1983 Mercedes 240D - manual transmission, great driver, nice cosmetic condition!

Description

Hello,
This advertisement is for a 1983 Mercedes 240D with a 4-speed manual transmission. It has ~185,750 miles on it. It was originally sold in Reno and spent most of its life on the coast of California, and has an extensive service record dating back to the original owner, with most of the dozens of receipts dating between 1995 until 2014, accumulating to several thousand dollars spent on fresh components. Most recently it was repainted and had a new windshield installed by the previous owner prior to my purchasing it.
I drove this car approximately 40,000 miles between 2014-2017, and the only major mechanical part replacement during that time was the vacuum pump, for which a receipt is provided (I installed it myself). I also rebuilt the driver's side window mechanism after it failed. I only used Mobil 1 synthetic 5w-40 diesel oil, and religiously changed the oil and filter myself every 3-4k miles. I kept a meticulous record of my fuel mileage by resetting my trip odometer with every refill, and regularly achieved 35mpg using the recommended shift and acceleration patterns for maximizing economy as specified in the original Mercedes brochure. I also replaced the tires about two years ago and they have reasonable tread left, but are certainly not new! I drove all over California, from Santa Barbara to Arcata, but usually stayed in the San Joaquin Valley, where the 240D is currently located.
Cosmetically the car is in respectable shape for its age, and has been well-cared for in mostly mild climates for the duration of its 35 years. The headliner could use replacing, the passenger sun visor sags, and the wood trim is not in nice condition (the two edge pieces on the dash have fallen off but are provided, including a spare). The exterior re-paint done under the previous owner did not set well in a couple of spots, or cracked around the edges of the windows, or peeled on the driver's door when I taped the window up prior to repairs. There are a few rock chips and tiny dents caused by swinging doors. Etc... It's an old car, and has its share of minor blemishes. No fooling about that!
RE: Accident Report - the front passenger-side trim piece is not attached (but is included) because it fell off when I accidentally scraped a friend's fender while trying to leave a busy parking lot. This was reported to insurance and a claim was filed to fix my friend's fender, which needed to be repainted.
Mechanically the car is great. I charged the battery after it was in storage for almost a year, and have been able to fire it up instantly several times over the last few weeks, often with a space of eight or nine days between. I drove it up and down the street a few times but am not at liberty to take it into town for detailing or a professional tune-up because the registration is in non-operational status. The oil and coolant will be topped off prior to the sale.
The air conditioning and heater always worked when I tried using them, but that was seldom, and the A/C could definitely use charging as it never blew cold. All of the outside lights work, from the headlights and taillights to the fog lamps to the high beams to the turn indicators to the brakes. The vacuum-powered door locks work. All four windows roll up and down (and the driver's window does with particular ease after being rebuilt). The front seats both adjust correctly. The windshield wipers work (but need new rubber). The glove compartment door opens and shuts. Etc, etc... The little stuff mostly works well!
Onto the issues! First and foremost in my mind, the front drive-side brake caliper is jammed on one side, so only one pad pushes with force. This caused the wear sensor to fray prematurely so when the brakes are applied the warning light emits. I replaced the pads on that side but the caliper is still not fixed/replaced, nor is the sensor. I have a set of pads for the rest of the car that will be provided. It brakes fine on the road with the current setup.
Otherwise, here is a list of known issues -
- The sunroof doesn't work. I don't know why, as it never did during my ownership and I never bothered with it.- The nighttime dash lights don't work, which is a common issue and requires removing the dash for replacement bulbs and dimmer-switch bypassing. I never got around to it despite it seeming rather important...
- The radio doesn't work. Don't know why as it never did for me.
- The odometer and trip odometer began sticking during the final weeks of my driving the 240D regularly, although they both worked perfectly until just a few hundred miles ago. Usually I could un-stick them by resetting the trip odometer (sometimes more than once) and this ruined my fuel economy tracking.
Currently I do not know of any faults with the engine or drive train. However, I would recommend the new owner to take such a vehicle in for a regular maintenance inspection and oil change prior to serious driving efforts. It worked well for me for three years, but it sat for the better part of a year since then. Safety first!
The photos were taken on November 25, 2018 after the car was removed from storage. It was only washed by hand with water and soap, and no other products were used. There are still numerous remnants of fly specks on the paint which come out with elbow grease, though I'm afraid I ran out of that after spending an hour washing the car. Wax, chrome buffer, window cleaner, rubber shine, tire cleaner, etc... All of these products would make it look even better.
Please feel free to email me with any questions or to request additional photos. This is a vintage automobile and is being sold as-is without any warranty expressed or implied. Pick up and/or delivery is the responsibility of the buyer, and if a shipping service is used I can arrange to be on hand to assist with loading and documentation. The title is clear and the California registration is currently in non-operational status, and has no back dues. As per the auction outlines, a deposit of $500 is due within 24 hours of purchase via Paypal, and full payment is due within 7 days via cashier's check, money order, or cash.
Thank you! - Gregory
(p.s. If the winner does not keep up with the terms of payment or contact me in an appropriate amount of time, I will reserve the right to close the transaction and re-list the car at my discretion. I know many Ebay motor sellers fall victim to fraudulent bidding activity and I will have none of that!)