Thanks for the warm welcome on my first post, I got referred here by a volvo fellow who posts regularly.
I answered a lot of my questions with the search. However, the one vexing thing is that the car I am about to look at is clearly listed as a 4 speed and an 84 300D. It has US spec headlights, and I have seen another similar W123 wagon on Ebay with a 4 speed 300TD-T that is a turbodiesel. I am guessing that these cars are gray market cars that got converted to US spec lights.
I am curious at to whether any cars from 82-85 could be NA in 300D form? I did not find an answer to that.
Thanks again for the rust guide. I saw an 84 300TD-T locally in person that I will look at more closely for rust near the jacking points. It is high miles and fairly cheap, but it has been smoked in and has the cream/brown tex color setup, which isn't exactly my favorite, it is also an automatic wagon. I am going to keep my eyes peeled for a good 300D, preferably a sedan for daily transport, wagons usually cost more anyway.
I will pay extra attention now while driving them and drive a few more. I only just noticed some steer different than others, because compared to a volvo they all steer kinda numbly and lazily, though the turning radius is almost as good.
Thanks for the tip on the AC and inst cluster. I never use cruise control, or rarely use it, so I would buy a car with busted cruise control without regret.
What do people think of "German Star" Parts? Their prices seem fine, and they seem to know most of the specs. Are they as good as OEM? It seems a few people here use them, but a direct answer in my thread might be nice. Parts seem fairly available for the W123. I don't live in the land of salt, so unless the car has had a very poor life, msot that I have seen do not seem to rust that much, but I am not yet an expert in W123 rust...yet.
Am I into junkyards? Am I ever! I have many junkyard projects...