Three On The Tree: 1971 Mercedes-Benz 220D W115

This next car comes from tipper Art who first writes: 3 on the tree 220 Deeeeeee! Kinda just rolls off the tounge, huh? Lotta cool for 5K... quick glance through looks clean. Can these stay cheap forever? Maybe, since they never die...And a few minutes later wipes a film of coronavirus repelling axle grease off his screen and sends us another message; I mean, minus the cost for a respray....Haha my phone screen was low, didn't notice the last few pics of the paint... still .... this kinda does it for me, be the only one on your block!  Yup, you got it right Art. I drove one of these things for a few years and can tell you two things with certainty--(1), the interior build quality is second to none and (2) they are slower to 60mph than the Belarusian response to the coronavirus.  Find this 1971 Mercedes-Benz 220D offered for $4999 in Fairlawn, NY via craigslist.

East Coast Contender: 1976 Mercedes 240D

(We have a pair of one owner stick shift Mercedes 240D's to choose from today.  The cars are similarly priced and found on the opposite coasts from one another)  

In case of nuclear war or the dropping of a EMP bomb, a Mercedes 240D will keep going about its business like nothing happened.  These W115 Mercedes were widely used as taxi cabs for their durability and easily racked up high mileage badges with ease.  In this day and age, it is hard to picture Ford building a Fiesta that was so overbuilt and rugged that you could literally drive one your entire lifetime.  With that said, if you are looking for speed this is the wrong car for you as acceleration even with the manual transmission is at best glacial.  Find this 1976 Mercedes 240D for sale in Guilford, CT for $6,750 via craigslist.

Toyota 22R Swapped? 1975 Mercedes-Benz 240D

The W114 Mercedes-Benz 240D is an abysmally slow car.  I should know...because I owned/drove one back in the 1990s.  It still had a sense of purpose and aristocratic provenance..but it was slower than a one legged tortoise on horse tranquilizers.  It is, however, common to swap something with more power into the old chassis...but I guess the 22R would not have been my first choice, which isn't to say it is a bad idea at all.  Find this 1975 Mercedes-Benz 240D with Toyota 22R offered for $3950 in Mission Beach, CA via craigslist.  Tip from Rock On!

1976 Mercedes-Benz 300D

As American luxury cars were adding gimmicks and trying to chase fads (opera lights...really?  OPERA LIGHTS!!) the Germans were busy building cars that drove nice year, after year, after year.  If you live in California and you are looking for a cool '70s vintage car to enjoy without much work and you enjoy the stink and noise of a diesel, this 1976 Mercedes-Benz 300D in San Diego for $7900 is the hot ticket. This post is part of DT's 2016 Birthday Celebration of 100 cars; enjoy the ride!

Sweet Tooth: 1972 Mercedes-Benz 220D W115

As I'm sorting through the good stuff from my kids' Halloween haul, I'm reminded of the a guy (and everybody knows a guy like this) who claims he doesn't like sweets.  Oh yeah, somehow this guy is free from thousands of years of human evolution and has some kind of alien taste buds -- because a normal person should appreciate sweet just as much as the other tastes like salt, sour, and bacon.  Anyway, the guy who doesn't like sweets is like the guy who says he doesn't like to drive fast...so why did you buy a sports car Mr Slow?  I actually knew a guy who drove an S2000 for years and never put the needle (okay, it is a digital tach...) above 5,000 rpm...so today we've got a treat for the slow driver.  Find this 1972 Mercedes-Benz 220D here on eBay bidding for $2,300 with a few hours to go located in Philadelphia, PA.

3k: It Takes Two: 1969 Mercedes-Benz W115 220D and W202 C43 AMG Engine

Welcome to a new DT feature, It Takes Two, where we pick not one craigslist ad, but two, for the ultimate Lego-style DT post.  This first ITT feature involves the marriage of a classic Mercedes-Benz W115 diesel and a C43 AMG V8 for the ultimate DIY classic FrankenBenz.  Find this 1969 Mercedes-Benz 220D with "horked" engine for sale in San Francisco, CA for $1500 and an M113 4.3L V8 from a W202 C43 AMG for sale in North Hollywood, CA for $1500 via craigslist.  We have it upon good authority from one of our regular tippers that the W115 seller is a stand-up guy who just needs to get his wife a garage spot. 

5k: Strich Acht: 1972 Mercedes-Benz 250C w/Ford V8

The W114/W115 Mercedes chassis was marketed as the "New Generation Models" when released in 1968, but became known colloquially for its model year as the Strich Acht for /8 or stroke eight.  The W114/5 chassis was only available with 4 and 6 cylinder engines, but to live up to its nickname, this one has been given a proper V8 transplant.  Find this 1972 Mercedes-Benz 250C w/Ford 302 V8 for sale in El Cajon, CA for $5,500 via craigslist.

15k: Oldtimeranzeige: 1978 Mercedes-Benz 240D W115 Wagon

The Mercedes-Benz W114/W115 was a predecessor to the modern E-Class, and available with a variety of inline four gas, inline six gas and inline four diesel engines from 1968-1976.  It was sold in epic numbers as a 2-door and 4-door sedan, but internet rumor has it that Mercedes-Benz built 2000 of the touring variety along with a number built by coach-builders Crayford (UK), Binz (Belgium), Pollmann, Rappold, Miesen (Germany), Harper, Hooper (USA) Cooper & Cooper (South Africa) and Santos (Portugal).  Needless to say, these don't come up for sale very often, but they demand a significant premium over the sedan.  Find this 1978 Mercedes-Benz 240D W115 Wagon for sale in Germany for €12,500 ($16,577 USD) via oldtimer-markt.de.  Tip from Klaus Schmoll via kinja/oppositelock/jalopnik... whatever you call it.