Bad News...Serious knocking sound on 95 E300d

[Greg300sd]

So it started with a faint knocking sound just above the normal diesel clatter. This is the OM606, 95 E300D, 161K. I've only had it about 6 months. At first I thought sticky valve, but after reading previous posts and talking with other people I think I have a serious problem. It's really, really loud and moves with the rpm of the engine. It is constant, ie. startup, after warm up, idle, under load, etc. How painful is it going to be to keep this car now $$$$ ????

Just venting a bit...it's a real downer....I'll stop wallowing in this shortly. Good day.