I have now had this car a little over a month (bought here on the forum from Tyler) and want to give you my impressions (good and bad) as well as what has been done as a new owner.
First, I am pretty anal about my cars. I set high standards for the cars, spend some $$ getting them there, and then find that good maintenance keeps them there.
Here were my first impressions:
1) Car looks great. Body and interior are very, very good for the age.
2) Engine/transmission are strong. Car is quicker than I expected, and quicker than my old '93 300d.
3) All controls work as they should. good AC!
Car was worth the price for these two, alone.
However, my driving impressions were as follows:
1) Steering had a lot of play
2) Engine was very loud, especially at idle
3) Car "wandered" all over the road at any speed over 50, and didn't feel "right" like my '93 did.
I took it over to my trusted indie (71 year old german mechanic that is a legend in these parts) and asked him to go over it and tell me what it needs. Here is what he recommended:
1) Most of the noise is coming from the belt tensioner. He recommended replacement.
2) The steering feel and play was due to one bad tie rod end, and also recommended new steering damper.
3) Rear shocks were bad ( I suspected as well). Front shocks acceptable.
4) Alignment way out - all four wheels. Needs to be done anyway with tie rod end.
5) Replace the cabin filter (when he later showed me these they were black. He thought they were original).
We went ahead and took car of all five. Results were dramatic. Car now tracks straight and true, and the road feel through the steering wheel is very good. The engine noise is greatly reduced, but not as much as I would like, and is still quite a bit louder than my '93 at highway speeds.
I noticed that the undercarriage cover is missing - would a new one reduce the interior noise appreciably?
Can anyone else suggest why this car would be louder than my '93?
Anyway, I am pleased with the car - I always expect to put some money in them when I first get them to get 'em where I want 'em. I just drove it a few hundred miles over the weekend, and with gas and diesel here at roughly the same price and so high, it beats hell out of my SEC for expenses. It is just what I was looking for and plan to keep it a long time.
Will update as time goes on!
John