Hi,
New here and to mercedes and hoping to get some advice on some cars I am considering.....

The first one is,

~1975 240D (manual) with a new factory engine in it and mint interior. It is a manual 4 speed.What would the mpg be on a car like this ?

The other car I am considering is

~1986 190 D (automatic) 5 cylinder with 117,505 miles. What would the mpg be on this ?


Any advice,tips, info or exprerience appreciated.


~ Pixie

 

I agree with forceinduction that 190D is better than 240D so here is my 190D VS 240D BREAK DOWN!!!

1.MAINTANANCE. 190D hashydraulic valve aka self adjusting valvesnever haveto adjustvs 240D that needs a valve adjustment every2years and costaround $200+

2.SAFTEY190D far more saftey features vs 240Dnosaftey featurenothing

3. VALUE 190D will sell like hotcakes because itrareand hasa very good resale valueeven better if its a turbodiesel vs240Dthat is a68 hp 4 cylinder diesel that no one likes and itscommon carso dont expect a very good resale value even with a "NEW ENGINE".

4. SPEED 190D is the best both town and highway vs 240D its a sucide mission to get from point A to point B on a highway and its almost fatal on town driving due to its speed and acclearation.

5. Winter. 190D it will start @ 20F or without block heater vs. 240D wont start below 30F without block heater ZZZZ

My point is that a 190D is far more better than a 240D in Value, Realiability and technology

Vedic:
240D[sm=smiley21.gif]
-
190D[sm=smiley20.gif]

SO GET YOUR SELFTHAT 190D

 

I get an average of about 500 miles per tank with the 2.2L I4. It's got a 14 gallon tank so that's 35.71 mpg. Doing about 85% highway miles. The 2.5 should do about the same with more power.

Go with the 190D. You're correct with the self adjusting valves, that's a huge advantage. It'll start in 18 degree weather when maintained, it's a tank, value is only going to go up,and there are plenty of available parts from the 190e.

Just be aware that regular maintainance is required as the car ages to get it back to how it was. If you cansome work yourself like fluid changesI think it would be a great car, but if you plan to have an old benz sent to the shop for everything forget about it.

Btw, with you engine skeptics, don't be so frightened. Yes the engine may have failed, but a replacement fixes that. I put $4300 into changing a bad engine and other cooling elementsin my 190D from prior overheating that led to a broken valve tappet and it runs like a champ with no problems what so ever now.

 

i have an 82' 240d...
acceleration is horrible,
safety...you better just be a good driver and not be around dangerous situations,(wet roads)
if its cold enough to wear a jacket, you might as well have the block heater on..
fuel economy is pretty damn good for me. i know most max out at like 30mpg, but in the city i get about 35, highway is only about 20-25. depending on speed.
all in all...go with the 190d.

 

Hi and thanks for the replies ! I discovered the 190 is a 2.5 automatic, apparently a rare car. Anyone know anything about this particular model ? Is is good on gas ?

 

here's a great link pix: http://www.kenrockwell.com/190d/index.htm

You're better off dead when trying to enter a highway from an onramp probably

 

I just don't agree with Mr 47. The w123 series was a crash safety pioneer with optional Abs and even airbags! The car to replace the 190 was the C class with a stronger version of the same chassis. It performed very badly in the european Ncap carsh tests. I would rather be in a w123 than a 190 in a head on. Of course modern cars are much safer now, but the w123 was well ahead of its time in every way. The 190 was not.

 

So now wehave discussed functionality, engineering, and economy:the science. What about design and asthetics my friends? The W123 chassis is a timeless classic, and in my humble opinion one of the most beautiful car designs of all time. Period. End of discussion. So the question for Pixie to also consider iso you desireto drive a ho-humW201 chassis orthe sleek, timeless formrepresented by theW123? You all know my choice.

 

I owned a 1978 300D way back in 1979 and I owned a 1987 190E from 1987 to 2002. Go with the 190D.
One thing no one questioned is the difference between the manual vs the automatic and the overall size of the two cars. I would think the automatic has lots of miles left and personally I liked the size of the 190 for around town travel. With proper winter tires both cars are tanks although a block heater or battery warmer would be handy for either model.
No question the 190 will be safer with more modern amenities. Parts are everywhere and the body should be in excellent shape. One word of caution:: When I traded in my 190E (100,000 km; 62000mi) it had some bad frame and floorpan rust. The car had never been through a commercial car wash but also had never been garaged even in our Canadian winter.
Happy motoring.

 

You guys did of course notice the original post was from last February? I bet she's made up her mind by now.