Mine for nothing if I want it.

"Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief" (flynorcal)
07/15/2017 at 23:20 • Filed to: None

‘79 240D with 167,000 on the clock.

I used to own a 300D with 397,000 before the odometer went the way of the HVAC and trunk lock — no longer working but who cares. I literally gave that car to a friend who had a modern day Subaru engine failure and he daily drove that until winter temps gelled the fuel.

When it warmed back up and the diesel melted the damn thing fired back up first try.

The above would be about $500 out of pocket. Maybe $800. What day you, oppo?

DISCUSSION (17)

Steve in Manhattan > Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief
07/15/2017 at 23:27

I say grab it ... and you will learn a lot about vacuum lines and their upkeep and care. 4 spd or auto? And give me photos of underhood, driver seat, and rear diff if you can get them.

dogisbadob > Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief
07/15/2017 at 23:29

take it

WilliamsSW > Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief
07/15/2017 at 23:29

If there’s a downside I dunno what it is.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief
07/15/2017 at 23:35

This is a no-lose scenario. The Merc must be yours! :P

Agrajag > Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief
07/15/2017 at 23:36

Might as well.

awmaster10 > Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief
07/15/2017 at 23:56

I remember spending weeks with the carpet torn up and a vacuum tester plugging lines and diagnosing all sorts of weird issues....cool cars but not as easy as they are made out to be

Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief > Steve in Manhattan
07/16/2017 at 00:03

You understand. Yes I know all about using golf tees to block vacuum lines to figure out which is shot. Add to that bad window motors and the current owner running it on grease for a couple years — at least with a conversion effort of unknown quality. Auto.

If it were manual I’d be driving it around right now.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief
07/16/2017 at 00:10

Yeah I was going to ask if it was manual. I have an 83 300D. If I see a nice TD I may trade up. I would like an all manual Euro TD, manual cranks on everything.

RallyWrench > Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief
07/16/2017 at 01:33

The engine will run forever, as you know. We’ve got a client with a manual one that has well past 400k and it’s still truckin’, and it’s not has an easy life. Given the mileage I’d be concerned about the trans. If those old 722s are serviced well they’ll go past 200, but if they’re not...

The WVO concerns me, I have yet to see someone do that “right”, and it will cause the injection pump to leak and probably gum the injectors in the long term unless they’re using a real Biodiesel additive package. Also, 240 automatics don’t exactly have power to give, and WVO drops it.

Anyway, for free why not?

gmctavish needs more space > Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief
07/16/2017 at 02:15

If it’s as not-rusty as it looks, you can’t lose. They all seem to have crunchy fenders, 300k+, and are $2000 or more around here.

pip bip - choose Corrour > Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief
07/16/2017 at 03:27

take it!

Steve in Manhattan > Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief
07/16/2017 at 11:53

If I recall correctly (I had a W124) window motors are not that big a deal, just lots of clips holding the door cover on. And you can always drop and clean the tank, fuel filters - injectors can also be cleaned or replaced at great expense.

Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief > RallyWrench
07/16/2017 at 12:52

Free is a slippery word. I think this car is free like a kitten.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief
07/16/2017 at 13:06

Ohh grease, so the fuel injection pump, the most expensive part, has been working hard. Mine came with a second tank and they used biodiesel, which isn’t a bad and they cut in regular diesel most of the time he said plus fuel system cleaner. Mine has a newer low mileage engine and a very clean interior too so I haven’t gotten rid of it. He did a respray of the original color. I would love a TD in that dark metallic green they had in Europe or this blue. Mine is dark blue and if I ever repainted a merc it would be this blue here on the bottom.

This is mine:

Kinja'd!!!

RallyWrench > Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief
07/16/2017 at 17:16

This is true. A free old German car can shit all over your house as well as any feline.

Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)
07/16/2017 at 17:59

Dude! Great car!

Yeah, they converted it to biodiesel and ran it that way for four years and then they “converted it back” which screams fuel pump, injectors, and god only knows what kind of cholesterol is plugging up the lines.

So “free” but likely to need me to rebuild the trunk lock, sort out a ton of vaccum errors, attempt to restore the A/C but get bewildered by the vacuum hoses yet again, and then have a slow car that is much slower now that might need a number of internal engine parts soaked in kerosene trying to get the gunky shit off.... and then there’s the transmission.

It actually sounds like the kind of project I end up in by accident thinking I’m making a wise decision. I can’t imagine how it would go knowing it’s a shaky move at best. Seriously considering it in the name of science.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief
07/16/2017 at 18:25

Yeah I put in new rebuilt injectors, I had Gus Pfister work on my injection pump at Pacific Fuel Injection (one of the last old men from Europe still working on injection). My tranny slips a bit in 2nd to 3rd I think but my guy at the Swiss Garage says it may do that for ten years so wait for it to break haha. I rebuilt the AC all new because I have a bulldog and he has to have AC at times. I would like Euro bumpers though. I’ve done so much to make this car better I feel like I have to keep it forever haha. I have the all aluminum fuel tank that was in the boot against the back wall, it’s like ten inches thick I think, not sure how many gallons. I do want a TD though...