An excellent recovery! Caint be alot involved with DIY replacement of blown turbo seals.

Really cool thing about $250 - $500 MB is with elbow grease and know-how, it's service to the community reselling em and keepin em on the road. It's like when 240D's bottomed out in market value a few years ago and folks couldnt give em away. Now skyrocketed up to thousands of dollars in reasonable decent (restored or original) condition.

Not one nickle you throw into that 300D will be lost assuming you turn yer own wrench, says me.