When I got my hands on a copy of "the bible", I decided that the best way for me to go was the waste veggie route. The big problem I had was, I had no diesel. I use to have a diesel Rabbit ('80 variety) long ago. Had some issues with it. Once I put in the '86 Jetta diesel motor in, they vanished. Reckon I'd still be driving it today if the car hadn't have worn out.

Started looking for a diesel & naturally looked at VW since they are the most common diesel cars in this country. However, considering how much $ I wanted to spend, they came in 2 flavors. #1, the car was shot & would not run OR #2, would run but was ready for the bone yard. I'd have to put in alot of $ & time; better to buy one in decent shape. I was unwilling to pay what folks were asking for used ones in decent shape (if I could even find someone willing to part with one) & buying a new one was out of the question.

I started talking to knowledgeable people, mechanics, & they all said that diesel cars sold in this country aren't all that great, except for Mercedes Benz. Yeah, right, like I could afford to buy a Mercedes!! I then talked to some Benz owners to try & learn about them. I came to the realization that what I was looking for was the 240D.

Mercedes are usually classified by their chassis. The 240D 1st came to this country in '73 in the 115 chassis. This set up ran thru '76. The 300D, also in the 115 chassis, appeared in '75 & ran thru '76. In '77, the 115 was replaced by the venerable 123 chassis, which continued till the end of the 240D model which was '83. The 300D came also as a 123 & ran thru '85. The 240D was preceded by the 220D, 200D & the 190D; all of these older Mercedes diesels are good candidates for conversions. The 300D continued in both the 124 & 126 chassis. There also was a 190D in the 201 chassis.

I'm not sure about the older Benz diesels (i.e. prior to the 240D) concerning the choice of transmissions. They all came available with a manual transmission (4-speed; column) but don't know if an automatic was available in them. For the 240D, you had a choice of transmissions. The 300D was strictly automatic UNLESS you found one that someone brought over from the old country (Europe) on the boat. The 201 came in a manual version with a 5-speed, as well as with an automatic.

All of the above, with the exception of the 300D & maybe the 201, came as a 4-cylinder, naturally aspirated diesel. The early 300's came as a 5-cylinder, au natural. However, later versions also had a turbo version as did the 201. The 300 has more power than the 240. The 201, due to it's smaller size (this model is also known as the "baby" Benz), also is more responsive than the 240 & gets over 40 mpg!!

I wanted a plain Jane, 4-cylinder, naturally aspirated diesel, with a manual transmission. Figured the simpler the better; less things to go wrong with. Did I mention that I didn't want to spend alot of $???

I saw an ad in the paper for a '79. Had 121k miles on the clock, was in good shape & they were asking $2k. This car met my above criteria PLUS it had just the right bells & whistles I was looking for; air conditioning & cruise control. I paid the asking price.

I lucked out in that my 240D had the old style HVAC system & not the infamous ACC found on the '80 & newer versions. The cruise was an after-market one, not the infamous factory one.

What a car!! This car is rock solid, safe, comfortable, well built, dependable, efficient, easy to work on & parts are readily available & usually affordable (if you know where to buy 'em). It is roomy, as I have 2 teen-age boys. Unless you get a VW bus, the Jetta & Passat models are not all that roomy & have you ever looked under the hood??? No room to work; everything is shoe-horned in. I get OVER 30 miles to the gallon of fuel. Of course I drive the car like it was designed to be driven. I live in the country & have a long commute; a lot of back-country roads & freeways with little to no traffic & very little stop & go & short trips. Short trips & a lot of st

Yup!!