This 1970 Mercedes-Benz 220D is said to have been with the original owner up until last year when the seller snagged it out of a barn in upstate New York. According to him, the Mercedes was restored 15 years ago and it still appears to be in sound condition. The owner was apparently an actor/producer who presumably had some cash to lavish on a thorough reconditioning, but the details of what that restoration entailed are unknown. Still, it’s a stick-shift diesel, which is difficult to find in condition like this. Find it here on eBay with a Buy-It-Now of $7,500.
This generation of Mercedes’ entry-level sedan looks far better than the later cars, as it has smaller bumpers and even the taillights were styled different, featuring smooth lenses instead of ridges. The W115 looks incredibly straight up and down the sides and the battleship gray paint is a nice look for a sedan we typically see wearing white, blue, or primrose yellow paint. The seller notes there is still some rust bubbling up under the paint in the rear quarters but that it should be a straightforward repair with patch panels available. All glass looks nice and clear, too.
The interior is a definite high-point of the car. Mercedes’ interiors have always been known for their durability, but this one looks better than most. The seats show minimal signs of wear and the seller contends the backseat was never used. The same goes for the door panels and the surprisingly crack-free dash, which is one area of the cockpit that typically succumbs to the passage of time. The manual gearbox makes living with a Mercedes diesel much more enjoyable, even if the gearboxes themselves aren’t particularly fun to row. The seller notes the Mercedes was fitted with optional A/C that doesn’t work.
The paint looks quite shiny, and perhaps is a respray performed when the original restoration took place. It at least matches under hood and along the firewall, so it would appear factory colors were maintained if it was redone. The Mercedes features U.S.-spec lighting, and the European lenses are a must-do upgrade if you take this handsome Mercedes home. The seller has installed a new valve cover gasket and oil cooler direct from Mercedes, but notes that the engine could use a valve adjustment and likely needs attention in other areas, too. These won’t appreciate dramatically over time, but that’s not why you buy one.
WOW, that is a lot of money for a base model car.
I had a 1973 model in dark blue and although I liked the car I would never consider paying such a hefty amount for it.
Had a deal in 2012 to buy a white ’73 220D with four speed for $2500, seller backed out at the last minute. Felt so bad I went out and bought a tan ’82 240D with four speed to raise my spirits. Bulletproof but slow cars, wish the seller well but probably has the price a few grand too high.
Look at the rot underneath/rocker area! This ain’t worth $750.00.
Hope the buyer has a ton of patients . Zero to sixty in three days. When getting the green light, the cars behind you will certainly lose a lot of theirs!
I kind of liked the slowness and also the emissions out the back. If I needed to get a tailgater of my butt, I just accelerated and left him in a cloud of smoke with my 1973 220D.
Good car with a good engine although not a powerhouse by any stretch of the imagination. I doubt if you could get 100 mph out of it if you dropped it over a cliff. The engine in this was almost indestructible. The 240 and 300 that followed had some teething problems with camshaft failures and lower timing sprockets coming loose and cutting out the keyway in the crankshaft. I dated a girl whose father had one of these. He was coming home from outside of town one Friday night when he ran out of diesel fuel on the freeway. He was all bent out of shape because the dealer’s service department wouldn’t be open until Monday. I told him: “Hell, let’s just jump in my truck. I’ve got the slip tank in the back. It’s full of farm fuel but it’s still #2 diesel.” He was incredulous that I would even suggest that I could navigate my way around a MERCEDES. But I convinced him. We drove out to the car, I pumped some fuel in then got on the hand-primer and bled the system. It lit up with very little protest and he was on his way. I think that as long as he was alive he could never figure out how a prairie hayseed could actually get a Mercedes to run. Well, in the intervening years, I got a LOT of Mercedes diesel cars (and trucks) to run…
These cars are SO UNDER RATED you should buy this while you have the chance too no matter if needs work , I had one in the UK a 240d 1976 wish still had it
“Needs a valve adjustment” sounds like an eBay or Craigslist euphemism for a worn out engine with poor compression that won’t start when cold.
Slow miserable cars with mediocre mileage/economy. You couldn’t give me another!
Valve adjustment is a normal maintenance item on these every 40,000 miles or so. I love these cars–have a 1982, a 1965, and a 1987, all diesels, very good low-to-mid 30s in fuel mileage, rock solid dependable, easy to work on , no electronics, everything is quality built, perfect size for today, and they go a long, long time between necessary maintenance. The standard shift is hard to find but it is a bit quicker than the automatics which are really slow.
I started watching the show “Colony” on Netflix.
When the visitors hit the area with an EMP and everybody stopped, I wondered why the older diesel cars and trucks didn’t continue to move.
I had one of these. Sold it for $500 and was glad to get the cash.
A buried casket is a faster vehicle.
So, what are you saying here Bob? You’ll think about it?
Had a customer with a 74 240D. Real low miles, nice car. You can read the entire Sunday Times waiting for those glow plugs to warm up.
You cannot beat Cherman engineering.
This way faster and more deadly than a King Tiger tank
I would pay to see it crushed