There she was, sitting in a crummy little sales lot next to a Ford Focus, a Dodge Voyuer, and some other crap.
1983 dark green 240D 4 on the floor with only 73K on it. Owned by a college professor (female) since new.
Good radio, cassessete, little rust, original clutch, some small rust behond wheels on dirviers side.
The best part of this is my wife agreed to the purchase over breakfast when I told her I had to get rid of the VW due to rusting out, and wasn't safe to drive anymore.
Her joy with cutting down our fleet was short-lived when I broached the new addition to our MB stable.
She acquiesed based on MB's reputation for relability and the fact that I will underwrite the redoing of the kitchen.
The family and I drove over to the car lot, me on a mission to rescue this mb from infidels. After some sucessful negotiation on the price to wit: me: "well, this is really a slow car, the A/C belt is not connected, etc,"
he: "yeah, this is the third lot this car has been on and nobody seems to want something this slow, and I just want to get rid of it. "
Made the deal, slapped on a dummy plate and drove home. Good, strong engine, good handler, a lot tigher than the 300d and with the 4 speed once it gets the steam up its a mover.
Now it joins the 300d and 350 sdl. The teenager in the family immedlately commented: "a 2.4l that's twenty-one years old? It's old enough to drink, dad!!. By the way, the painted hubcaps don't match: 1 is red, two are green and one is white. Who would drive a car like that???" Little do they know.
Finally, it has found a suitable home.