Hi everyone,
I've done a lot of reading on this forum in the past, trying to glean as much info as possible. There certainly is a lot of info here. I've never seen such a huge forum community before.
I'm 18 years old and enjoy working on cars. I just converted a Dodge to run on vegetable oil and am converting a Ford now. I have always wanted a truck, but I won't be able to come up with 10 grand anytime soon. I've done some thinking and decided that if I am to get a vehicle a diesel mercedes is the way to go. I understand they're expensive to keep running, but I think I can swing it by buying a good car to begin with, doing a lot on my own, and using other resources (Dad's friend who know Benzes in and out, good Mercedes repair shop nearby). I can afford repairs a few times a year, just not 10 grand all at once. It would also be a lot cheaper to insure, especially since I just had my first wreck (rolled Dads Corolla).
I love driving stickshifts. I understand Mercedes are very hard to come by with a manual transmission. What is my likelyhood of getting a good manual Benz? I'm thinking right now that if the right car with the right history comes along nearby and is an auto, I'll still take it. But a stick would sure be a plus.
Any tips on getting a good inspection done? I understand these older cars (I'm looking 1985 and older for the cast iron head) need a lot looked into. In my past purchases I have not been able to convince a mechanic to do a compression test. Maybe with a Benz with over 200K they will understand the necessity, but I couldn't pay anyone enough to do a compression check on my Dodge (literally, they wouldn't give me a price, just said they did not have the time). Obviously I'll check to see that everything works, but as far as diagnosing a good or bad ip, or vacuum system, or the self leveling suspension, I need someone who knows these cars to do it.
Thanks for any tips. I'm really looking forward to getting into this. They're old with lots of miles, but were at least engineered well to start with. Something I can't say for the Dodge truck I worked on last. And I do plan to run this thing on vegetable oil, so at least fuel won't cost me much!

these old benz's are not that expensive to keep on the road...
my 1983 300sd cost me 1700 bucks a few years back... i have done
nothing to it really.... a set of tires from sams club, the next year brakes,
I replaced the radiator with a junk yard one 50 bucks... So its probably
costing less than 100 bucks a year to keep running...

I am about to rebuild the transmission and that will cost me 3 or 4 hundred
and i want to rebuild the front end... but I may divide that over 2006 and 2007.

If you pay a mechanic then I guess it will be expensive but if you get the manual and learn this stuff it will be fun and inexpensive....

I dont even pay for diesel I run on wvo...

I think the key to buying one of these is 1. no rust, stay away from rust.
2. drive it and make sure the transmission works well....and dont worry about how many miles it has...

compression test equipment is not that expensive, and SOME autozones have tools in stock to rent with 100% rental return when finished!
Harbor Freight usually has cheapo Compression sets in the 30.00 range. on sale.
just start the car and see how it starts/idles/reves under load. then let it idle and pull the oil fill cap off and see how much smoke puffs out, then put it back and pull the PCV hose off the air cleaner and plug it with your hand and see how many seconds it takes to stall the motor, over 20 seconds is Great, less than 10 is bad. search here for oil cap test and crankcase ventilation test. for specific numbers.
I second the opinion that if you do it yourself, it's not expensive at all to fix and keep theese cars on the road.
John

You should have no trouble finding a manual 240D or 190D. Both of mine are manual. A good way to maximize performance and fuel efficiency for these little 4 cylinder diesels (more fun too). You can find quality mercedes w123's or w201's for much less than similar year vw diesels (especially the caddy's) and they are of much higher quality. Not sure why the vw's are so popular. My 1978 rabbit diesel couldn't hold a candle to my 1979 240D. You are on the right track.

Kevin
1979 240D
1984 190D

i dont recomend doing that.. great way to blow seals out....

My suggestion would be to take your time and look at a lot of cars and you will eventually find that "creme puff" that we all dream of. You know, low miles, dealer maintained, garaged, owned by an old lady. (ok, maybe not a stick). I rushed into buying a Benz, then found a much nicer one, now the first one is just sitting!

well, sell your first one to this kid....

Great choice!

Thanks for the tips. I am encouraged at the possibility of making this happen. I'll have to start keeping my eye on autotrader, craigslist, the local paper. Heck, maybe I'll take a road trip down south to see some nice rust free ones. I have considered buying the compression tester stuff, I'll probably do one and then take it to a mechanic and see what he says about the rest of the car, and talk about the numbers. Thanks again.

A nice W123 in good shape 240 Diesel stick shift would be great if it's in good shape.

Under $1500 if you can, would be great to start out with. Don't worry too much about high (200,000 to 300,000 miles) if it's beeen taken care of and no rust or wrecks. They will go to high mileages!!

Thanks for joining the group and WELCOME

Jim

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)