Hello,

So I have been in the market for a diesel vehicle for some time now. My neighbor recently (about 2 months ago) bought a 240D with 190K for $3500. He has since replaced the injectors, glow plugs, and fuel filters. He likes the car as it is in near mint condition; no cracks in the dash, seats (tex) show little or no wear.
But now he is trying to sell it because he says that he was not prepared for how slow it is. He is now trying to sell it for 2500. I am taking it for a drive tonight, what should I look for while driving it? I am thinking of offering 2000 for it. Any suggestions or ideas would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

Can't loose with the car, with the exception of green lights.
Common opinion is, that if you have teenager getting the driving experience, this is the perfect car for him/her.
Built like a tank, almost foolproof and with no acceleration to bring some stupid ideas.
You don't say where you are, but in CA $2500 for the model with good paint job and no big rips in the seats would be a bargain.

 

Decent fuel economy (for the year) helps too.

 

Thanks for the quick reply, I am in central Ohio. The car was stored in a heated garage and has no rust.

 

A 240D is a fantastic car. The 4 cylinder engine is rock solid and has very little to go wrong. The car is slow and the transmissions (automatic) have a tendency to flare a bit and are tough to get it to shift correctly (really more of an art). We just shift ours manually and it works perfect. I like my 240D WAY better than I did my 300D Turbo.

They are great for kids. My daughter wrecked the 240D and I'm convenced that she would have been killed in a lesser car. The insurance said the car was totaled but I have since started putting it back together. I had to replace the hood, driverside front fender, both driverside doors and a ton of pushing, pulling and frontend work. I hope to have it finished in another couple of weekends. I'll post before and after pictures if anyone is interested.

Good luck,
Tony T

 

Well of course if you are a speed demon, the 240D is not the smartest choice. I hesistate to say tha they are great for kids because all young folk are not speed demons. I'm 21 with a 560 on my hands that I bought. First car was a 5.7 Corvette engine 1995 Cadillac and I acted responsible because my parents trusted me to act responsible. (Plus if I did something stupid and wrecked that car I wouldn't be here right now whether from the accident or injuries aquired when I got home.) But they are great for kids by the fact that they are reliable, dependable, and not to complicated or expensive to fix. And the gas milage is very good. So test drive that car and if ya like it, go for it.

 

Let me know AJgeo if you pass the deal. I like to travel and my next son will need a car in 3 years.
Talking about young drivers and fast cars. There is a link to the story about a father -single parent, that promised his 16-years old son sport car for getting a B in Algebra II. Read on
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniont...1mi15lowe.html

 

So I think the car needs brakes, she was quite spongy and a little slow to stop. There is a "boaty" feeling to the car, but it rides pretty nice. There is no dash light, and the climate control does not seem to work, no ac or heat. But the interior is spotless and there is very, very little rust. The transmission is a bit rough on the shifting, but not too bad. She is slow, but that is all right by me. Leaning heavily towards the purchase.

 

The brakes may be nothing more than a good bleeding. As far as the "boaty" feel that's one of the things you will come to love about the car. They feel heavy and sit in the road very nicely (a very good thing in bad weather). There's not much that can go wrong with the dash lights bulbs, fuse or dimmer that's about it and all are cheap to fix. When I bought my 240D the manual climate system wouldn't work but it was as simple as a bad blower motor, easy to replace and not very expensive. If the transmission is shifting correctly it will be a bit harsh so I'd say that's normal. Sounds like a nice older car to me, go for it.

Tony T

 

Kajtek, well that story happens to to a lot of young people, true true. But If you take a look at a lot of the accidents that don't get publicized as much involves people of all ages, including the old, young, experienced, newbies, and so on. Some with sports cars some with not. Some driving fast, some of them not. I just think it isn't true to say that all young people with a sports car don't know how to act and will wreck. Some of us are responsible, some of us are not. That goes for any age. I ain't saying that you think like that, but a lot of older people I come across do. Think back into the 70s or 60s, when mucle cars ruled and most of the middle aged people was my age. I'm sure some of them acted a fool behind the wheel of a brand new Camero with 400hps or Oldmobile 442. Some made it some didn't. Apparently most of that generation made it or there wouldn't be as many of us. My main point is people are people and some but not all people act crazy when they get a little power behind the wheel. Some people know how to handle themselves and sometimes that doesn't work. If I just happen to get my hands on a Lamborghini today ain't no way in hell I'm going to try to reach the speed limit because I know that I am not used to driving that type of car. And when I do get use to it why risk my life and $200,000 for a little thrill?

I don't think speed itself kills. There are less wrecks in Europe where some sections don't even have a speed limit than there are here. Also, most wrecks takes place going under 46 mph.
But when you do wreck on the Autobahn, better bring a shovel.