I think the factory gives a 123 chassis 1600 lbs with brakes and 1000lbs without brakes. I’d stick with 1000 lbs and a tongue weight of no more than 100 lbs.
The turbo diesel should handle this just fine if you resist overloading the small trailer.
Don’t even think of pulling a trailer with the four cylinder non-turbo 240D…
Benzman
Agree with Benzman; long ago a car magazie tested this car and referred to it as “life in the slow lane” even without pulling anything behind. A friend of mine was stationed overseas and brought one back (export model with A/C and automatic), and it was a slug! Pulling a small trailer will tax your patience and passing, etc, will require the same amount of planning the driver of an 18 wheeler takes. This car without A/C and with a stick shift was the standard taxi in Germany for many years. I remember the drivers constantly shifting gears to keep up with traffic. If you are a rancher in Wyoming this lack of power will not be an obstacle.
They are slow, my wife drives hers to work everyday, about 5 miles on secondary roads and it’s great for that kind of use. On the highway, you really don’t want to cruise above about 70 (3500 rpm). I wouldn’t even think about towing anything with a 240D (actually I wouldn’t tow with any or them, because that isn’t really what they were intended for). If you really want slow, find a 200 or 220D (but they do look cool).
I bought my wife’s 240D in NJ and drove it home to CO, that was a pretty long drive.
A friend of mine wrote a hilarious story of a drag race between his 240D and a three cylinder Geo Metro.
I could look it up if anyone’s interested…
Benzman
Is the drag race still going on?
I was once beaten by a kid on a big-wheel.
Here it is in it’s priceless entirety:
Courtesy of Mark Shilling
I took a ride in my venerable old '83 Mercedes 240D last night!
I took a ride in my venerable old '83 Mercedes 240D last night. Two
point four litres of raw power, 4 cylinders of asphalt-tearing terror
with 67 rompin stompin horse power at my beck and call. It’s stock,
all right, nothing done to it, but it pushes the 3200 pounds of German
engineering around with AUTHORITY. I’m always catching mopeds and
18-wheelers by surprise…
I was headed back from Baskin Robbins with my manly triple-latte
cappuccino blast (“No Cinnamon, ma’am, I take it BLACK”), when I
stopped at a streetlight. As the “D” rattled its throaty idle around
me, I sipped my bold beverage and wiped the white froth my stiff upper
lip. I was minding my own business, but then I heard a rev from the
next lane. I turned, made eye contact, then let my eyes trace over
the competition.
Geo Metro – a late model, could be trouble. Low profile tires, curb
feelers, and schoolbus-yellow paint. Yep, a hot rod, for sure. The
howl of his motor snapped my reverie, and I looked back into the
driver’s eyes, nodded, then blipped my own throttle (Rattle Rattle!!).
As I tugged on my driving gloves and slipped on my sunglasses (gotta
look cool to be fast, and I am damn cool, hence…), the night was
split with the sound of seven screaming cylinders… Then the light
turned…
I almost had him out of the hole, my four pounding cylinders thrusting
me at least a millimeter back into my seat, as smoke pouring from
exhaust pipe… I’d let it sit and idle too long! I saw in the
corner of my eyes, a yellow snout gaining, and I heard the roar of his
three cylinders. He slung by me, right front wheel juddering against
the pavement, and he flashed me a smile as his gasoline powered 1.1
liters of motor stretched its legs. I turned off my AC to gain 10%
more power and kept my foot gamely in it. Then I saw a glimpse of
chrome under his bumper, and knew the ugly truth… He was running a
custom exhaust – probably a 1.5-into-1 dual exhaust… maybe even
cutouts! Damn his hot-rod soul! The old lady passing us on the
crosswalk cast a dirty look in our boy-racer direction… Yet still I
persisted, with my four pumping pistons singing a steady, deep, diesel
song, wound fully out. Though only a few handfuls of seconds had
passed, we were nearing the crosswalk at the other side of the
intersection, and I heard the note of his engine change as he made his
shift to second, and I saw his grin in his rearview mirror fade as he
missed the shift! I rocketed by! Not ready to give up so easily, he
left his foot in it, revving, and I heard one wheel almost chirp as
he finally found second and dropped the clutch. We careened over the
crosswalk, now going at least 15 miles per hour. A bicyclist passed
us, but intent on the race as we were, neither of us batted an eye. I
was waiting for the first dot on the speedometer to tell me to shift
(no tachometer here!). Shifting, I nursed the clutch gently to keep
from bogging, keeping my motor spinning hot and pulling me ahead, now
trailing a cloud of stinking clutch smoke, no that’s diesel exhaust
again… He pulled slowly abreast of me, and neck and neck, I shifted
into third at 38 MPH - a little early, but better safe than sorry.
