22nd Aug 2005, 20:56

I have a 1981 240D. I purchased this car about 3 years ago and absolutely love it! It is slow, but great on fuel like this site says. It has about 290,000 miles on it and all service records since new.

The alternator recently quit working and I looked through the all the old records and it was never replaced!!! Try doing that with any car.

Most people now days do not care about keeping a car for more than 5 years. It's a throw away society. Mercedes-Benz just fell into what the typical consumer today wants.

If they built and engineered automobile like the 240D today, it would cost over $100,000 to build and no-one would buy it because they would not believe it would last 40 years and because the price tag would be unaffordable.

26th Jul 2007, 18:50

I have a 82 240 D with 150,000 miles. All four brakes rusted out along with the master cylinder and power booster. But it is a great car overall. Commands respect on the road and very minimal rust.

30th Apr 2008, 20:12

I have a 1980 240D with a stick shift. I rode in the back of it when it was new (I was only 12). Now it is 28 years old, and still runs like a top. This is *the* family car.

I drive 140 miles to work on the highway, round trip. It gets 29-30 mpg, but I have hit 31-32 mpg on road trips.

Tips: replace your fluids and adjust your valves on schedule.

The clutch was just replaced for the first time last month at ~200,000 miles. The clutch master cylinder, slave cylinder, brake booster, water pump, alternator, and starter have all been replaced in the past 11 years. I have also replaced the injectors myself, a fairly straightforward task.

I was rear-ended pretty hard once in a freeway pileup... the car behind me was badly damaged. All I needed were new bumper shocks... bumper was fine.

People are always amazed that I am driving a 28-year old car with a 67hp motor. The car rocks. I plan to drive it for at least another 20 years.

Van in Iowa.

3rd May 2008, 13:08

Hi: good comments. I drive a 78 240d. Original owner. The car has 150k miles. We've replaced a few things, new timing chain, 1 exhaust system (diesel doesn't corrode exhausts like gas engines do so the last a long time). Think we put an alternator or two on it, relay switch for starter and flasher for turn signals. Also valves jobs and oil changes and that is about it.

After 25 years we put antique vehicle license plates on it so only costs 8 dollars a year for registration. I used to tell people I was ageing the car, because it was going to make a great, funky old car some day. Well, now it has reached 30 years of age, and I just tell people it has been getting an honest 28 mpg for over 30 years.

This car was purchased new for 16k, when a more standard domestic make was running about half of that. Now you don't see many of those less expensive cars on the road these days. Guess the 240d cost twice as much but has lasted well past twice as long.

I generally use the car now to go to the golf course, enjoy the ride!!!

6th Jun 2008, 19:25

Very good car. There seems to be a mystic to how durable the 240D engines really are. The bottom ends are almost bullet proof, but the worst thing that seems to go as the engine ages are the valve seals. These are easily replaced when you do your 12,000 valve adjustment (you do your 12K valve adjustments don't you?). Wonderful ride,30 plus MPG, enough power to pass, but not enough to get a person into trouble.

26th Jun 2008, 13:15

Hello.

I recently encountered a woman who owns a early 80's model 300 Turbo Diesel and I was very impressed with the condition vehicle, given its age. I was equally impressed with her bio fuel conversion (the car burns veg oil, as well as diesel). As I contemplate purchasing my first diesel, I was wondering if anyone had any comments on the differences and, or similarities in these vehicles: 240D/300D/240TD/300TD.

29th Jul 2008, 16:09

Purchased my 81 240D in 2000 with 142,000 miles on it. It now has 367,000 miles and runs far better than when I purchased it. Adjusting valves are a must. Have the chain replaced. The engine will warn you sometimes. Assorted parts have been replaced. I love this car. Oh, even Redline synthetic will fine a way out of the engine. I went back to standard 15-40.

Rick.

18th Nov 2008, 22:35

I read with interest that you bought a filter, and then mix veg oil with a gallon of diesel. Do you not need a pre heater for the veg oil?

8th Feb 2009, 00:10

From the archeologist's perspective, one might say that this vehicle - the 240D, is kin to the single-cell organisms that first emerged from the primordial ooze.

I recently acquired a 1981 240D with 311,015 miles on it and I am simply perplexed on how it still runs... I purchased it to not put miles on my new ML500 and while coming home from work yesterday, I heard a loud pop and then it sounded like the mother of all exhaust leaks... Well, I wasn't too far from home and since I wasn't losing power or any lights came on, I went on home. Come to find out that a glow plug had blown. Not just broken, the pencil part was completely gone, along with the copper coil. The end just fell off. I replaced it, but the car wouldn't start. So upon closer inspection of the relay, I noticed the filament had melted. I put a small 30A fuse to provide a sort of "bridge", and the car started, but then stopped as the fuse blew. Problem identified. The closest thing I could find to that was an IRON NAIL. I bridged the gap with it, the car started right up. I drove it like that to a junk yard and found a replacement filament.

It's true folks. This car must have been built by an ancient race of super humans thousands of years ago.

31st Aug 2009, 21:39

Hi everyone!!!

I am so glad I ran into this site.

I just want to say that I recently bought a 1980 240d Mercedes in mint condition. It only has 150k. I read a lot of great reviews on this page. I just got it running, just needed a battery and a tune up. Got all that done today. Just had the car for 3 days. I am so excited, plan to have this car for the rest of my life. Thanks everyone.