I don't know that I agree with you about the "saltwater coasts". Having lived in the South almost my entire life, cars don't typically rust like they do up North in the great Rust Belt. If the exterior of the car is in good shape, chances are the owner took pretty good care of the car and there probably isn't any rust. I have owned 4 different Mercedes and none of them have had rust, all of which lived thier lives on the coast.

The engine looks like every Mercedes Engine I have owned. I don't see anything alarming in the pictures.

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Mike

'80 300D
'84 300D
'85 300D
'87 300D