I own a 200D, the slowboi, and it does not feel THAT slow to be honest, it is not a racing car by any means, and it goes slow uphill in the highway, but it does do its job and feels safe!
You can take a small turbocharger off an old Isuzu Gemini Turbo Diesel, and put that on a 200D or 240D. Combine that with a manual gearbox, and you can drive it like a fairly normal car.
I have a w126 300sd with the om617A, it is a very reasonable drive at 70mph and does not have any real issues. I had a w116 300sd with the same engine. That car cruised at 70mph very nicely too. I never found myself wanting any more power. I have other cars that have crazy power. My 300sd is about cruising and having a relaxing drive.
I have a 91 W126 with an OM603 turbo. The biggest thing is setting realistic expectations. Compared with cars of their era these cars were terrific. The most difficult thing is that a lemon drop car now is geared differently and has more computing power than 40 years ago. I drive an old car for a reason, with purpose and understanding of it's capabilities. It is not a crazy AMG. Guess what, it will drive me across to continent, AC on at near 90mph forever.
Question...I have an '88 W460 230GE SWB with the 2.3 M102 gas engine and have to occasionally drive it at 70-75 MPH (around 3500-3800 RPM.) Am I at risk of damaging the engine by driving it that fast for prolonged periods? Where I live, interstate driving is almost mandatory to get anything done. Please respond at your convenience. Thanks in advance! Love your channel BTW.
It’s not really about top speed, it’s about the ability to overtake quickly (i.e safely), not to hold people up (because aggression causes accidents) and to be able to pull out at a T junction in such a way that the car you pull out in front of doesn’t have to break. This is why I have a 280E, so that I just don’t need to distract myself by worrying about any of those things. That, and the glorious engine note.
Yes. I used to drive a 77 300D non turbo in Houston. I would nearly floor it until the revs got up then let off to let it shift because the upper rpms are just laggard then hit it again. People would switch lanes when they saw me sitting at the light
My current daily driver is a 83 240D auto. 120 mile per day commute and 90% of that is on the highway with A/C on and cruise set at 70mph. Car is perfectly happy with this and still obtains pretty good fuel economy. (22-23mpg with A/C, roughly 26mpg without A/C at 70mph average) lots of hills though so that definitely takes a toll on fuel economy when tempomat pulls the throttle to 100% to try and keep the car at 70mph
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Even the slowest diesel Mercs have faster acceleration than tractor trailers, and these seem to manage without “modern traffic” plowing into them. Most of the big fleet company trucks (Swift, Werner, Schneider etc) are governed at about 65 as well. The only real problem facing older-car drivers are modern assholes. And yes, they are in abundance.
1983 300SD Turbo Diesel. With the gear selector in 3, one can pull back to a spring loaded second gear selection for a 1st gear standing start. No problems in leaving most traffic beside or well behind!
My 300gd ((5cyl NA 917) was way too slow for the highway. Barely kept up at about 60 to 65. Was fine around town. I swapped it for a 605A turbo, and no real issues now.
Our top speed is 51mph. Open freeway is not an issue, just stay in the slow lane and people can go around. It does get more difficult in city centers when the traffic is dense and freeways merge and we need to change lanes a lot. It works though - you just have to be more aware and plan ahead more.
I owned a 1989 W124 200D 75hp with a 4 speed manual. I did have to plan overtaking very well and it struggled with some uphill on ramps in the local turnpikes. Other than that, no real issues. I now daily drive a 1996 C250 turbodiesel and it's almost too fast.
I have a 115 240 manual and a 123 300 automatic in Texas. The 240 might as well be a golf cart on most of our roads so it's strictly an in town car. Even in town one has to be pretty good at predictive shifting on some hills. I can't believe anyone could ever find this car to be too fast. The 300 can handle the fast lane but it gets sketchy over 80 amongst the pavement princesses that Texans feel an obligation to drive. Bottom line, my Honda Civic handles the speed work and the Benzes are for enjoying the journey.
I owned an elderly but ‘well cared-for’ W115 1974 240D (it was a $1400 BEATER serviced by a German guy) that mostly ran great every day…but occasionally she sent out the BIGGEST BLACK CLOUD after a hard run… I assumed it was Hollywood-rigged to play in a James Bond film..!! I don’t own that 240D anymore…so what gives..?!? What is the cause of the embarrassing BLACK FART..? She was an amusing car…she even had a manual sunroof…I miss her…
I see guys in classic Volkswagens keep up with traffic no problem. What does slow down traffic are fully-loaded semi trucks and construction trucks. Those massive commercial vehicles should become EVs.
Beautiful Smiling While Driving a Gorgeous Old Mercedes Benz,I’m always Crruising ,bugger what the rest are doing or thinking ,it’s all about smiling while driving,And how can you not look absolutely cool in an old Mercedes Benz,Fairdinkum!absolutely true!
