Keep the 240D...............or let it go.........??? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

matthias08 · #1 02-19-2008, 07:59 PM

my 240D is prob. not worth fixing. the rust is spreading before my own eyes.

the undercoating that i was going to put on the inside of the car as well can only be applied @ 70F and well. its 12 today. so like. i don't have any chance to do it.

and my newly replaced pans are starting to bubble already! and i'm only in 1.5 months!
i'm freaking out about this.
should I just keep it and run it into the ground and park it away until i find a good W123 body to put everything in?

I know I'm going to need a different car in the near future. something that will be a little more suitable for college kid type trips to and from home (800 miles) the 240 made it here to dayton pretty harmlessly. but i don't know about its actual structure anymore (then again i did drive it here w/ massive holes in the floor)

I don't know. when is everyone else just calling the quits??

I love the car and would get another one in the near future. just not next.
its a 79.
a LOT of home done patch work (causing all of my ongoing problems now)
a LOT of body filler
the rust seems to be rather contained to the front of the car for the most part and all on the lower portion.
my lower radiator support is GONE. like it fell off today
so basically the only thing holding it in are the little clip things @ the top and those brackets that aren't bolted to anything by my bumper

HELP!!!

oh. fyi. I just turned 18 2 months ago.
and well. i have absolutely no credit. no spare money. I'm trying to pinch every penny until may to get something like an E420... maybe a 320.

I think a E300D or an E300TD would be a little too costly to fix for me right now
w/ a gasser. atleast I can pretty much drive it broken ya know?

fahrgewehr2 · #2 02-19-2008, 08:12 PM

Borrow one of those nice cars in your signature?

Hatterasguy · #3 02-19-2008, 08:37 PM

Drive that SLK until May.

Why won't your car last to May now?

It ain't going to rust much in a few months, its been rusting for 30 years!

michigandon · #4 02-20-2008, 04:22 AM

If you decide to sell it, I would be interested. How healthy is the engine?

Don

JimFreeh · #5 02-20-2008, 06:58 AM

Time to put that car out of it's misery.

If it's rusting so badly that chunks are falling off, you KNOW it's too far gone for a practical repair.

Unfortunately, your situation, broke, college, 18, doesn't place you in a good position to do much.

Might be time to consider a throwaway Jap car for your college days.

Jim

t walgamuth · #6 02-20-2008, 08:34 AM

Just make a support for the bottom of the radiator and keep it going til you can do something better. I have never heard of one breaking in half. The main structure is in the rocker panel area. YOu could lose the floor completely without compromising the main structure all that much. It may not be as bad as you imagine.

It might be a good idea to get some other opinions on it, too.

Tom W

matthias08 · #7 02-20-2008, 08:36 AM

Normally the Parents let me drive a car "when needed" ie the GL today because of massive snow... but they won't let me drive something daily. maybe when the sun comes back out the SL or the 320CEC

the mechanical end of my car is amazing. I think it could use a little tune up. and I'm going to do some light injector work. burns/leaks NO oil at all
the ODO. only clocks when it wants to.(its about 400 more than my sig. says now.) its done that since i got it in august.
it is the 4spd man. perfect glass/door panels/back and passenger seat. the back of the drivers seat is ripped a bit. the dash isn't crackless but it only has 2 TINY cracks infront of guages. wood is perfect.
mint grille hood and front fenders. ( I'd assume they've been replaced because of odd fit. )
no sunroof

I really LOVE this car. but should I look for a donor car to give up its front subframe that is SHOT on my car.

last month i slid into a curb on ice. and it BENT my whole front end due to lack of support b/c of rust. my hood starts flopping @ 60, causing it to crack the light doors

should i just try and pull out infront of somebody one day???
like seriously.
uh... its snowing today :: got an idea ::

haha jk
i don't really want to risk totaling this car.

anybody have a donor I could use?

thesst · #8 02-20-2008, 11:01 AM

Maybe the fact that it leaks NO oil is partly why the rust is so bad?

I've often thought that some of these 25+ year-old MB bodies survive due to their constant grease-film coating.

Really, though, a non-oil-leaking 123 engine is quite a treasure. If you scrap the car at LEAST keep the engine.

Hatterasguy · #9 02-20-2008, 11:57 AM

Why would you put money into a car that needs work? Drive it to May and all you should have to do is check the oil. Junk/part it and buy something else.

Injector work? I wouldn't put a dime into it unless you are forced to.

Rmcfarland · #10 02-20-2008, 12:12 PM

Haha, you sound lots and lots like me. With my rusting 79 240D and in college I am in a very similar situation. I don't think mine is to the "busting in half cause it's rusty" stage yet, but i have some soft spots in the floorboards for sure. I just had my vac pump go out (again) and my speedometer cable break. Just no end to the little stuff it seems.

I intend to drive it until I can afford a nicer one, or until something breaks that isn't worth fixing (monetarily). I love the car and don't want to give it up at all.

No real advice here, but some sympathy, I guess. Enjoy your car for what it is!