Who has had/have one and are you happy with it? I might pick one up Sunday.

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No matter how many times you explain it to me, I'm still right.....Surf-n-Turf

Dont' know anything about a '76 but I LOVE my '75...all 67 HP.

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Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.

67hp?? I might be able to run down my Dixie Chopper.

BTW, who said pundit?? Dirty dog.

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No matter how many times you explain it to me, I'm still right.....Surf-n-Turf

Make sure both the heater fan and the AC fan are working. Do not leave until the seller can show you or you have played with those funky controls (no labeling on the switches and adjustments, just symbols) . The 115 chassis, they hung the fans and built the car around it. If they do not work, you are talking at lease 10-20 hours of labor to fix plus the parts cost. You can do it yourself but car will be down for a few week ends. Also check that the mono valves that control the heat work and function properly.

That circa period, I believe MB had some sort of strike and they were importing a lesser quality steel which rusted out quicker even in dry climates. Get it on a lift and inspect it. Pull up carpet and inspect. Check around and inside near headlights and in trunk.

Other thant that the power plant is rock solid on these. See if you can get oil change and maint history.

Regards and good luck Tom

I bought one about a year and a half ago, and I love driving it. Just don't get in a hurry. Or try to pass anybody. Or accelerate up a hill. It will do 70-75. Eventually.

Seriously, it is fun, and simple to work on. I'm getting ready to change the valve seals on mine, hoping it slows down the oil consumption.

Check the floor pans, mine are pretty far gone. As far as the heater blower goes, Mine doesn't work, but I get by. The engine heats up fast, and as long as you are moving, the airflow brings the heat in. (better than the wimpy fan, from what I understand). Defrosting can be a bit tricky, since you have to be driving....

Ironically, in my small town of about 15,000 there is another almost identical 240D (but a 75, I think). It actually lives a couple blocks away.

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I have a 1975 115/300d that is a great car. Only 130k on it and it goes like the wind. Needs the ac and vacuum worked on but it still runs perfectly.

Your description is not far off of all 240D's, any year. I love the Hula-Girl. Classic.

The car is for working on. (Psst...don't tell my wife.) It gives me something to do instead of going out to bars.

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No matter how many times you explain it to me, I'm still right.....Surf-n-Turf

Scifiguy, I love your sky blue 240D - one of my favorite colors for those cars.

I've had my '76 240D for almost 2 years now and it's a lot of fun to drive & a little less fun to work on (prepare to get oily). I never fixed my heater blower but since it wasn't working at time of purchase, I negotiated better price for the car. There is good air flow, so there's plenty of cold air or warm air when you're driving. The air conditioning doesn't work in mine either, but I hear it takes away even more horsepower from what little you have to work with in the first place.

I use Rain-X anti-fog wipes to help with the defrost problem, although have been tempted to rig up some temporary fans, as it would be easier to do than change out the main defrost fan.

I paid $800 for my car but have put quite a lot of $$$ getting it repainted and replacing various things that were messed up by a previous owner who repaired things with non-standard parts. Changing the engine mounts and running Mobil 1 oil and a biodiesel blend of fuel quieted the engine noise a lot. I think all the things one should look for in a diesel Mercedes apply when purchasing a W115, particularly good maintenance records, but there are some additional service items like the oil levels in the injection pump and air filter, that you don't have to deal with in the W123's.

-AC

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1976 240D "Katja"

Oh yeah...buy a box of 100 of those purple nitrile gloves. Don't touch anything in the engine compartment without them. The oil is very black and doesn't clean up easily. You might want some of those long gloves (the kind dieselgiant wears in all the pictures) for oil changes. I have yet to do it without getting oil down my arm.

I've kicked around the idea of an AC fan that would run when I have the heater plugged in, but I don't know if it would be warm enough. And I haven't figured out where to put it.

I have a W115, I am happy with it. However, I have only driven it once. It had a bad head gasket when I bought it. The engine is on its way back together as we speak. They're neat old cars, but personally I find the underhood situation much more confined on a W115 than a W123, or my favorite, the W126. A 126 mit 617 is bliss to deal with, so much room. Not so much so on the 115 chassis.

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1985 300TD
1984 380SL
1983 280SE (full Euro, trunk triangle and all!)

Formerly owned:
1986 420SEL
1984 300D
1983 300D
1981 300SD
1976 300D