Driving around in a 1981 Mercedes-Benz 240D
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- Опубликовано: 13 окт 2024
- I had the pleasure of doing some preventive maintenance on a customer's beautiful 240D. Just thought I'd share some video footage on a test drive with the car. This car has approximately 290k and is what I would consider a "survivor". It drives beautifully despite its age and mileage. It will eventually need some work on the drivetrain, such as the rear differential...but as far as I'm concerned, the car has done its time and is in good enough shape that money spent on drivetrain refurbishment will be well-worth the costs.
![[Review] 1979 Mercedes 240D (W123)](/img/1.gif)
I'm a simple man. I see a W123 or W124 video with a stick shift, I click and watch.
In my home country, Albania, half the cars on the road are Classic Mercedes Diesels. We tend to put manual gearboxes in all our 240D’s, and we equip them with small turbos from Isuzu Gemini Turbo Diesels. That will really bring out the top-end of the power band.
Greetings to Albania from Bavaria/Germany 😊
Despite the slow acceleration when compared to today's over-powered cars (300-700 HP) driving an old 240D can really make one a much safer driver because you don't take unnecessary chances that you would in a car that accelerates from 0 to 60 in 4 seconds, for example. Slow down and live in my motto.
Best car in the world! Thank you for loving and taking care of it!
I had a 240D automatic in high school briefly...I really miss that car. Had 740,000 miles on it when the odometer broke and it was broken before I got it. After high school, I drove a 300TD wagon diesel as part of my job and I loved that car too. I could watch videos like this all day...thank you for sharing.
I've literally watched this video 10+ times in full. It's so damn relaxing. Something about the navy interior with the wood grain, shifting through the gears hearing that decades old diesel powerhouse chug along, paving through the streets of an overcast Alaskan day; it draws me profusely. Bravo.
These old MBs can still make good daily drivers today. Nice video
Thanks for sharing with us.We call Mercedes w 123 (240.300.200...) in Morocco the king of cars even now with technology and sophisticated cars, we still looking for this car to bye it,but unfortunately we don't have so much tuning garage
You guys know whats good! Greetings from Austria (we also appreciate W123 and W124 over here).
I was 7 in '81 and my best friend's parents, who were both lawyers, bought a manual 240D brand-new. I remember riding in it and thinking it was the nicest car in the world, compared to the rather clunky '76 Malibu my parents owned at the time. LOL
My uncles and godparents had W116 and W123 Mercedes. My parents elected to go the Japanese route from the early 80s through the early 90s. Japanese cars never 'did it' for me, so I went the Mercedes/BMW/Volvo route for many of my own vehicles. I owned a '81 300D for many years, sold it to a friend in need. I'll have another one someday.
@benz merc The ones in my family were W116 cars (late 70's 300SD). I didn't have any family members with W115 cars, but we did have a few friends with them ('74 300D). The noise in the W123s is largely from worn out door seals, and the diesel engine turning high RPMs at modern freeway speeds. I replaced all of the door seals and the trunk seal on my last 300D and was amazed at how much quieter it was. I thoroughly enjoy these cars.
these cars have so much character... even the interior and all... thanks for sharing! Oh btw I remember how STURDY everything felt, the doors being shut, the turn signal gauges, the buttons... even on a car with high mileage
Always loved the 240D since my first one I got when I was 16. Goes well on the highway as well as in the city, I usually stick to 3rd and 4th in town only shifting to 2nd in slow corners and 1st if i stop. The torque just keeps it going, I have a 1980 240TD estate now.
You put diesel additive in the fuel tank every time you fill it up with gas. Your diesel will run ultra smooth over time. Unless your motor mounts are bad.
how fast can you go?
@@christophercolumbus8944 Well I've almost maxed the speedo, 160km/h, but 110-120 is comfortable
@@Philip.Magnusson so what happens at that speed though? do you feel shaking?
@@christophercolumbus8944 With loose steering and bad drive shaft bearings it's not a speed you wanna be doing, plus the engine revs around 5000. I especially can't do it on the 18" wheels I got on it now.
