Hey, I am new to the forums, and wanted to get an opinion on a 1983 240D Mercedes? I was looking at one that has 242k on the Odometer. Is that too many miles, or is this a particularly good/bad car? I can probably get it for around $1200. Now the only things I have heard about Mercedes was that little things constantly go wrong, and that they got expensive, which is why some people have sold theirs, is there any truth to that?

My biggest problem currently is that it makes my wife uncomfortable to buy a car with more than 150k miles on it, but wants one for less than $1000. Hence my dilemma, any help would be appreciated.

 

The 150k miles is not bad if the Car was well cared for by the previous owner. However, I have an 84 300D and all of the front Suspension parts that ride on rubber needed replacing (Upper and Lower Control Arm Bushings), Oil Cooler Hoses needed replacing, the Rubber Boots on the Rear Axles needed replacing (I bought rebuilt Axles).
I guess what I am saying is that if you cannot do the above type of work yourself you will end up spending a lot of money on it.

The Valves need to be adjusted on these Engines and I have read of this costing $90-$150 if you have to pay some one to do it.

The other issue is personal. They are somewhat slow; more so with an Automatic trans. I think people who buy them like the good Fuel milage and do not mind them being slow.
Here are some links so you can see some of the types of work that people end up doing on their Mercedes.