The concept of a “feel-good car” is truly a subjective one. What feels good to one enthusiast will not matter to another; you may get good vibes off of a C3 Corvette, while I’ll find them hidden on an old Toyota van. Different strokes for different folks, and all that. The Mercedes-Benz W123 lineup is one of those cars where even people who are unaffected by motor vehicles, or who otherwise have no love for old German sedans, will likely tell you they’ve owned one or knew someone who did, and that the experience was more or less positive. This 1989 Mercedes-Benz 240D listed here on craigslist is one of those vehicles that just seems to be dripping in good vibes – and it’s a manual.
The seller is asking a reasonable $7,400 for this clean W123, which has all the tell-tales signs of being loved throughout its long life. What’s crazy is it has 342,000 miles on the clock, but that’s really just getting broken in for the W123. The seller notes a variety of issues still outstanding, but he’s also addressed some shortcomings as well. The 240D predates the turbodiesel that came along later, so it will seem frightfully slow to people born after a certain age. However, these cars have always been known for holding their own on the interstate, even if the lack of acceleration seems potentially danger at times. The interior presents well for the miles, but we don’t get to see what’s under those seat covers. The dash is cracked and rear bench is mismatched color-wise.
The seller notes the engine, a 2.4-liter OM616 naturally aspirated diesel, would likely benefit from some injector work. In NA form, the engine produced 62 horsepower and 97 lb.-ft. of torque. With three pedals, this is a livable amount of power; the automatic, which is far more prevalent, makes the decision to drive an old W123 slightly more questionable. The seller is correct that the manual variants are few and far between, and when in pristine shape, you can expect to pay more than $10,000 for one. His car, with the issues mentioned, seems priced right. Other concerns include some electrical issues, valves that may need attention, and some worn-out ball joints.
With the roof rack and color-matched hubcaps, the 240D looks exactly as you’d expect a driver-quality W123 to look: not perfect, plenty of rough edges, but still ready for a road trip. The seller has replaced the front wheel bearings, the air filter, and the glow plug switch, but hasn’t yet found the time to buff out the paint. This seems like a car that someone who has access to a matching rear blue bench, an orbital buffer, and some new injectors could easily clean up and use for the summer while getting all their money back a few months later. Have any of you driven a W123 with the manual transmission?
Looks like a still solid old Mercedes. To answer your question Jeff, I never had a chance to drive one of these with a stick. But I did drive NS Diesel Mercedes with an automatic. You sincerely need to plan ahead on any merges, or any type of pulling out into traffic. They’re slow off the line, but it does get you up to speed. I’m sure a stick would have helped a bit. This one does not look like it has 342000 miles on it. The price seems reasonable too.
S L O W.
Not reasonable, I think. I had the much better, acceleration wise, 300SD 5-cylinder turbo. It only had about 130,000 miles on it when I sold it with no rust. My wife didn’t like the “noise” that a diesel makes and the smell. But sometimes I used filtered cooking oil instead of diesel. The engine liked it and the smell was like french fries! I liked that car, but it was for her use. This one, while it may run well, cannot compare and should sell for half maybe.
I just recently acquired a 240D with a manual and only 140K miles for what could best be described as a steal of a price. The manual transmission makes a world of difference in performance of a truly slow ass car, having suffered previously with a 1966 190d with an auto, that car, although comfortable, built like a brick sh@t house and capable of over 30 MPG, was in fact a death trap merging into traffic that pissed off countless Bay Area commuters! All that being said, I am pretty sure this seller has bumped his head on that $7500 price tag and maybe really does not intend to sell it?!?!?!
I agree with Rick, unless you have the tools, expertise, and a lift and DIY, it will certainly cost 7K to spiff up this solid 240D. I just sold a 300D with 345K and did a lot of work myself. I have looked at 240D’s but they are slow, the manual makes it less hairy. Good luck to the seller, but I would surprised if it sold for anywhere close to 7K.
We own a burgundy ’81.
With a 4 speed, yeah, you won’t win any races, lol.
But once you get it up to speed, it’ll cruise at 80 mph and you can’t
tell your moving it’s so smooth.
Gets about 35 mpg too.
Unfortunately, it’s just a summer driver. No way I’m getting road salt on it.
Ours only has 155,000 miles, barely broke in.
I have driven (and owned) both automatic and manual variants of 240Ds. The manual is a must have.
I have driven one, extensively, and they are horribly underpowered, even with the manual shift. Glad to have gotten rid of it.
I agree with Rick, unless you have the tools, expertise, and a lift and DIY, it will certainly cost 7K to spiff up this solid 240D. I just sold a 300D with 345K and did a lot of work myself. I have looked at 240D’s but they are slow, the manual makes it less hairy. Good luck to the seller, but I would surprised if it sold for anywhere close to 7K.
I’ve had both. I bought the stick with the intention of “flipping” it (like the others), but fell in love with it due the fact it was so much more fun to drive. I wasn’t terrified getting on the freeway. I enjoyed it for a few years, but I’m in the “catch and release” income bracket when it comes to cars, and something naturally came along that I “needed” more.
For those of us who love these old beasts, the Holy Grail is the 5-speed turbo wagon, but alas, they were never sold in the US, so you’d have to find one from overseas or convert your own.
I agree with the others, that with everything this one is said to need, yeah, the price is somewhat high.
Buy this,& have a serious drag race with a VW Micro bus.
I’m not sure how significant the difference between the 4-speed manual and the automatic transmission is. According to “AutoData, the 240D 0-62 mph acceleration is 24.7 sec; the manual is 24.6 sec. Perhaps there is an anti-automatic bias rearing its ugly head…?