I'll try to cover as much as I can. I have a binder 1" thick full of receipts from the past year. I bought it on Sept. 17th, 2007. Its an 85' SD

Heres what I can recall off the top of my head:

New motor and tranny mounts
New tires
Glow Plugs/Relay
New seats (front and rear, out of an 86) and switches
Euro Lights + new bulbs all around
Euro Bumpers
new grill and ebay grill (still have the old one, will prolly put it back on)
New brakes/rotors/sensors
New hood pad
New shocks and springs all around
New strut mounts
New upper and lower oil cooler lines
New wipers
New windshield washer jets (70 bucks each!)
New hood ordament
New floor mats
New battery
NUMEROUS old vacuum hoses and fittings
New boost sensor
New primer pump
K&N Filter
i've also replaced some of the exterior plastic trim with the newer, smooth 86+style

all on top of general maintenance, which I've been very good about (fluid/filter changes, valve adjustments, etc...) I even have a full documented maintenance history from the PO (original owner).

All parts were purchased from Holmes European Mercedes Dealership in Shreveport, La. or Aristcrat Motors in Kansas City, Mo.

I did everything I could myself but a few things were taken care of by Star Motors in Kansas City, Mo. or their lead mechanic moonlighting for me.

Aethstetically I've replaced many interior and exterior parts but it isn't finished.

Here's what it needs:

Its ready for new injectors and could use the timing checked
Both front window regulators
both front window seals
both front window motors
new window switches for the center console

A/C! Its got the new r134a conversion by the PO, but I havn't been able to get it to work. I think there is a leak, but once thats fixed it will be the accumulator switch, then the relay, then the compressor...etc.) Also, I go to school in Louisiana and having no windows or a/c makes me want to kill myself on a daily basis. The window problem just came up and its already getting hot. Its what pushed me over the edge.

new sunroof motor (i have a good cable)
new sunroof seal
new headliner and b-pillars
new wood on dash and center console (though, not imperative)
new tires (i planned on pairing them with 86+ wheels, though, not immediately)
Numerous suspension bushings (most notably the upper and lower control arm on the passenger side, but they all need replaced)
New steering shock (though, not immediatly but whenever I can get around to it)
The engine shakes about quite a bit so I assume I need engine shocks
finish replacing the outside panels with new trim

replace the odometer. I have the part but I have been waiting for my car to reach the mileage on the part I have (183K). I've been keeping track and by my estimates my car has approx. 167k. The odometer went out at 155k.

also, my heater started to go on the fritz towards the end of winter. If I stopped the car at a stop light or was sitting in a drive through line or something the heater would warm up but if I started it while driving it would blow cool air until I slowed down, then get cooler again once I sped up. This isn't as big a deal to me as the A/C or windows working is since I live in the South and it gets hot down here. If I kept it I would have to have it fixed by October since it gets cold back home.

__________________
1963 Ford F100 - Cummins Swap?
1985 Mercedes 300SD - 210K
1992 Ford Festiva - 92K
2001 Ninja 250 - 8K

Looks like you are more than 1/2 way there
:b

I replaced my 1991 Nisan P/U (VERY low maintenance costs) b/c child seats don't work in pickups and my wife's 2005 Toyota Matrix b/c the insurance and payments were really high AND child seats don't work in cheap little cars very well. I got the 240D - she got a 1989 Jeep Cherokee. That car kept breaking down , while my 1980 MB didn't - so we replaced the Cherokee with the 300TD. It has more cargo space, is more comfortable and has better fuel economy than either of her two previous cars (yup - better mpg than a new Matrix)...... I guess in the end it is a personal decision based on what you need from your car and what you are willing to spend in $$, sweat, and bloody knuckles.

Good luck!

__________________

Current Mercedes
1979 maple yellow 240D 4-speed

Gone and fondly remembered:
1980 orient red 240D 4-speed

Gone and NOT fondly remembered:
1982 Chna Blue 300TD

Other car in the stable:
2013 VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI / 6-speed MT

My personal feeling would be if I put that much into a car, I'd want to stick with it. It sounds like you've accomplished a lot with it ... I'd have a hard time giving up after all that. That said, it kind of depends on your attitude. If you can take pride in all you've but decide it's time to move on and sell it to the next glutton for punishment, I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Nothing wasted. Kind of a personal thing though, it's hard to judge what would be best for someone else. I will say this: If you don't feel right selling it, don't sell it (unless you have to). Sleep on it for a while (not literally, that would be uncomfortable). Fix your windows and/or AC and see how you feel after that.