There's one in outstanding condition up for sale in Virginia. I watched this video to get a good idea of what this vehicle is like. I love it! Nice POV drive!
Was it a black car with palomino interior?
Beautiful! Car, yeah! For sure driving this beauty is good for the soul🙏. Nice video thanks! For share😉
I have an '85 300SD that I love driving, but would trade for a 240D like this. The 240D is the perfect size for me.
I would love to get my hands on a 300D with a manual transmission. That would be my ultimate daily driver car.
Thanks for this. Mine is the same year, haven’t started it in a couple years and this got me inspired to fire it up.
These old cars are designed to be driven! Give your old Benz some love! These are some of the most rewarding vehicles I've ever had the opportunity to work on and enjoy. There will always be a classic Benz in my stable. :)
I love driving my 4 speed manual on my 1981 Mercedes 240d. Best car I have ever owned. I would get another in a heartbeat. The first Mercedes I had was a 1980 240d but with a automatic. What a difference in drivability with the 4 speed manual.
My first was a 1979 300D/automatic. For daily driving, I prefer the 240d/manual over the 300d/auto. Freeway cruising seems a little more relaxed in a 300d, though. Best of both worlds is a euro 300d/manual. I'll have another w123 someday!
late to the party, but I'm a "new" owner of a 1981 240d with a manual transmission! I love this car so much! So much fun to drive. I will say with the AC on (and yes it's blowing cold!) it cuts down on the power a lot!
Amazing car and the interior looks fabulous, the black looks so classier than some of the awful 70/80's colours; that is also one of the only glove box lids I've seen that hasn't sagged.
It's hard to see in the footage due to lighting, but this car actually has the dark blue interior. It was one of very few glove box lids I've come across that fit correctly and was tight to the dash. Amazing car, it made the trip from Alaska all the way to Texas shortly after I serviced it.
Man! it sounds like a van, but you can't beat the Merc's ride comfort
When I take it down a straight path it takes just a bit to get my 1981 Mercedes 240d up to speed but it is not bad. When I come around a nice sweeping entrance to a highway I leave the rest of the cars literally in the dust.
Awesome, thanks for sharing!!
Mercedes Benz dünyanın en iyi otomobilleri dır👍
Anybody still dailying one of these in the northeastern US? I've endured many years with classic Saab 900s (which I had always though was the perfect car for where I live) but am still drawn to the 240d MT. I don't have a daily commute anymore, thankfully, so it wouldn't be getting mercilessly hammered like my Saabs were, in all types of weather.
Smooth drive!
Amazing video. Love it!
Mercedes 240d still Taxis in Morrocco
Super car.
Mercedes W123 and W126 cars are some of my favorite vehicles, ever.
interesting to share the experience of a W123 DERV, always guessed they'd be reasonably refined (by the standards of the day) despite the engine being quite noisy in comparison to Peugeot/Citroen's XUD of the same era.
This one doesn't shake at idle like the one I recently drove; what do you recommend to remedy that? If I get it I'd adjust the valves, etc, but is there an idle adjustment?
I was always under the impression "doglegged" means the 2nd gear is forward and the 1st is back and left. Reverse should have nothing to do with that.
You're right! I was just nervously babbling on, and had gotten mixed up with the gearboxes found in some of the W124/W201 chassis cars (1st down and to the left) as well as the gearboxes in aircooled VWs (reverse down to the left). The dogleg shift pattern just means that the movement required to go between 1st and 2nd isn't just a straight and simple line, but rather, at an angle - much like a dog's hind leg. My apologies!
@@AKJeeper No Problem Dude, i enjoyed your Vid. I own a 240d myself and can´t wait for the weather to finally clear up :)
very nice car and good driver 🖒
Solid,quality stuff.
Agreed, forever cars
I like the video, but I noticed a big thing: while the engine was cold, you proceeded to immediately take off and give it to her well past 3,000rpm.
