New Car! I wussed out...

[veeman]

Nice little car.

Thanks!  It is little which is great for parking in the garage at work but it doesn't feel like an economy car like my Beetle did at times, particularly over potholes. 

[cawimmer430]

I'd love me an old diesel Mercedes.  All the used ones I see have tons of miles on them though and I don't maintain them myself so no thanks however.  I would have considered splurging on a certified diesel E-class if it came with a manual transmission option.  Dang shame Mercedes has given up on the shift yourself crowd, all 2% sales of them 

You CAN get 6-speed manual transmission in a current E-Class. But only on the 4-cylinder models E200, E200d and the E220d and most likely only in European markets. The problem is - nobody buys them. A manual modern E-Class is rare. I'm even wondering why Mercedes still offers them in the first place. Seems like a waste of money to offer these lower-end models with a stick when the vast majority of customers will tick the 9Gtronic A/T option.

And before you think these cars are slow, they're not. The E200 does 0-100 km/h in 8.1 seconds (7.7 seconds with the 9Gtronic) while the E200d and E220d do it respectively in 8.4 and 7.3 seconds. Definitely not slow. 

[veeman]

You CAN get 6-speed manual transmission in a current E-Class. But only on the 4-cylinder models E200, E200d and the E220d and most likely only in European markets. The problem is - nobody buys them. A manual modern E-Class is rare. I'm even wondering why Mercedes still offers them in the first place. Seems like a waste of money to offer these lower-end models with a stick when the vast majority of customers will tick the 9Gtronic A/T option.

And before you think these cars are slow, they're not. The E200 does 0-100 km/h in 8.1 seconds (7.7 seconds with the 9Gtronic) while the E200d and E220d do it respectively in 8.4 and 7.3 seconds. Definitely not slow. 

Interesting.  I wonder if you can import them without too much hassle.  I'm not going to do that of course but I didn't even know they're offered anywhere.  Those times aren't slow for me.  My diesel Beetle and Subaru are the same times or slower.  They don't feel slow with aggressive shifting 

[cawimmer430]

Interesting.  I wonder if you can import them without too much hassle.  I'm not going to do that of course but I didn't even know they're offered anywhere.  Those times aren't slow for me.  My diesel Beetle and Subaru are the same times or slower.  They don't feel slow with aggressive shifting 

You'd be more successful looking for a manual transmission 240D - they were sold in the US. And interestingly enough, they're not that slow. 0-50 mph is pretty "quick", but 50-62 mph takes a little longer. That was my experience when I drove a lowly 60-horsepower 200D 4-speed M/T. 

By the way, I did have a quick shoot with a '79 240TD wagon! It's pretty beat up if you look closely and has a little over 270,000 km behind it. The owner still takes his family on vacation across Europe with it. Now that's what I call passion!   






The 240TD was part of a 5-car-shoot about Germany's Top 5 Classic Cars. Basically, these are the 5 most popular classics measured by the amount which are still registered and driving on the roads today.

[AutobahnSHO]

saw one exactly like yours last night with brush bar and rally lights on the front. Looked sweet.

[CJ]

0-50 in 24 seconds is not quick.

[Eye of the Tiger]

0-50 in 24 seconds is not quick.

It's not even "quick"

[CaminoRacer]

But is it Swift?

[Eye of the Tiger]

But is it Swift?

Only just.

[veeman]

Thanks Mr H.  Got a flossy shift knob.  They didn't include a hex nut or jam nut to align the gate pattern I had them etch on to the knob so I had to order one on the internet (Home Depot didn't carry the exact specifications of the required hex nut).

I like it a lot.  It's got good heft (I ordered the heavier model) and just looks a lot better than what the car came with.  I'm afraid to tug too much on the fake leather pouch which covers the arm so I just let it loose.

Now for that vinyl plasticky steering wheel...

[CaminoRacer]

Looks great!

[veeman]

Thanks!  I almost went with your billiard ball suggestion

[FoMoJo]

Thanks Mr H.  Got a flossy shift knob.  They didn't include a hex nut or jam nut to align the gate pattern I had them etch on to the knob so I had to order one on the internet (Home Depot didn't carry the exact specifications of the required hex nut).

I like it a lot.  It's got good heft (I ordered the heavier model) and just looks a lot better than what the car came with.  I'm afraid to tug too much on the fake leather pouch which covers the arm so I just let it loose.

Adds a bit of sparkle to the interior .

[Cookie Monster]

You should put a fender washer on top of the jam nut, and then put the shift boot over that, and then screw the knob back on. It might take some fiddling to get everything lined up since you can't turn the jam nut once you put the boot over it, but the nut + washer will hold the boot up to the knob so you don't have the shift rod showing.

Your boot looks like it has enough slack to go up further. Just make sure it's not stretched when you shift into the outer gears (anything other than 3rd and 4th).

[veeman]

You should put a fender washer on top of the jam nut, and then put the shift boot over that, and then screw the knob back on. It might take some fiddling to get everything lined up since you can't turn the jam nut once you put the boot over it, but the nut + washer will hold the boot up to the knob so you don't have the shift rod showing.

Your boot looks like it has enough slack to go up further. Just make sure it's not stretched when you shift into the outer gears (anything other than 3rd and 4th).

Thanks!!  The boot has enough slack.  It was a lot of fiddling to get the OEM knob off of the boot.  It unscrewed easy enough but I was afraid I was going to rip the boot freeing up the OEM knob.  I'll have to do what you said to do.  Having a little bit of the rod show doesn't bother me that much though but you're right in that it'll look better.

[CJ]

I had a 2.0i Premium 5MT last weekend from work. Pretty fun little car to just to toss around. I'll get a demo in a few months, so we'll see how that goes.