This is an easy one. Check out the grass on the other side of the bridge!
Go to a dealer and look at any car you would like. Price it out and see what the car payments would be. Crawl around in the car looking at all of the really fancy crap that will break in 12 months. Check the fuel mileage and calculate your fuel payments. Call the insurance company and ask what the coverage would cost.
Add it all up:
I'm betting you exceed $1600 the first year. In the second year, you will spend more than you will spend on the Mercedes for the next 5 years. If you do any work yourself to drop the price your grass grows greener under you. Have fun mowing!
Carl
On 5/16/2013 7:49 PM, Barton wrote:
Thanks everyone for the encouragement, written and unwritten, sent or deleted.. :^)
Today, on the way home from Rockville, thinking it was time I called my brother for a much needed visit, he butt dials me and so I explained my predicament(s) - he told me not to give up either. So I called the parts folks at Viti Mercedes in Rhode Island (we grew up in Newport), and asked if they knew of any yards in that area that might have 126's. He said it wasn't likely for a model of that vintage, but said try car-part.com - and lo and behold after a few database queries and calls there seems to be some promising needles in those haystacks. And speaking of RI, just saw the announcement of the 300TD roadtripping folks from RI to the western lands....should be an interesting read...
-Barton
--- In diesel_mercedes@yahoogroups.com, BStromsoe <bstromsoe@...> wrote:
>
> As Winston Churchill once said, "Never give up" - well he said more, but you get the idea. Take a vacation here in sunny LA and hit the yards.
>
>
> Â
> brian from laverne, ca
> Mary (195K)Â Martha (280K)
> 1983 w123 300d's
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Barton <barton.fiske@...>
> To: diesel_mercedes@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Wednesday, May 15, 2013 4:29 PM
> Subject: [diesel_mercedes] Sylvia- 1984 300 SD - could this be the (beginning of the) end?
>
>
>
> Â
> Had Sylvia into the local shop for a run down on the broken wiper transmission/carriage and to track down a vacuum link - oh, and also a quick fix for the temp sensor lead which recently detached itself from it's wiring. The diagnosis (from the shop's point of view) is to replace the wiper transmission w/ a used part ($250.00), that I need to replace the vacuum pump ($375), and about 5 hours of shop labor (4 for the wiper assembly alone). Total parts, labor and tax is estimated at $1600.00 - which is *way* more than I want to put into this beast right now. (Maybe had it been trouble free for another year, then maybe...). So, I know it's oft quoted, most expensive car you'll never service, or the cheapest car you'll own if you DIY. I'm pretty sure I can do these things on my own, modulo parts and time.
>
> The point of this post? Probably most of all to moan and whine - then to shamelessly ask if anyone has a spare wiper transmission? I knew I should have taken it out of the donor car, but as I said before, ran out of the all too rare spare time to do it before the wrecking truck came to take it to the atom smasher.
>
> Have started looking online - one or two sources claim to have used wiper mechanisms, have not made any calls or inquiries thus far.
>
> I can't see (much) wisdom in installing a salvage vacuum pump, but think I've read/heard of some people rebuilding them. If the remove/replace procedure isn't too hard, I'm perfectly fine with fitting a new one, or attempting a rebuild if it can be done. It's the wiper assembly that has me most worried - in terms of time to locate one, cost of a used unit (new from MB is $650 list), and whether I'll get it right the first, second, or third time.
>
> Depending on which way this goes, I'm almost ready to put this thing up for sale - and you can be sure this will be the first place it's offered - there's too many new parts in it to scrap it - but it would have to go someone who wants the car and knows how to deal with it. Still need the odo fixed and the locks working...low priority compared to the above....
>
> Wish we had more PAP's with available inventory in the greater Boston area - might make this current predicament seem less vexing...
>
> So that's it for now - thanks in advance for comments/advice/heckling from afar and peanut gallery input.
>
> -Barton
>
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