Bought my '87 300D about five months ago. Paid too much for it then put another $2000 in: shocks, lifters, hood pad, suspension links, thermostat (A/C), thermometer, etc...

Still shifts "firmly", blows air out of all vents all the time, has weak seat springs, and a little slack in the steering box.

Other than that, it drives great and gets 31 MPG. Probably my favorite car - and I have three others that are each worth several times as much.

I too got worried about my -14 head when I started surfing this forum. Then i got over it. It will either crack or it won't. If it does, I'll replace it and move on. Same goes for the tranny, and the A/C, and the starter, and the alternator, and the vacuum pump, and the window regulators, etc... As for the head, my independent mechanic tells me to not to sweat it. Like all cars, don't let it overheat and don't put your foot flat on the floor until it warms up.

Bottom line. All cars are imperfect and they wear out parts. The difference with a Mercedes is that they can be rebuilt into NICE cars if you are willing to keep up with them.

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'87 300D 183K
'06 E320 CDI 10K