__________________
1987 300D, arctic white/palomino--314,000 miles
1978 240D 4-speed, Euro Delivery, light ivory/bamboo--370,000 miles
2005 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited, light khaki/slate--140,000 miles
2018 Chevy Cruze diesel, 6-speed manual, satin steel metallic/kalahari--19,000 miles
1982 Peugeot 505 diesel, 4-speed manual, blue/blue, 130,000 miles
1995 S320, black/parchment--34,000 miles (Dad's car)

My 85 300SD is my daily driver - 202K. Between February 15th and 28th, I logged just under 2900 miles. Yesterday was a 315 mile day. I never think twice about getting in and going.

If you can find another car in the same age group, that's as dependable, solid, safe, comfortable and fun to drive - let me know. IMO they don't exist...And I've owned lots of cars!!

Sure you can say, and justly so - that an older Honda or Toyota can achieve the same high mileage and reliability ---- but they are no where near the ride and drive of these old classics. Is a 20+ yr old corolla as solid as my W126 --- NO WAY!

Diesel on Garth....

__________________
71Inka02

62 W121 190DB - Original CA/AZ Car - Excellent Example
99 E300 Turbo Diesel - 362,000...Awesome Daily Driver
01 E320 Wagon - 297,xxx (wife's work car)
01 E320 Wagon - 131,000
02 Land Rover Disco SE- 110,000
87 BMW 325is (E30) Full Restore - Son's
06 Mini Cooper 'S' - Son's
87 Toyota FJ60 Land Cruiser - Showroom Condition - 152,000

84 300D - 142,xxx :cool - "Sold"
83 300D-"Sold" - 211,456
85 300SD-"Sold" - 213,789

Im a busy student and I don't really have the time to keep wrenching on the car, nor do I want have to take out a student loan just to keep up with the costs! I have more thanks to worry about. I had to take a cut in hours at work because I'm taking more at school. Its not bad if its just a hobby, but when it becomes a necessity its not as fun. I need all the free time to study and work, not for working on my car. It would be worth (and probably cheaper) to buy a newer car than maintain this old one.

All I want is a car that works. And I probably wouldn't sell my current Mercedes. I'm not sure it would be taken care of properly. I would like to finish it but I just can't right now.

__________________
1963 Ford F100 - Cummins Swap?
1985 Mercedes 300SD - 210K
1992 Ford Festiva - 92K
2001 Ninja 250 - 8K

Why 2000+? The best Mercedes was being made until 1995 (124)
Where everything works depends more on the driver than the age of the car.
There are 25 yo cars where everything works and 2000 cars where everything is frustrating (even more in a brand new car because the car is new)

When is enough enough.... A. Bank account says OUCH/Enough!! or B. When the bloody knuckles say OUCH/Enough!!!

__________________
92 300D 2.5L OM602 OBK #59

I am a newbies here. When you own a 20+ years old MBZ then you are either a nut or a good DIY mechanics. If you take your car to a MBZ mechanic every time it sneezes then you may as well kiss it good bye. If you do not enjoy working on it or have a spare car to run around then it is time to move on.

3 x 87 300SDL
1 x 83 300D
1 x 83 Diesel Suburban - all run but not perfectly by modern cars standard.

I work on it myself the majority of the time, but I do get the parts from the dealer (sue me!).

I dont run to the dealership every time my car "sneezes".

And I just picked 2000+ because 1) I'm going to need financing and 2) thats just what I want! If I'm going to finance a car I want it to at least look new!

__________________
1963 Ford F100 - Cummins Swap?
1985 Mercedes 300SD - 210K
1992 Ford Festiva - 92K
2001 Ninja 250 - 8K

Well - sounds like you've got a decision to make...and it's just that - your decision. Many of us can offer opinions, suggestions and ideas but ultimately it's up to you. Appears you're really busy with school, and that's a good busy, and one that needs your full attention.

How far is your daily drive?

In looking at your earlier posted list of repairs, and 'to be done' list...it appears many items were/are cosmetic...Maybe wants, not needs - I'm not going to be the 'father' of 2 college sons, that I actually am --- you can think about that one relative to time and priority in life.

You also reference not wanting to 'borrow' to make repairs - is having to 'borrow' a factor in getting a newer car? If so, think about how much you'd need to borrow, vs. how much to finish out the critical need items for the Benz. Think about the luxury of delaying a minor repair if you don't have the cash in hand...think about how you can't or shouldn't delay a car payment if you don't have cash in hand......

And if you buy a newer, but yet still 'used' car --- do you really know what you're getting - could you be walking into a 'start over' with what you've got now.

Just some thoughts from me --- And as mentioned by others...don't make a snap decision - think it over.