I'm not sure how you gathered that I immediately had it to 3000rpm or that the engine was stone cold. The car had just been dropped off to me by the client, so it definitely wasn't cold. Speed limit on the street I pulled out on is 25mph (right out of the shop) and I had it up into 3rd gear immediately. The second road I pulled on to has a 35mph speed limit and I had it into 4th rather quickly as well. I think maybe the camera picked up the engine (and road noise) a bit more making it seem like the engine was approaching high rpms? Thank you for your concern, I can assure you that I did not do anything irresponsible with this beautiful car. It made the trek from Alaska all the way to Texas in less than a week, no small feat for any car, particularly one with nearly 400k miles!
I just bought this car, and I’m wondering. Does not having a passenger side view mirror bother you? I was debating on attaching one.
It doesn’t bother me too much as these cars offer very good visibility for the driver. Not much for blind spots on these cars. With that said, I’ve fitted passenger side mirrors on all of the W123s I’ve owned - mostly because I like my cars to be symmetrical.
Thanks for the reply man! I think I might try to do that job myself. I bought the car for $300, however my mechanic bill came out to $4500 to get it running great again... I should have expected that number instead of the $2000 I was thinking. It needed some work after not running for 3 years.
@@AKJeeper
❤️❤️❤️
Dit zijn de beste auto’s w123 diesel top auto’s
Love those 240D's, Brotha
hey does yours sound like a pick up truck ?? is it loud? i can t hear the sound of the engine since you're camera inside
It’s not nearly as noisy as as 1989-1993 Dodge W250 with a 5.9 Cummins or a Ford F-250 with the 7.3 diesel. Maybe about on par with a Chevy K2500 with the 6.5 Turbodiesel. The video footage is relatively accurate with the sound, the engine is louder outside than it is inside the cab. I’ve always been able to have normal conversations with my passengers driving down the road in a 240D or 300D.
I almost bought a Mercedes Benz but the parts are very expensive and it very expensive to hire a Mercedes mechanic from out of town to repair these old cars and the screws and parts are very expensive to work on and repair.
Engine and transmission and lights are the easiest to work on.
Nice video bruh !
Amazing 😍,but does that radio works?
Masinistuu Vostru Yes, the radio works and so does the tape deck!
with tuning what kind of 0-60 time we can see on a well maintained 240d? Are there any improvements that can be done to reduce bit of weight and optimize mpg such as removing exhaust and putting a dump hole on hood?
u sure u alright mate?
Dude 240d is non turbo diesel, 0 60 is like a year !!
If you want to play big boost go whit 300 turbo diesel
How much should you rev 1st gear? I’ve been shifting into 2nd like at 5mph LOL
They are geared pretty low aren't they? If you look at your speedometer, you'll notice tick marks (I, II, III) - those coincide with the recommended max rpm shift points for each gear. If memory serves, the first gear tick mark is right around 20mph, so if you're pulling out into traffic that's about where I'd wind it out to in 1st gear.
AKJeeper yeah it works , revving up to around 20 mph...then shifting to 2nd . Thanks.
Once it gets going, seems to drive at reasonable highway speeds from my viewpoint. To merge safely with traffic, you have to be a good judge of distance and speed of other vehicles. Right?
I'll answer for him. It's not easy. These cars weigh as much as modern cars with 1/3 of the power, they're extremely slow. You have to be careful and always paying attention in these cars, but like anything, you'll adapt to it and compensate for its power in situations where you have to merge or speed up for any reason. You can drive them like any other car as long as you understand its limitations.
No right mirror?
It was an option on a lot of cars prior to the 1990s!
Does AC works?
Yes, it does.
MERCEDES W123 ASMR
Im use w123...but isuzu engine
Quando sei fermo agli incroci togli la marcia, aspettare a lungo con il pedale abbassato rovina la frizione
In my home country, Albania, half the cars on the road are Classic Mercedes Diesels. We tend to put manual gearboxes in all our 240D’s, and we equip them with small turbos from Isuzu Gemini Turbo Diesels. That will really bring out the top-end of the power band.