Lanni:
I've had 7 of these 75-85 Mercedes diesels. My first was the 75 300D and it was
fun to drive and work on right out of the chute. I got it in '02. It was 27-28
years old at tyhe time. It had been sitting for 6+ years and it needed a brake
hose, a battery, some vacuum hoses re connected, and a windshield. The battery
cost 65 or 70 bucks at Wal-Mart and the windshield cost 150 installed and the
glass company had the piece in stock. It also needed the drivers window motor
cleaned and lubed. But I do all that sort of thing myself and the motor came
back to life. Everything on it was electric and it all (repeat ALL) worked. It
was the most fun-to-drive car I have ever owned. I sold it to a kid out of
economic necessity 3+ years ago and he is still driving it. I wish I had it
back.
I am currently driving an 81 300TD (wagon) with 320,000 miles on the clock and
had I not run it without oil for 150 miles out of L.A. toward Las Vegas I would
still be driving the original engine at 320,000 miles - and getting 25+ miles a
gallon. But even with the (unintentional) abuse, that car and engine still made
it all the way home to Salt Lake City Utah, and where I found a used engine
with 350,000 miles and swapped the engine. It is my daily driver and still
starts fine in the sub-freezing rocky mountain mornings. (Granted I need the
block heater - but still . . . )
Now, granted I, like most of the gearheads on this list, love to work on my own
cars. And that is part of the draw for me of this e-group. But, for those of us
who like this sort of thing, these are nothing short of a joy to work on. Oh,
they have their points to be sure. But nothing like an american car before or
since. And I haven't had to do anything major on my 81 300TD EXCEPT the motor
since I got it 5 years ago. And mostly it puts the energizer bunny to shame -
it just keeps on going and going and going and going and going . . .
It does not look like a showroom piece anymore. But I buy a car for it's
reliability - not looks. (I'm funny that way.) But I fully expect to get
another 10 years out of her - and I put 3,000 miles a month on her. I dare say
no other car before or since will last that long. Not even the VW TDI's.
And you might want to check on repair prices for standard kinds of things like
belts and hoses etc. I can still get a NEW radiator for about $80 to $100. And
there are plenty of used parts available in salvage yards. In fact, there are
salvage yards that specialize in these old german machines. So much so that no
one on this list expects to have a problem finding used heater cores or window
motors (and thye like) for years to come. Yes, it is very likely that a
30-year-old window motor and lift mechanism can be found in a salvage yard that
is still in near perfect working condition. And for about 15 to 20 dollars.
And frankly I can't afford to drive a new car. I just don't have that kind of
money - either for purchase or repair parts. Now I have also had a parts car
for the last 4 years. But it weighs almost as much now as it did when I bought
it. I just haven't needed that many parts. 2 months ago, for example, I had to
replace the automatic radio antenna and the one in my 78 parts wagon fit my 81.
And that is part of the beauty of these cars. 97% of everything on the 240 and
300 diesel models from 77 to 85 is interchangeable. So good used parts are
everywhere.
To be sure, have a mechanic you trust look it over. But if it will pass your
local safety inspections it will probably be worth considering. Right now,
because it's winter, the issue of starting it in the cold comes up and you
should be sure it will start in the coldest conditions it will be used in.
Other than that, no one here can speak highly enough of these cars. So you may
be asking the wrong crowd. But don't be surprized if your 'trusted' mechanic
tries to buy it out from under you.
Bogy.
--- lostintheflood2 <
lanni.johnson@verizon.net> wrote:
> Hello Everyone, I joined this group a couple of days ago because we
> need to get a diesel vehicle and I've been looking at Mercedes Benz on
> various forums online for about a year.
>
> I've concluded that we need to either buy a 2000 or newer VW TDI, or
> an 80's version Benz TD.
>
> I like the idea of buying an '80's version Benz TD, but we've never
> had a diesel and my husband is not a mechanic and he has no interest
> in working on cars. He is concerned that buying a car that old (over
> 20 years) will mean a LOT of maintenance. From reading the posts on
> here, I can't figure out if you guys are doing what you do because you
> have to or because it's fun (maybe both?).
>
> Anyway, my question...if we could find a well-maintained 84 or 85
> Benz, would it mean constant maintenance, way more than a newer car?
> Would we be in danger of breaking down on a road trip?
>
> I realize these questions are subjective, but I'm just trying to
> understand the attraction of the older Benz cars to justify my
> interest and I want to know your thoughts.
>
> We've been driving a 2001 Camry since it was new and it's been a great
> car, but the days of diesel are here.
>
> So, please let me know what you think.
>
> Thanks,
> Lanni
>
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
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