__________________
71Inka02

62 W121 190DB - Original CA/AZ Car - Excellent Example
99 E300 Turbo Diesel - 362,000...Awesome Daily Driver
01 E320 Wagon - 297,xxx (wife's work car)
01 E320 Wagon - 131,000
02 Land Rover Disco SE- 110,000
87 BMW 325is (E30) Full Restore - Son's
06 Mini Cooper 'S' - Son's
87 Toyota FJ60 Land Cruiser - Showroom Condition - 152,000

84 300D - 142,xxx :cool - "Sold"
83 300D-"Sold" - 211,456
85 300SD-"Sold" - 213,789

Well in that case I'd go for a used, lower-maintenance car and park the MB for a while. There's no shame in that. You can only take on so much at once. If you can find somewhere to store it, that would be optimal (maybe a friend's garage or shed), but even if it sits out, these are tough cars. My 240D sat for a couple years, and aside from brakes from hell and a little rust-busting, it didn't suffer that much. Although I think it got lonely.

__________________
1987 300D, arctic white/palomino--314,000 miles
1978 240D 4-speed, Euro Delivery, light ivory/bamboo--370,000 miles
2005 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited, light khaki/slate--140,000 miles
2018 Chevy Cruze diesel, 6-speed manual, satin steel metallic/kalahari--19,000 miles
1982 Peugeot 505 diesel, 4-speed manual, blue/blue, 130,000 miles
1995 S320, black/parchment--34,000 miles (Dad's car)

Being originally from Louisiana and having attended many an LSU football and basketball game in the "old" places, I just have to chime in and offer some "personal experience".


As you probably know, I'm on my second daily driver, 300SDL, having just entered the MB world in March, 2007. Coda, my current daily driver, needs a long list of stuff. The BIG major stuff that MUST be done ASAP are:

1. FIX the fuel leak from the IP delivery valves.
2. Replace the motor mounts.

The fuel leak has "rotted" the driver's side motor mount. All the vibration can't be good for the rest of my car.......but, it still starts (when I don't run out of fuel) and gets me to work and home again, safely and very dependable.

Now, let's talk about the 2000 Dodge Ram 2500, Cummins truck I bought on Halloween. I bought it with "known electrical issues in the wiring harness plug" near the rear of the engine. I got it cheap (does anyone see where this is going?). I drove it to storage with erratic shifting. Here's the service history on it thus far:

1. Took it to a diesel guy that does Dodge diesels --- he owed me a favor. He cut out all the non-factory wiring modifications that had been done. He said it was charging, throwing codes, and should go to the transmission shop. Tells me it really needs a lift pump.
2. Took it to the transmission shop --- they dropped the pan and said it definitely needed a rebuild.
3. Still coding....Both parties agreed it needed a PCM. I bought a PCM and replaced it. Still coding, erratic shifting, not charging.
4. Took it back to the diesel guy --- ran out of fuel on the way --- fuel gauge was still reading about 1/4 of a tank. He figures out that I ran out of fuel, puts 5 gallons in it, bleeds the lines, installs a lift pump that I take to him that he says is not much better than the one that was on there. He says I can solder the wires as good or better than he.
5. Take it to my independent "gasser" shop. They think the PCM needs to be replaced (again). Can't figure anything out. I go to pick it up and it drives PERFECT. They didn't do anything to it.
6. Two days later, it's erratic shifting and no charging .....AGAIN.
7. All the time, I'm visiting the Cummins Forum --- a lot of threads with no conclusion as to what fixed the various issues. Here, we have a lot of threads that have the solution to what was causing the original problem.
8. I take to the dealer. They said the battery cable terminal ends need to be replace. They do that......and replace a speed sensor on the transmission. It's better....they say it feels like the transmission valve pump is not quite right....suggest I take it back to the transmission shop.
9. I go and pick it up and it much better, park it at storage. Next time I start it up, it's back to erratic shifting and no charging.
10. Then I take it back to the dealer. They suggest the PCM needs to be replaced. I tell them I've done that......and it is under warrenty. I ask if they will remove it, let me send it in, and then install the new one.
11. I send it in for exchange during Christmas holidays; have to wait until after New Year for the next one to be installed.
12. Dealer installs the PCM at no cost because it did not fix anything. Their next suggestion is replace the wiring harness. I say no, I can charge it at night a lot of times for less than "about $3800" was the quote on the wiring harness.
13. I take it back to the transmission shop and they replace the valve pump.
14. Still erratic shifting and no charging, so I drive my truck HOME to the house.
15. I do a lot of research, tracing wires, cutting out butt joints and soldering jumpers in, etc. Still no fix.
16. I replace the lift pump with an aftermarket fuel pump. Got plenty of fuel pressure, but still erratic shifting and no charging.
17. Last night, I removed the starter and replaced the crankshaft position sensor (47.99 from NAPA), charge the batteries and take it for a test drive.
18. Charging and NO erratic shifting. YEAH. Truck hiccups a few times and dies at the red light. Will NOT restart. THANK goodness it's a bit of an incline and I'm albe to roll it backwards off into the turn lane and then into a shopping center and position it where the batteries are away from the curb.
19. Walk home.
20. This morning, I go and try to take out the batteries --- I ran them down last night trying to get the thing started. Can only get one out because of the rusted hold down strap on the second one. Take it to AutoZone for testing and charging.
21. Pick up 7 gallons of fuel, reinstall charged battery, jump 1986 300SDL to the batteries, so it can be charging the other one while I "load" 7 gallons of fuel, crack open 2 injector lines.....and crank....and crank....and crank.....finally decide that my IP must have died.....no fuel to either injector.....crank a few more times......get diesel. Tightened up both injector lines and it starts....coughs....and then idles smoothly.
22. Unhook 1986 300SDL and park it out of the way, drive truck home with hiccups along the way.....thought it was going to die once.....get it parked, sit down and eat dinner.....walk back for car.

