Faults:

Brakes are gone, however does stop.

Starter is shot.

Bad on gas.

The back floor rusted away on the driver's side.

General Comments:

This is my third Euro Benz, hard to find parts for, but I love it.

Good running when it started, it has power and class.

Faults:

Car was abused, so it needed some work everywhere.

Wood trim needed re-glueing.

Injectors.

Hood star.

Sway bar linkage...etc..etc...etc.

It was abused so...

General Comments:

Comfortable, great on the highway.

Huge steering wheel.

Poor acceleration between 20-40, but after that it gets going good. You have to know how to drive a car like this. If you drive it like your SUV or Minivan, you will be in danger. You need to compensate more for hills, and merging.

The suspension is a little soft, but it's a luxury car.

Just when you think the cheap tires will let go, they just keep sticking. Even after the tires break loose, it's still predictable. Good tires and wheels would compliment this car.

Faults:

Oil filter housing gasket leaked.

Left (rear) axle shaft CV-joint boot failed, so I replaced the whole shaft with a used, but still good one.

Cruise control "amp" was causing the cruise control to stutter. Re-soldering the joints on the circuit board solved the problem.

Heater "mono valve" failed so the car had heat only when driving slowly. A mono valve insert fix it.

General Comments:

I think this car will run until the body rust finally overwhelms it! It is tough, long-lasting, easy to work on, comfortable, and cheap to operate. I like them so much I own a number of them. The cars without turbos are only just able to keep up with city traffic, but the ones with turbos are much faster - and often get _better_ fuel economy. A wonderful car!

Faults:

One of the vacuum-powered door locks developed a leak and caused a quirk such that the engine would not turn off unless the passenger door was locked. This went from being initially humorous to annoying, but was easily remedied by plugging off the appropriate vacuum line under the hood. The vacuum locks are a persistent and common problem.

The car has a few oil leaks.

General Comments:

After owning an abused Alfa Romeo Spider, I now own an abused 240D :) The difference in quality is immediately apparent with the Benz. The car still feels rock solid and straight despite the rather huge front bash the previous owners have bestowed upon it. Additionally, all the car's switches and functions work perfectly and feel good in contrast with the Alfa.

I got the car for free, so the price was certainly right, but even pristine examples are normally dirt cheap.

The low comfort score is due to the noise and high gearing of the engine. The seats are actually very comfortable and one sits nice and high with an upright chair-like position, which is a refreshing change from your typical modern sedan. The windshield is also at a nice tall angle and the car feels very roomy and airy, despite it's relatively small size.

Interior comfort and durability get high marks. The car also has a great sense of style and is perfect for the hippie type or anyone who can appreciate old-school chromeyness over modern anonymity. Another positive point is that the body panels feel like they're an inch thick, which, in addition to the large mouldings on the side, means you can park anywhere worry-free.

The turning radius is good and you can squeeze around tight angles pretty well, even on the crowded streets of Boston, which is the car's initial and present stomping grounds (as evidenced by the large amount of ancient "back bay" parking stickers in the rear window).

The fuel economy of the diesel is outstanding as is the durability. The odometer is broken and the estimated mileage is probably around twice the indicated number, certainly over 200k. This is on an abused car and there are in essence no problems to speak of!

It is the perfect beater due to its dependability and super minimal costs to run, however I wouldn't recommend it for long trips only, because the engine noise and low speed would get to you.