the owner is out of town. Sometime this week. I was reading history page today and the 220D was described as being "dangerously slow" in takeoffs. On another page, a guy said his manual 220D was faster off the line than his 300SD.....Any comments?
Also, the guy has quite nicely offered to meet me half way as the car is 75 miles from here, but I really want to start it from cold. Is this as critical as I'm lead to believe?

I drove a 220D auto and it was slow, but not "dangerously slow". I own a 76 300D which is the same body style but with a 5cyl engine. Its not but it keeps up just fine in traffic.

Early 300sd's were slow off the line, so I can believe it. But the 300SD will be ahead from 20mph onwards. The 220D has a top speed around 80mph but the 300SD tops out at 105.

IMO there is really no comparison between the 2 cars. I find humor in the slowness.

Flagstaff is almost 7k feet above sea level, so it would be very slow indeed. I'd venture to guess, that most 220Ds don't have air. In AZ an old car with working air is a great selling feature, so since the ad makes no mention of it, I bet it doesn't have working A/C.

Yeah, I feel the same way about the ac. Not likely in that erea unless in the south or someplace hot.

They're slow but if you take it into consideration and adjust your driving habits accordingly its ok. I had a 72 220. nice car.

I have a '70 220D that I use as my daily driver. Yes, they are dangerously slow if you're pulling out onto the highway and haven't had a chance to get it up to speed. They have no pickup to speak off, and I have to shift down to 2nd and go 20mph to go up a hill on my way home (left turn across traffic, so I'm doing 10mph max before I tackle the hill). It was a huge adjustment from the BMW X5 4.4 that I drove before, but I've changed my driving style and really love the 220D.

They're smaller than the 300s, and not as nice inside. 220Ds are very proletarian cars, unlike most Benzes.

I would definitely insist on starting it from cold.

Flagstaff gets cold in the winter (snow/ice) and the heater better work.

Phoenix is 140 miles south, and you better have A/C. 115deg in the summer.

Arizona Does use salt on the roads, so check it out well for rust. never know where that 220 has been it whole life.

Charlie

how much is the seller asking?