Mercedes-Benz 240D

The Mercedes-Benz 240D was introduced in 1974 as a diesel-powered variant of the W115 chassis. Introduced in 1974 at a price of 19,913.40 Marks, the cost was four times the typical car of the time. It had many luxuries, such as available heated seats, cruise control, leather seats, and a powered sunroof. It was at the time the fastest diesel engine available, though its 4-cylinder, 2.4 liter engine only produced 67 hp (50 kW). Along with a 3300 lb (1,500 kg) weight, performance today is considered extremely poor.

In 1976 production of the W115 chassis ended and the 240D became part of the W123 chassis family along with a more powerful version, the Mercedes-Benz 300D. The 240D was last imported to North America in 1983 while production continued until 1985, but many cars remain on the road today 20 years later, a testament to the quality and durability of the original design.

Reliability

It is considered one of Mercedes-Benz's most reliable models. It is renowned for often traveling several hundred thousand kilometers or more in its life, with one million kilometers not being unheard of. Mercedes even made badges available for their cars to mark each 250,000 kilometers the car had traveled. A Greek taxi driver working the streets of Greece’s second largest city Thessaloniki, has put 2.8 million km on his Mercedes 240D since purchasing it in 1981. 240Ds are often seen in west Africa as taxis and bush taxis covering hundreds of kilometres daily. Mostly they are in a very poor state but still functioning way beyond what most other cars could manage. In some parts notably Mauritania they consist of over half the cars on the road.