PEH is absolutely right. Its all about the body. Everything else can be replaced if need be. But, I still say, in your area, I would take my time and look around. There are SO many good old MBZs there, and so little time.....


i know. i see them around me all the time...tempting me...mocking me. LOL.

so...i've been scouring craigslist and autotrader.com in the l.a. area but every car i've called on has been (and i give the owners props for the honesty) riddled with warning signs (no records, dings in the body, unsure of the transmission history,etc.,...).

for example:

one guy offered a 76 300d on craigslist (honey brown exterior, tan interior) for 2500 (will take no less than $2000). 168,000 mi. but he has no idea of how many owners, no records, some re-painting done on the body, silicon fix on the windshield seal, tears in the seats, cracks on the dash, etc.,...

another guy i spoke with the other day (in torrance, ca) apparently buys 85 300D (s) (specifically, it seems) and sells them back to the european market as taxis. i'm always a little skeeved out by "dealers" because i (inherently) don't trust them. he "offered" me an 84 300d (189,000mi for $2750) but i think i'm gonna pass on even looking at it. (warning bell! he only accepts cash!)

so, that's sort of indicative of what i've been coming up against.
again, when i do the PPI on this and if it comes back okay (i'll expect a couple of things to be wrong) i may offer him $2500-2700 and see what happens from there. he says he has another person looking at it but i don't think so. he's been trying to sell the car since august.

thanks to you guys, i already have a specific check list to give to the mechanic on monday.