Drove my grandpa's 240D for the first time

and, wow am i amazed

i never drove a car with no pickup..

but, i dunno the car felt so great to drive, it was so much more fun than my E320, the 70's-80's were excellent years for Benz

i loved it, and now i know why so many people love these cars

 

I let two of my BMW driving friends (one had a 323ci, one had the 333-hp e46 m3) drive my 300CD - they both had fun driving it

 

You haven't driven anything until you've been in a 1953-1959 180D with it's 40hp OM636! 0-60 in 35 seconds with a 70mph top speed.

The last MB passenger car diesel with a gear driven camshaft.

 

nothing to do with the topid but how fast is ur fast in the 1/4 mile? i like that setup

 

Haven't been able to get to a dragstrip yet. 0-60 is about 13.5seconds.

 

When it comes time to sell my stable, the 240D will be the last to go. I love that car. Solid, simple and classic. Mine is all-manual... even the radio antenna has to be extended by hand! It ain't fast, but it's bullet-proof and continues to turn heads wherever I drive it.
Cheers,
Jeff

 

My CLK55 would have a problem with that

 

I have to say the same about my 1978 240D, its not really a typical 18 yr olds car, but I have had more fun with that car than anything I've ever driven, its perfect, and with the stock ride height it will get you just about anywhere. It may be slow, but once up to speed you just feel like its never going to stop. I also cant get enough of the way the 240 handles compared to anything from the era, just downshift the auto and it will just slide where you want it.

 

this thread is not good with out pics

 

Last summer, I was looking for a car that I can possibly buy with my own money, and of course I wanted a car with a Japanese badge. Anyways I get a call from my step-dad saying that there was a car that I would like, and said that he had just test drove it and drove very well. Of course he told me that the car was a 1983 Mercedes 300D Turbo. Not knowing much about the car, I assumed that it would get good gas mileage, but being more of a clunker type of car, and unsafe due to a lack of airbags. Being the very cautious person as I was, I also asked him if it had airbags. I don't know why, but for some reason I'm obsessed with having airbags for safety.

Anyways he had told me that it was a safe car for what it was. I knew it was a sturdy car because it was a Benz, let alone an older car with a sturdy frame. For some reason I was so skeptical as to buying it, but of course before buying it I wanted to test drive it. Before hanging up, he told me that I will be able to test drive it when he gets his window fixed because the window guy was the friend of his who was selling the Benz.

Literally the night before we went and test-drove the car, I stayed up looking at videos reviews, etc. Out of all the vids that I saw, I began to shift my view, but I still needed to test drive the car.

We finally arrive so that I can test drive the car. I'll tell you I liked the way it looked in person, but I'll tell you it wasn't in perfect condition as far as cosmetics go. The exterior needed a good buffing, and the interior needed to be redone. All the seats sank and needed to be replaced as well as the headliner.

Other than that the car's engine sounded nice. In fact it was in good running condition. After walking around it, and picking out all the flaws, it was the moment of truth - the test drive. I drove it off the lot and into the main road. After a few minutes I noticed that the ride was entirely smooth, and didn't feel like I was driving slow, however it felt like I was driving much faster than the 40 mph speed limit. I mean at first it was rather slow, but eh it was just a diesel to me.

Once I got onto the freeway I was sold. When I drove it, it had a charm. I don't know what it was but I felt some sort of "magic". Even when I knew that the car was rather slow in today's standards I still loved it. There would be no rush when driving places because the car ran smoothly, and had a more relaxed feel. I didn't even want to go passed the speed limit, like most people do on the freeway.

Unfortunately I didn't purchase the car after all. In a way I kind of got duped. Well after the test drive we went to my step-dad's mechanic just down the street, to get a quote on a new a/c system that the car lacked. We took it down there, and the main technician gave the car a blessing of a good engine, however the a/c system would cost roughly around $900. Meanwhile one of the mechanics my mom and I were talking to seemed to have opposing views on this 123, especially since this one was running off homemade biodiesel. Anyways he wanted to save me money, by offering me his '93 Honda Civic EX for $2300 compared to the $1300 for the Benz. I had to go with the Civic because it was clean, had an a/c, radio, and was going to put a lower mileage B16 imported from Japan. So i had to reject the Benz because I needed good transportation for college.

Guess what happened just 3 days after our visit at the mech? The guy wasn't allowed to sell his car to me because his wife had told him to keep the car and not sell it, so that their son can use it to drive, when he gets his license

 

You said it--"magic". My 300D is a smooth, tough, and graceful machine. I don't have to be in a hurry, nor do I have to prove the worthiness of the vehicle to anyone. I know what I have, and that's good enough for me.

I see your logic with purchasing the Civic. Sometimes we need something that doesn't need immediate attention and that works better for us. From what you wrote, I'm sure that 300D touched a nerve and I don't doubt you'll be looking for one in the future. It's a curiosity that doesn't go away.

I received my 300D as a gift. Sure, it needs some loving here and there, but the easy to work on mechanical nature and availability of reasonably priced parts keeps me attached...oh and the magic.

SK

 

Yeah there is no doubt I will look for one in the future. The 300D turbo would have to be one of my favorite cars I've driven… actually my favorite cars I've driven within 1.5 half years of having my license. Currently I am eager to find a job so that I can purchase one. One thing's for sure, I would enjoy driving one to school, if I ever get one haha...

 

Check out the great looking 240 stick that appeared today on www.germancarsforsaleblog.com.
These are weird, unique, fabulous old cars, but really embody what the company used to be about....

 

I had a W123 in that color.

But it was an ex-250 with the engine swapped for a 2.0 L diesel. They left in the long differential from the 6 cylinder gasoline. 0-60 was about an hour or two or so.

 

my Dad and I took delivery of a new 240D stick at the Factory in April of 78, in the same color. Great times.....

 

As mentioned, good solid, simple cars.

Just get used to washing the bug spatters off the REAR windscreen. They run into YOU.