I don't want my very nice 300cd to have to go through the horrors of being a college car, so I figure I want to buy another car for college duty, and leave my 300cd at home in it's garage (will be maintained when I visit of course)

I have my eyes on a 1981 300sd that has been on craigslist for a while now. I called the guy who owns it and chatted him up. He owns a few 4x4 trucks that he is also selling on craigslist. He said he has owned the car for three years, no previous owner maint. records. The car had a used transmission swapped in during his ownership, he said he changed the oil every 3k miles. There are rust spots and the interior isn't in great shape. The turbo kicks in, the car cools effectively. The car was wearing tires so he replaced the bushings and other things in the front suspension and had the car aligned. He has not replaced the front tires yet, I'll have to look into this, it's a red flag. 140k on the working odometer. I'll look at this car soon and see how the car is. I wonder how well an MB can be maintained by a diyer who is into ford trucks.

Or I could just get a 2-3k toyota and have that last for a while but I would hate being in a small tin can. A 90's VW comes into mind as a possibility as well. I would be happy with a cheap stickshift golf or jetta if it would last through college as a beater. Perhaps a crown vic, buick roadmaster? A 17 year old never should have one of those! (I own a 27 year old mbz )

That 300sd could be a hit or miss depending on the suspension or the quality of work/parts the guy used. What do you think a good car would be for a 17 year old who likes big cars or small ones with a stick-shift, would be semi-reliable, and wouldn't care if it accumulates dents and scratches?

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1980 240d
1999 SL500