1983 Mercedes-Benz 240D (4-spd Manual) - $2,500 (Mid-City)

1983 Mercedes-Benz 240D w/ 4-spd manual transmission. Thistle Green paint over Parchment interior. Beloved car that I drive every day: it starts every time, runs, drives, shifts, stops, and has never truly left me stranded, but it is 43 years old and had been left to rot in the woods before I bought it in early 2021. Bad body and floorpan rust from some poorly-installed wheel arches and a first life in the Northeast means this will never be a "nice" car, but is a really great, fun, un-killable driver for the right person. I've driven thousands and thousands of miles since purchase, including many long road trips. The longest was a trip from Baltimore to New Orleans last spring. The odometer reads 266k, but was not functioning for quite a while after I bought the car, and who knows how long before that. I wouldn't trust any Mercedes W123 odometer to be accurate in 2025, but there are plenty of them still kicking around all over the world that have long rolled past 999,999. Engine and transmission are very strong: I have never compression tested, but I have no problem keeping up with modern traffic, and it always starts in half a crank, even without glow plugs. If I had a rust-free W123 body and more spare time, this would be a great candidate for a swap. An OM616 with a 4-speed in good shape is hard to find, and maybe the most durable, well-engineered and mechanically simple combination ever put on the road. I've done some work keeping this thing running over the last few years, but not as much as you might think: – A new starter a little over a year ago – New brake pads, rotors, calipers, hoses 18 months ago – Motor and transmission mounts about two years ago – Brake master cylinder last year – Four new tires last spring – Regular replacement of fuel, air and oil filters – Many scattershot small things: valve adjustments/valve cover gasket replacement, cleaned fuel injectors, replaced speedometer cable, windshield, battery, muffler, hood release, hood ornament, power antenna, headlight surround, clutch master cylinder fluid supply hose, bulbs, shifter boot... Many accessories are non-operational: – Cruise control is a distant memory – Front passenger window needs replacement – Door locks do not work (except the trunk and glovebox, which do) – Parking brake switch is out of alignment, and usually shows the parking brake warning light on the dash. – A previous owner removed basically all of the air conditioning hardware, but with just 71 horsepower from the factory, you don't want to spend any of them running an A/C compressor anyways. Heat is pretty good for a diesel, if you ever need it. The stereo and automatic sunroof (somehow) have always worked just fine. Includes a bunch of cool documentation and service history from the original owner, who took delivery in Europe, shipped the car home, and serviced it at the dealer for decades. I'll also include whatever spare parts I have lying around: some filters, glow plugs, a differential mount, whatever else I can find. I've loved this car, and am not dying to let it go, but my registration just expired and I have another car that eats up enough of my time and attention. Maybe it's time for someone else to get a turn with this one. Would like to get $2500 for it. And of course, selling as-is: a lot of stuff's broken, but a lot of stuff isn't. It's old.