Greetings! I also have an '85 300TD. i bought it in Miami Florida off the internet 2 years ago. It was rust free with 62K miles. Since then I have invested over $7K in it. I had the self-leveling rear suspension components replaced, as well as the rear half shafts and the rear sub-frame mounts. Lots of other minor stuff too. My philosophy has always been that if the basic body platform is good I'm willing to invest money to restore if I really like the car. My best advice is to try to find a competent independent MB diesel mechanic who is reasonable and familiar with these cars. Unfortunately, I didn't find one of these until after I had all the major work done at the dealer. The guy I have now is outstanding, and charges me about half what the dealer does. These engines have been known to go over 500K miles, so I wouldn't mess with a re-build unless it's burning a lot of oil. Make sure the timing chain has not stretched. I've tried selling my car because I found a diesel VW Passat wagon, and I don't need 3 cars. I've tried to get $9K for it but nobody wants to spend that much for it. So the only way I'll recover my investment is to keep the car and drive the value out. If you can't find a good mechanic in your area, come on up to Urbana and drop it off! My mechanic is "old school", he actually fixes things as opposed to just throwing parts at it like the dealers do. His prices are great. For example, just yesterday I was over there and he said he had just completely rebuilt the front end of a 300D. I asked him what the total was for parts and labor and he said $750. Just the other day I was reading on this forum that most guys are paying $1500 for the same job. Another option would be to find another used one in better condition and keep yours as a parts car. There are a lot of these cars around and many are in very good condition. Check out autotrader.com or ebay. I hope this has helped. Larry Larson

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1985 300TD
2001 Jetta TDI
1996 Passat TDI wagon