I could be wrong on this as I haven’t heavily researched them in years, but that was mainly on early models. If I got one, would want to swap in a 2zz anyways, which would be perfect for one that blew the engine because of the precat going. With the third gen, you avoid the general rust issues of the first gen and I…

I remember 6 or 7 years ago when $5k would get you just about the nicest supercharged first gen you could find, and $6k could get you a decent 93+Turbo. Nobody was willing to pay much more than $3.5k for a N/A 2nd Gen. Now prices are much higher on the first and second gen cars while third gen cars have gotten…

Yeah, doing 171 mph is stupid and reckless, but so is doing 135 to catch him.

It’s a driver aid that was originally developed for the Sprinter. I’m not sure how useful it would be in an SUV but it is incredibly useful in the Sprinter. The side of the Sprinter becomes a sail with crosswinds and I have driven in my parent’s Sprinter in high winds that have literally pushed me over a lane without…

Yeah, the diesels will never be super fast cars. Another diesel option would be to swap a OM606 turbo from a W210 E300 and tune it (these usually are the engines in the superturbodiesel builds that you see online). One of my dream projects would be to swap a 5L M119 from a 500SL/SL500 or S500 into a W123 or W116.…

Properly adjusted there will still be a small amount of smoke when they are cold. I just hate the stereotype of these that they roll coal everywhere. My dad’s 240D has really bad blow-by and smokes a lot more than my 300SD but that is because the valve seals need to be done because the engine that is in it is has all…

The turbodiesels never came with a manual. I’m in the process of acquiring a 5 speed from Europe from a non-turbo for my 300SD but they are rare/expensive, so I might just go about trying to make a custom bellhousing adapter for a modern 6-speed or just leave it be because the 4 speed auto is actually a fairly good…

If you discount build quality, reliability, longevity, popularity, safety, chassis dynamics and design, I think that you could make the argument that the 1978 Mustang King Cobra was a better car than a 1978 Mercedes diesel.

They don’t smoke when the valves are properly adjusted and you have good valve seals. As a Mercedes diesel aficionado, it just seems like they all do because Mercedes diesel owners are usually incredibly cheap people who don’t properly maintain their vehicles/try to get by with minimum maintenance.

Once you learn how to drive a slow car, these really aren’t that bad in modern traffic, especially in comparison to an original Beetle. If you are insistent on more power and want to keep it with a Mercedes drivetrain, either find a 280E which is the 2.8 liter straight-6 with about 180hp or swap in a M117 V8, such as…

The name of the shop is Just Benz and Tommy. If you live nearby, go meet the guy. Here’s the view of his shop on google maps: https://www.google.com/maps/@34.24767…

I know of the shop that you speak of. In fact, I have a video of the car that my friend shot. His is an Evo I, not an Evo II. I was there about 2 years ago buying a car from one of his customers. He said that it was a daily driver but it was in kinda rough shape and had a bad fan clutch and something else chirping on…

Most first generation S-Class (73-80) didn’t have the passenger side mirror. My 1980 300SD didn’t have one until I bought one off of Ebay a year ago. Kinda silly that a car that was $31,000 in 1980, roughly 8 times the cost of a Chevette ($4,000 range in 1980), didn’t have a passenger mirror as standard.

There is one that has over 1.4 million miles on it out in California (engine replaced at 1.3 million miles, not because it died, but because it was kinda worn out).

Some convert to the DOT bumpers too. I guess that it makes it more unique in the sea of euro 116 over there.

These had 110hp in 1979 to move about 3800lbs and 121hp in 1980. Slow? Yes, but 240D automatic slow? No. Plenty of power for the highway as mine maintains 85 or 90 easily. I did get the 240D auto that I drove up to 95 once, but 75 is a lot happier speed in it, until you reach a hill of course.

These aren’t really that bad. Popular Mechanics back in the day clocked a 0-60 of 12.7s and called it a “high-performance diesel sedan” (lol) but I find that a tad optimistic. Mine is closer to 14.5s and I think the factory rating is 15.7s.

Euro bumpers for these are pretty pricey. Mine were about $1400 and $400 for cross-country shipping.

116 300SD owner here. I vote narrow NP because of the new engine and the body which seems to be in very good condition, but I would vote CP if I found that the climate control servo was bad when inspecting it. That being said, if you wait and look around on Craigslist, you can probably find a much lower mile example…

He has said that he intends to return to Tech to finish his degree. Would be neat to see him around campus.