Bet you $10. that you did not find them at any price less than $200. each.

My compressor lasted about 100K miles on R-134a before it locked up, but I was never happy with the performance. I went back to R-12, hopefully it will last longer with R-12, we'll see.

Are the 126 hoses that expensive, the 123 hoses are still under $100 each?

I need to add it up but I bet after doing the body work and trans I'm over $20k by a fair margin.

Maintenance is $3k a year +/-. I have run my SDL leaner this year much to my chagrin, but I usualy have an "open checkbook" policy to keeping it up.

IMHO a properly sorted SDL is well worth $20k, and I am more than happy to pay that price to drive one.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

For the SDL's they are sold in a pair, and run about $400. I have seen them for $350. No aftermarket its pretty much which dealer gives you or Phil the best rate.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Don't feel bad, one of my 240D AC hoses recently turned out to be a "dealer only" part, about $500.

Thankfully *knock on wood* my AC system has been working perfectly, since I replaced the Kilma, condensor, and push button head unit. I dread the day the compressor fails. They cost $800 on these cars!

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

If I was in your shoes I would have taken it to a hydraulic shop and have them crimp on a new hose using the ends you brought them.

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85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 161K now
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked

Depends which W126. The OE hoses on the SD were about $100. each......way different than the SDL.

Personally, I don't have illusions that my cheap 25 year old car is going to last forever, so I don't bother with rust or A/C. It is an enjoyable ride for now, but EVERYTHING decays with time.

If you aren't into restoring old cars as a hobby, you have to be realistic about it. Accept that it is a glorified beater which is going to require some maintenance here and there to stay on the road, or get a newer car and pay the price for a newer car.

A cheap new car is at the least $2400 a year. If I can be under half of that mark, it is well worth it to me to put in a little effort and have a car that is comfortable for long drives (the seats don't bother me) and that I can burn bio in.

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Yup, I've pretty much accepted that I'm going to spend about $1500 on the AC every 100K miles or so.

Yeah MB's just have expensive AC sytems to repair. Nothing you can do about it.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

I nearly choked on my coffee when my dealer told me how much my exhaust system would run if I replaced the whole thing...nearly $800 plus labor. (I had it patched up for now). Yet on other things like my water pump and broken tail light assembly, I found great deals on ebay. One thing is for certain...I could not keep and maintain this car without the help of this board. It has helped me fix my rough shifting tranny (vacuum control valve), find out why it wouldn't start (glow plug strip fuse), repair my instrument cluster...the list is a long one. I have used the archives like a library. The wealth of knowledge here is amazing and much appreciated. I love driving my 1985 300d (W124 euro) to work every day. It fits my 6'2" 240lbs frame like a glove (although I want to replace the driver's seat box). I test drove a Jetta TDI and felt so cramped. I consider the 30mpg I average to be pretty good for a 22 year old car.

My only regret is not learning about them BEFORE I bought the car....I paid too much back in 2003 (although they seem to be selling higher now). I would have offered a good bit less for it. Costs have been a mixed bag for me...but I LOVE these cars.

I have probably spent about $8k in parts/repairs over the past 4.3 years or so.....not including the 3.7k purchase price. I know this car will never be cheap....but this year it was pretty good to me. I blew $750 in january on new rear springs/shocks/spring pads, and an alignment. All told about $1100 (had it done at dealer...$350 in labor). But aside from that its been very little maintenance this year...couple oil changes....tranny fluid change.....and I did some rust repair and will be replacing my oil pan and intake screen etc....all minor stuff for the most part. less than $1500 in actual repairs this year I'd say. 264k on the clock and I drove over 17,000 trouble free miles this year, including 2,600 mile trip to Florida in March....oh, and I did replace the alternator and belts...$135

I think its well worth it to keep these cars going. Also, insurance on them is way cheap....so thats pretty cool too.

My dad insures our $1500 300D for about $260 a year! Its so far been a very low maintenance and reliable car as well....all it has needed is an oil cooler ($35 used)starter ($99 @ autozone), and a monovalve repair kit ($40 on fastlane) All other things for it have been too cheap to mention. (Headlight, a primer pump.....a couple light bulbs....valve cover gasket....) Cheap cheap so far.

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-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

Wheres my $10...http://www.***************/search/product.aspx?sid=qagmk055aimpp5mroph4mi35&makeid=800016@Mercedes&modelid=1194005@300SD&year=1981&cid=16@Cooling%20System&gid=5765@Oil%20Cooling%20Line/Hose

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I'm sick of .sig files