21st Aug 2007, 21:59

I am on my third mercedes and they keep getting better and better. However, they do like to spend time in the shop. My latest is a 1976 300D and I recently spent $350 bucks to get 1 upper and lower ball joint and tire rod (i think that is what it was, don't have the work write-up in front of me) replaced. I just got an estimate today that it would cost me about $800 to fix the steering pump and steering line. Each time I get one of these bills, I start to look on CraigsList. I love my mercedes, no other car drives like she does (a bed on wheels) and I'm attached to keeping things out of the landfills. But the cost to keep her running is catching up with me. I would invest in another mercedes, but am looking to upgrade to something without so many bills!

8th May 2008, 11:49

1974 2420 D purchased in 1978 with 60, 000 miles and a extra in the fuel tank from a boat. The total fuel is 35 gallons. This car will from Sacramento, ca to LA and back without filling up. The is now at Lake Tahoe and starts great except in the winter. The block heater helps a lot but a good battery is the best bet for cold weather starting. Replaced the engine at 350,000 miles and the car now has 420,000 miles and still has the original transmission (automatic) and rear end. The car runs great, but slow to accelerate (only 60 hp). Cheap to maintain and operate, getting around 30 mpg at 6000 feet altitude. Will keep the car until the rust overcomes the great drivetrain.

11th Jan 2009, 06:54

My 1983 240d 5 speed has done 150,000. There is some blow by, but oil consumption is about 1 quart per 3000 miles, and cold starting is fine, so I'm not worried. Blow by is not important.

14th Jul 2009, 20:03

My 76 Mercedes 240D rocks - she *does* sound like a tank (I think of her more like a tugboat) and she goes from zero to 60 in well under 5 minutes. Once she hits 70, she'll drive all night.

I bought her about 3 years ago for a song and I've had to fix... ummm. Well I've replaced fuel hoses (she runs biodiesel), brakes, and tires. She's got just 396,000 (miles, not km) on the original engine.

I've driven her in AZ in 114 degree heat, for almost 24 hours straight (we took turns driving), and over the Sierra Nevada in December (with chains). I've recently learned she can climb 12 miles of 6% grade at 7000 feet without overheating - I stressed.

The Benz was fine. Great car.

31st Aug 2009, 01:57

I have owned a 1976 240 D for five years now and am still in love with it. Yeah, she's slow, but who needs to go fast when you're in a car that looks that good? Yeah, I have had my share of expenses with it, but hey, it's 33 years old - what do you expect? Never a regret with this car. Just make sure to take it to a mechanic that works specifically on German cars and you'll be OK.

24th Jan 2011, 04:21

I am currently obsessed with buying a Mercedes diesel. If there's is anything a newcomer can say about these reviews, it's that there are not many bad ones. I've found around two out of over 50, and I am still hoping to hear more so I can learn what to look for, and what to prepare to fix if I do buy one. Though all the positive feedback is the most motivating thing about these cars, lord lead me to one of these blessed machines that I can cherish it for the decades to come. Amen.

23rd Mar 2013, 01:16

I bought my son a 76 300d 4 door sedan, baby blue with palomino interior a few years ago for $1000.00. 6 months before he got his license, I decided to drive it around to find out what the kinks were so that I could fix them before he started driving it.

Well let's just say it became my daily driver and just thinking about him (an inexperienced driver) wrapping it around a tree made me want to cry; and yes for the car, LOL.

I decided that I could not give it to him, it was too beautiful of a piece of history and art, so I purchased him a beat up 1995 Volvo 850, which he pretty much destroyed, just as I thought he would do to his first car.

It is now 2 years later, and I have worked out the mechanical kinks.

New brake and fuel lines, fuel tank removed, cleaned and coated, new fuel pump, transmission pan, all new suspension, and that is all I can remember off the top of my head, but it was a good $2300 in repairs.

Now I have the cosmetic things to deal with, I got some quotes today, and by the time this car is done it will have cost me around $6k. I am OK with that. There is no other car out there that I would want for 6k, except another M.B.

I love these cars so much that I sold my 2001 Subaru Outback and bought a BEAUTIFUL 78 300d that was already fully restored, and now I am ready (sort of) to part with the 76 (to my son).

13th Feb 2015, 17:23

I bought a '76 300D at garage sale for $200 USD. A new paint job and some minor tinkering with a replacement diesel makes this beautiful old lady a pleasure to drive. I had to replace the inside seats, which were trashed. She's my daily driver and a pleasure to get around town in. I wouldn't trade this beautiful old lady for a new car. The best car Benz has ever produced.