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June 15, 2021 12:00 am by

A Few Days in Monterey with the 240D

Pebble Beach Golf Links hole #8

The day after picking up the 240D, I met up with a few friends, and we spent a long weekend exploring the peninsula’s treasure trove of golf courses. They ranged from Pacific Grove Municipal, known colloquially as “poor man’s Pebble Beach,” which for as little as $34 offers golfers access to a beautiful stretch of seaside holes winding through the dunes, to the actual Pebble Beach Golf Links (pictured above), which is, well, quite a bit pricier.

While the 240D is not a large car by modern standards — at 186 inches long and 71 inches wide, it’s roughly the size of a new Honda Civic — its boxy design and large trunk make for excellent golf course transport. It can easily ferry a foursome plus their bags to and from the course, though with only 62 horsepower on tap, you’ll probably want to leave a few minutes earlier than usual for your tee time. You’re definitely going to notice the additional weight.

Puttering around the Central Coast for a few days gave me some time to get to know the 240D a little better before hitting the highway back to Seattle.

Fortunately, I didn’t discover anything to give me pause before embarking on the 900-mile trip home. The car started easily, even with morning temps lingering in the low 40s. And once underway, everything operated smoothly, with the exception of a slight driveline shudder when cold. But after a couple of days of regular driving — something the car hadn’t seen for a few years — that issue went away.

240D shift knob for sale on Pelican Parts

Inside the car, another minor flaw became apparent. After four decades of use, the shift knob had become strangely squishy. Instead of firm black rubber, it felt more like a Koosh ball in the hand, making shifting through the gears a bit sloppy. As much as I like originality, I didn’t hesitate to locate and order an OEM replacement from Pelican Parts (pictured above). It’ll be an easy swap, and with something so integral to the driving experience, it’s nice to have it feeling factory fresh.

I also noticed the temperature gauge taking a long time to reach normal — a classic sign of a thermostat stuck open. I’ve found this to be pretty common on older cars that aren’t driven much. It’s not terribly urgent because the engine still cools effectively. However, it can have long-term impacts if left unaddressed. On shorter trips, the engine never really warms up, which not only hurts fuel economy but can also lead to coked injectors and moisture lingering in the engine oil. And that’s not good. So I added a thermostat replacement to my list of things to tackle after making the trip home.

Next Post: Driving the 240D Home to Seattle

 

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