The scream of motors deafening all pedestrians within a five foot
circle. He nosed ahead as we passed 42 miles an hour, then eased in
front of me, taunting, as he shifted into fourth. I decided to keep
my car in third, counting on the ability to pump out the power at
higher speeds and lower gears. I was staring up the dual 6" chrome
tips of his exhaust, snarling, my cappuccino forgotten, as he lifted a
little to take the next corner. I saw my opportunity, and counting on
the innate agility of my trusty steed, I pulled wide into the number
two lane and kept my foot buried in carpet. Slowly, I inched around
him, feeling my German Diesel roll slowly to the left as I came
abreast in the midst of this gradual sweeping turn. I felt the front
start to push a little, so I added more power only to realize that was
all I had! But, I saw the right rear wheel lift on the Metro and
realized he had reached his limit! Slowly I gained on him through the
outside of the turn passing him with ease!!!
The Metro driver beat his wheel in rage as my car eased past him on
the outside, my P175/R14’s screaming in protest, as we raced to the
next light. We coasted down, neck-and neck, to the red light. I
tightened my driving gloves, ready for another round, when this WIMP
in the next car meekly flipped his turn signal and made a right. MB
superiority reigns!!!
I drove off sipping my masculine drink, awash in my sheer virility,
looking for other unwitting targets… Perhaps a Yugo, or maybe even
a Volkswagon Van!
Courtesy of Mark Shilling
Now, that’s funny!
I might have to steal that (with credit).
Hi there. I’m thinking of buying a 1985 300D myself. Good condition. One owner. Well-maintained with records.
"Expect to spend in the $5-10K range for a good driver (not a show car), and don’t be surprised if it costs you about $1000 per year for the usual “old car nits.”
Is the $1000 figure if you’re doing all the work yourself? Or taking it to mechanic (I found a guy who specializes in old Mercedes Diesel’s close to where I live).
“Is the $1000 figure if you’re doing all the work yourself? Or taking it to mechanic (I found a guy who specializes in old Mercedes Diesel’s close to where I live).”
It really depends on the car’s condition, how much you drive, and how lucky you are; I usually do the easy stuff myself and have my mechanic do the messy stuff. I actually spend more than that because i drive mine about 40K miles per year and am pretty fanatical about maintenance. if you don’t have an major problems, $1000 per year is probably a good average with an independent shop doing the work.
I would also have your mechanic check it over before you buy it just to make sure there are no major issues. How many miles on the car?
The video isn’t there anymore. Or, there are 20 videos there but none seem relevant at first glance.
“The video isn’t there anymore. Or, there are 20 videos there but none seem relevant at first glance.”
You’re right it’s gone, here is another crash video of a W123 (apparently a euro version with a drivers side air bag), this is the same car as a 240D, 300D, and 280E ('77 - '85):
Only 150,000…or so he says. He also told me that the odometer just recently stopped working. Carfax shows 140,xxx miles in 1994 so I’m a little skeptical. I definitely was going to bring it to a mechanic before buying.
It has about 150,000…or so he says. He also told me the odometer just conked out recently. Carfax says 140,xxx miles around 1994, so I’m a little skeptical. He did buy it from an elderly gentleman, though, who may not have driven the car that much. Only two owners on the Carfax report.
LOL, it’s funny how those odometers always fail just before the car is sold. He may be telling the truth, but definitely get a good pre-purchase inspection (the kind you have to pay a couple of $100 for, not just a quick look-see by the mechanic). Fixing the odometer isn’t a big deal, just a matter of tightening up a gear on a shaft. You can use anything found during the inspection to negotiate on the price. Have him pay attention to the auto transmission, AC system, climate control, and cruise control (all fairly pricey to fix); and run away if there is any structural rust.
Let us know how the inspection turns out.
Also, take a look at this forum:
If you can arrange it, drive your selection for a week. A 3 liter diesel is a little short on power for such a heavy car. It requires a different driving style than say a 3.0 liter Camary or 5.0 liter Mustang. You will not be able to use power to muscle your way onto the freeway. Consider this secenario, you have to merge into traffic from the side of the road. It will seem like forever till you get up to traffic speed so you will have to give yourself a lot of room. Around town it may feel a little pokey. Once it is up to freeway speed it will be a dream until you hit an incline then you will be horsepower limited in the speed you can climb. Expect the transmission to be doing a lot of shifting.
The best way to determine if you will like the car for the long term is to drive one where you live and regularily drive. Take note that this car is designed to be driven regularily and long distances so it should fit with your driving need.
“It will seem like forever till you get up to traffic speed so you will have to give yourself a lot of room. Around town it may feel a little pokey. Once it is up to freeway speed it will be a dream until you hit an incline then you will be horsepower limited in the speed you can climb. Expect the transmission to be doing a lot of shifting.”
Nope, my 300D turbo will cruise at 75-80 mph all day, including up and down 6% grades. It has fairly low gears (3.07 in the 82-84 and 2.88 in the 85), and will almost never downshift above about 40 mph. The above description is more accurate for the non-turbo 240D which has about half the power (I also have one of those). Take a test drive and see for yourself, if you have trouble keeping up with traffic the car has issues.