Wow! Thanx for all the replies, guys! I spent this morning hand scrubbing the exterior and chatted with the retired mechanic/dealership owner that does work for us (all the way acrosss our front yard at the garage he rents from our landlord). He is going to do the brakes all the way around, repair the roof divet and match-paint the roof and front passenger fender (surface rust, only). The rest of the car finish is still like new and, apart from the surface rust on the passenger fender, there is NO rust on this lovely survivor! The other work he's going to do on it is to change ALL fluids and pressure-check the radiator and hoses. The 4 speed manual transmission is fine...
Carrie

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'91 500sl; '88 300TE; '84 280sl; '83 240d; '76 300d; '75 300d; '72 220d... Okay, so we LIKE Mercedes...