1979 Mercedes-Benz 200-Series

240 Diesel Sedan

4 - Cyl.

Manual

Clear

Diesel

This is a 1979 Mercedes 240-D with the rather rare and hard to find 4-speed manual transmission, which makes these cars more responsive and gives better performance and fuel mileage than the automatics. Original paint & upholstery, too. I spent nearly a year looking for one of these or a 190 5-speed. Both are rare cars, and both came available within the same week, so I bought both. I cannot keep both due to an upcoming move, so this one is for sale. This car has been in Texas since new, and was in the original owner's family until last year. Car was bought new in Austin and was ordered with very few options, which to my mind makes it very desirable and easy to maintain. Manual windows--no troublesome power windows. Manual controls for the heat & air conditioner and defroster, so no troublesome push-buttons or vacuum lines. No sunroof, which is a big plus, because Mercedes sun roofs tend to get stuck. The biggest advantage, however, is the 4-speed stick shift--hard to find! Also, no annoying electronics, and room to work under the hood. The driver's seat springs are still firm, not leaning over to one side. Map pocket on driver's door is gone, and the one on the passenger door is cracked. The original owner died sometime in the 1990s and his mother inherited the car. She did not drive it much, and then she died last year and her nephew inherited it. He put 4 new tires on it and gave it to his wife to drive, but she did not like it, so I bought the car and fixed what it needed. I had new radiator and heater hoses installed, a brand new Mercedes power brake booster installed, new CV joint boots on the rear axle, new thermostat, new radiator cap, new battery, new fuel primer pump, new air cleaner mounts, and I removed the auxiliary diesel tank from the trunk because I did not like the room it took up. I still have the tank, if new owner wants it, but not installed. The car has 154,000 miles, which is not much for a diesel. It uses no oil to speak of, maybe 1/4 of a quart since last oil change. Could use new glow plugs, but it starts okay on these warm summer days. Last winter I had to let it glow twice to get it to start on cold mornings. Tires have less than 600 miles on them. Brakes are excellent; good alignment. As far as I can tell, the car has its original paint and upholstery both of which are in very good shape. The back glass seal will leak at the left rear corner, and there is a small spot of rust trying to get started there. This is not an issue if the car is kept garaged, which is what I do, but if the car has to sit outdoors all the time, the rubber seal should be replaced, as it will let water leak into the trunk. New seals are available on ebay for under $100. There is no other rust on the car anywhere. Floors are solid. Jacking points are solid. Looks like the right rear corner of the hood got bumped into the fender once, but no real damage--some paint scratched off, but hood aligns & closes fine. See close-up photo. Original carpet is very nice. Padded dash has some cracks. Am/FM radio is the original one and it works fine. It is the orignal Becker radio. No cruise control on this car. No power seats. The vacuum central locking system works fine, although after a few days of non-use, it will lose its vacuum, but it comes right back as soon as the car is running. The factory air conditioner will not work until one of the hoses is replaced. It is rotted off just in front of the firewall. Rear defogger works fine. All lights and guages work. It may be time for a valve adjustment because at higher rpms, there is some extra clatter in the valve train, as if one or two of them are not closing tightly. Car could use new fan belts, too. Everything works on this car except the clock and the aforementioned air conditioner which needs a new hose. I am located in Sherman, Texas which is 65 miles north of Dallas. On Jun-18-10 at 16:35:18 PDT, seller added the following information: In response to a question I received and just to make it clear, this car has no cruise control--did not come with it. On Jun-23-10 at 14:18:19 PDT, seller added the following information: In response to some questions, I do not think the air conditioner has ever been converted to R-134; at least I do not see any evidence of that. I really recommend that the car be hauled to its new home because the fan belts really need replacing and there is this persistent clatter at higher rpms that I think is valves needing adjustment. Car does fine around town. I am willing to haul it on my trailer for $1.50 per mile up to 250 miles from Sherman, Texas. Otherwise, I can recommend a good car hauler based in Dallas.