Old cars are old cars. It really will not matter if it is a Ford or a Mercedes. Sooner or later things have to be repaired or replaced. The cost of repairing the Mercedes is likely to be higher than the Ford. If you want to drive a Mercedes but cannot or will not afford a new one then you have to pay the price by either doing the work yourself or hiring someone to do it.
I spent a small fortune repairing an old Ford Ltd for my elder son to drive a few years ago. It was an error on my part in the sense that I invested more in it than it was worth, but I had fun doing the work. The car still runs well and doesn't look too bad but I can't sell it for diddly as no one really wants an old rear drive American V8 right now with the price of gas. I could get rid of it but I would not get much for my efforts. So, I still have it. My younger son drove it last summer and we may put plates on it again this year. I think I probably would be happier if I had bought an old Mercedes at that time and worked on it instead. The Ford was real cheap (cause it needed a motor rebuild) and acquired from a friend. I have since bought an old Mercedes and I hope that I do not have a lot of bad luck with it but I also know that it is 30 years old and has not been waiting on a shelf for me for all that time. It has been driven and used. It runs pretty good and it looks pretty good. For 30 years old and 30 year old technology, I am impressed. I plan to drive it all summer and put it away for all winter. I really hope I can do that for another 20 years but who knows?? Old Mercedes are not magical and you really have to judge for yourself whether it is going to be worth your while to invest in it. Only you will know somewhere down the road if it was the right decision. I think you sort of need to be the kind of guy who still likes wooden boats too. A wooden boat is not practical compared to the new fibreglass or aluminum one and scraping and varnishing may not be your idea of fun but a wooden boat has a beauty that isn't really matched by fibreglass. That is how I feel about the Mercedes. It really has an appeal to me and I hope that I can actually pass it on to someone someday in equal or better condition than when I got it despite having used it for my purposes. I am not a believer in "using things up" when it comes to mechanical stuff. I have a friend who has a 74 MB 240D. It is junk and rusty and he has had terrible luck. He has put an engine and 2 transmissions in and he does not do his own work. He has so much invested in it that he cannot quit. It looks awful but it runs and rides nice and he loves it. He has had a 220D and a 914 Porsche in the past and just loves his old rolling wrecks. He had a couple of new Pontiacs that were junk and he cannot say enough bad things about them. The Porsche got so rusty it was not safe to drive. The 220 rusted away as well but they both still ran and he still talks about them fondly. He is the sort of fellow who spends his spare money on art and wine and not on new glitzy cars. You need to be that sort to really appreciate an OLD Benz. Randy B -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Zoltan Finks Sent: Wednesday, March 08, 2006 4:01 PM To: Mercedes Discussion List Subject: Re: [MBZ] 1977 300D non turbo engine replacement Cross Roads You'll probably find more helpful posts than this, but I can tell you that I just had the engine replaced in a 240D. Engine cost me 900 and the complete R&R job done by an indy - not me - cost 800 (plus a couple unexpected expenses). The engine I got usually sells for 1100. Was it worth it to us? Yes, but as I discover more potentially broken or breaking things on the car, I begin to question it. I wanted one of these Mercedes diesels and then I became convinced by reading this list (and got the general impression that these cars are about as wonderful as tits and beer) but I'm getting the general impression lately, when I complain about it becoming a money pit, that there is nothing magic about these cars, they wear out and break too, it's just that if properly cared for, the diesel engines can last quite a long time. Wish you the best with your quest. Brian 83 240D
