1981 Mercedes 240D with manual transmission

1981 Mercedes 240D. Thanks for taking a look! I purchased this car back in March of 2010 for a 45-mile commute before passing it along to my Dad recently who uses a pickup more whenever he does drive. so it needs a new home. Having experience with the power accessories and automatic climate control of the 300 series I specifically wanted the simplicity and robustness of the no-frills manual transmission 240D. The previous owner was the 2nd or 3rd and also a restaurateur who ran it on WVO for about a year. I believe this is responsible for the only significant issue with the car which is high oil consumption. Either the oil rings need replacing as a result of the WVO use. or there’s a small breach in the head gasket between a pressure gallery and a combustion chamber. These are the only two possible scenarios I can’t eliminate from my troubleshooting. Engine has great compression on all four cylinders. I have replaced the valve stem seals and valves have been regularly adjusted. This is my 5th W123 (two OM616 and three OM617) and I also am experienced with the W116. It will use between two and four quarts per tank of fuel. Also. for reference. I put a larger capacity 300D fuel tank in this car as I had one handy that had already been steam cleaned and treated with POR15. If you want the original smaller 240D tank I will exchange them prior to delivery. Other maintenance has been all new Wix or Mann filters for fuel. oil and intake. new Bilstein HD shocks. alloy Bundts (original steels with color-keyed hubcaps available) with BFGoodrich Traction T/A’s (50% worn). stainless braided brake lines on rear. Hessian injectors. new pre-chambers and seals. new Bosch pencil glow plugs and fast glow plug controller. brake light upgrade with two additional lights (see photos). and a new Wal-Mart battery (not my choice but it works). The A/C needs servicing as it leaks down but otherwise the manual climate control works great. The front suspension is in need of service as the bushings are worn as shown in the camber. The exhaust needs attention and while doing some interim repairs to it I discovered some previously unseen corrosion. It appears the floor pan panel wasn’t properly treated during manufacture and began to rust at the rocker seam. I cut out the affected areas and welded in new 16 gauge steel. primed and painted with color matched enamel. This was on the left side but during the taking of the photos for this auction I noticed it appears to be happening on the passenger side as well but not yet as severe. The vehicle was originally purchased in southeast FL and has had previous bodywork done to what appears to be some damage to the front left fender and front fender wells. It is very poor quality work. Typical W123 corrosion along rocker. lower door skin and jacking points but not extreme. I have all the interior trim not pictured as it was removed to show repair work. When I bought the car I drove it from MS to FL and now certainly wouldn’t hesitate to drive it anywhere. just as long as you’ve got some extra oil in the trunk for the trip. I’ve always used Rotella 15W40 in my MB diesels with good results. The car shifts great and with the Hessian injectors it really scoots and starts up straight away. see videos below. Fuel economy has consistently been 29MPG highway and approximately 25MPG around town. which is pretty consistent with the NA diesels. If you have any questions or requests for photos of specific areas not shown please let me know and I will either add them to the auction or. if unable to add. will email. Viewing and inspection of the car is not only welcomed but encouraged. Car is located near Bartow. FL and is sold AS-IS. WHERE-IS with no warranty expressed or implied. I will work with winning bidder within reason on storage until pickup and assistance with loading vehicle if shipped. If driving it will have a full tank of fuel and a gallon or two of oil as well as spare fuel filters (a W123 staple!). Thanks again and good luck bidding!