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The car in question in the original post does indeed sound like a very nice car. I said as much, and that it was probably well worth the asking price, (considering what clean 240s are going for these days) but cautioned the prospective buyer to make sure it was really as good as it looked.
Though I strongly prefer manual transmissions, (to the point of having converted a couple of cars) I have nothing bad to say about the AW7x series of transmissions. They are very durable and reliable, though to my mind their driving characteristics leave something to be desired. This is in comparison to the troublesome ZF automatic used in early 740s, which is far more enjoyable to drive when it is working properly. That is a personal opinion, not a put-down.
The original post did not mention what seat material the car had. I was merely trying to inform him of the differences in the two types that were available in that year. I find the vinyl to be sticky in summertime, and slippery the rest of the year. Most high-mileage examples I've seen are badly cracked. The cloth really does hold up better. I didn't think that GLs (with leather) were still available as late as 92. Leather is nice to sit on, and holds up pretty well if treated with Lexol at regular intervals. Curiously, the black seems to last better than the tan.
I gave several good reasons for my dislike of permanently installed roof racks. Seems to me you could carry your planes on a demountable rack just as well, and save gas when not doing so by taking the rack off when not needed. (once it is adjusted to the width of the car it only takes a couple minutes to install or remove it)
I did say that some color combinations were more appealing than others, but, since that is a matter of personal opinion I didn't say which were the "good" ones. I happen to like blue on blue, and think gray cars with tan interiors look awful, but others may see it differently.
Wheels weren't mentioned in the original post. Coronas look nice, but are a pain in the a** to clean. I happen to prefer 15" wheels for practical reasons, as they can take a bigger tire.
To sum up, I was not attempting to "put down" anything. I thought I was giving a well-reasoned critique of some of the differences between 240s. Some things about them are indeed less than wonderful, and it makes no sense to gloss over them. For far too long, all the major car magazines have done just that, fearing to offend any of the car makers with a bad review. About the only vehicle they really came down on was the Yugo.
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