1986 Mercedes Benz 200TD (Diesel Wagon)

The beautiful thing about this car is the amazing fuel economy. I've seen 44mpg on a three tank average while driving conservatively. The wagon body-style offers plenty of space and the rear seats fold down flat to provide a nice, lat spacious cargo hold (or camping space for the frugal road-tripper). With only 145k miles this car has plenty of life left. These little MB diesels are known for their reliability and longevity, ith owners reporting several hundred thousands of miles before major overhaul.

I also like that it was built to be very simple: manual windows, anual door locks, anual mirrors, nd manual transmission. This is a big plus for those of us who have had to pony up the dinero for MB window and door lock motors! A cool detail can be found in the marvellously engineered mono-wiper. Just don't marvel at it while driving in the rain!

This car is quite rare, ut all parts are easily obtainable through Pelican Parts, ercedes Source, nd the local MB dealer. The following for the w124 benz is strong and a good enthusiast base is available for support. Maintenance and service tutorials abound on the ‘net and most MB mechanics know how to wrench on these old girls, aking service affordable and relatively pain-free.

This is a really cool car, ut it's over 30 years old and is best for someone who enjoys tinkering, as experience working on older german cars, nd/or wants a project that is practical for driving. I think someone who wants to run SVO, VO, r biodiesel would love this little wagon. It is so practical, conomical, nd fun!

Condition:

The car is in good mechanical condition. As mentioned, he miles are quite low and the running condition of the engine reflects its relative youth. Like all diesels, ome black smoke is belched at startup that clears after a short period. No blue smoke or white smoke, xcessive oil consumption, r other signs of pending trouble have been observed.

I recently had the rear suspension serviced and the shocks were replaced with OEM units. Many folks delete the factory self-adjusting system, ut not this one; it is as original and properly setup. I also recently replaced the heater blower motor with a factory replacement and upgraded the fuses to copper/ceramic units (this solved ALL of the little electrical gremlins).

The sunroof opens and closes as intended (electric). The lights all work properly, he stereo is the original Becker and it works (cassette deck and all). The doors all open and close, ut one fails to lock (the rear driver's side door). Not sure what the issue is as I never looked into it. It can't be too complex since it is a manual lock.

The exhaust was recently repaired and inspected and is solid. The brakes were inspected at the same time and were found within spec. They work as intended. The tires are almost new and have only seen about 5k miles. They are winter tires and the rears are studded.

The paint is good for a 30yr old car, ut has some scratches and little dents here and there. The color is really quite a beautiful shade of blue and I tried to capture that in the pictures. It's a nice looking car.

The interior is in surprisingly good condition. The carpet is not bad, he dash has no cracks or fading, nd the seats show very little wear and no rips. The seat are the manually adjustable sport seats and are the envy of everyone old diesel benz enthusiast I know! They were never put into a US-bound car and therefore extremely rare.

Full disclosure of known issues:

The heater is either on or off, ith no adjustment for fan speed. This is intentional because the original speed-sensing fan regulator burnt out and I opted to bypass it. I've found this to work just fine.

The rear suspension feels a bit too firm, s if the accumulators may need to be replaced. They can be had for just over $100 each (two needed). I am happy to have this serviced for the new owner at your request.

The body shows some rust, ut nothing structural or unrepairable. The majority of the rust can be found on and around the jack-points (located on the rocker panels).

The shifter feels a bit sloppy. I ordered all new bushings and mounts for the shifter and linkage but have not yet installed them. I can perform this service at the new owner's request or send along the parts if you'd rather do it yourself.

The antenna broke many years ago and was replaced by an aftermarket unit that has also broken. I'm happy to put in another replacement, ut I suggest the new owner opt for an OEM unit.

The driver side headlight lens has a small hole in it (see pictures). This has not affected the functionality of the light at all.

Spares and such:

I'm including a Bentley Enthusiast Manual, Haynes Service Manual, he original owners manuals and other factory literature.