Bought a pristine 82 240D last week. No rust, no water in floorwells. Only 150,000 miles. Paint is great. Interior is like new. Paid only $2450 for car. Boy was I excited. This couldn't be true!! Took car to indy to get get tune up.(usual valve adjustment, change oil, air, fuel filters etc.) Asked mechanic to check front end because the car had steering wheel play, and drifted all over road when driving. Also thought I needed rotors and brake pads. Well, when he took tires off to check front end he found that I basically needed to replace entire front end suspension. Lower ball joints, ($77)lower control arm bushings, ($74)Front left and right control arms,($208) left and right tie rods, ($78)center link,($81) idler arm bushing,($95)
steering shock, ($49.50)alignment incl., front shocks,($170) front brake pads,($48) front rotors,($98.90)front wheel bearings,($162) front calipers,($520 ouch!)front hoses. ($75)Rear brake pads, ($22.50)rear rotors, ($105.36)rear brake shoes.($25)Total parts= $1889.26. Total labor= $1540@70hr. Grand total=$3523.73w/tax. Now I have to spend $3500.00 on a $2,450 car. Guys please tell me what you think. I love this car, but I feel like this is kinda steep. Any advice will be appreciated. Is it worth it? My indy said that if I went to the dealership the price would have been closer to $6,000, because the labor would have been $110 hr. If I get all this work done, I will feel like I had a brand new car. Realistically, I will have a total of $6000 in the car plus the $500 I spent for the tune up.I should never have to worry about front end problems for a while. Please give me your honest opinions. The car is probably worth the investment, but the $6,000 is not what I had in mind at the time of purchase. Thanks in advance. Sorry the post is so long, but I needed a shoulder to cry on.