More than once, I asked some guys at work if they had a handgun in their toolbox because I needed to borrow some tools.

My truck is a 2000 Dodge Ram 2500 with the Cummins Diesel engine. Do you want to buy it?

__________________
daw_two
Germantown, TN

Links:
Sold last car --- 05/2012 1984 300D Light Ivory, Red interior
Cluster Needles Paint
New Old Stock (NOS) parts

Past:
3/2008 1986 300SDL "Coda"
04/2010 1965 190D(c) "Ben"
& many more

Richard,
Living in West Monroe, just 100 miles from you, I know how you feel with spring and summer coming up. The weather here can be brutal in the summer.
A/C is a necessity and Shreveport is a bit hot and humid without it.

I have a 1967 VW Beetle, restored with A/C. It is my toy car. I only drive it on nice days. I have my old daily driver, 1986 300sdl which was nickel and dimeing me to death in late 2007, and had no heat or functioning glow plugs.
I had to do something and quick. I found a very nice 2007 BMW 530i with only 2000 miles on it and bought it as the new daily driver, but I could not get rid of my Benz. I parked it in the garage and spent some time, but got everything fixed, new monovalve,aux water pump, CCU, glow plugs, upper control arm, new brake pads and sensors and new tires. By March 2008 all was fixed and I have not spent another dime on it. So now what do I do???
Benz is fixed for daily driving again, 07 BMW now with 4000 miles on it, Beetle for nice days.... I kept them all. I switch between the BMW and the Benz for daily driving, alternating them weekly. For rides over to Shreveport to U-Auto-Pull- It, I take the Benz. It is an unbelievably great Interstate car.
Luckily, I am not a student. I am 51 with a good job and can afford to do this.

Now back to your situation... My daughter is a 20 year old college student at the Univ. of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. It is a 300 mile drive from here. She uses her car daily in Alabama. I had to get her something that was reliable, safe, and got good gas mileage. I bought her a 2000 Toyota Camry 4 door 4 cylinder with A/C, power everything, a good stereo and a factory alarm. We have had it 4 years and 50,000 miles now and have only replaced brakes, tires and a battery. It gets 34mpg on the Interstate and 26 mpg in town. Insurance is cheap, and the A/C is so cold in the summer you could hang meat in it.

Find a nice Toyota for daily driving. Keep the Benz, it is a Classic and a work in progress. You are getting there with it, and you will kick yourself for selling it. Keep it for the classic it is. I'll bet a nice 2000 Camry with service records won't set you back about $5000 now.

__________________
John
1986 300sdl
1985 380se

enough is when you cant afford it anymore and when you wrenching on the car a lot more than you are driving it.

__________________
1986 300SDL, 211K,Dealership serviced its whole life
1991 190E 2.6(120k)
1983 300D(300k)
1977 300D(211k)

IMHO, enough is when you get sick of it. If you are at that point right now, either park the car or pass it on. If I were in the same shoes you were, I would honestly consider an used Honda or Toyota as the school beater. Last year we put a JDM VTEC drivetrain in a friend's 91 Civic; it now does 160 crank HP and high 30s MPG on the highway. A pre-2000 Civic goes for under $3K in pristine condition here. Drive it for a few years and it will pay for itself. And, any mechanic can fix it. That is what they were designed for. Or an older (SC1/SC2?) Saturn or Neon; they can do about the same gas mileage and are reasonably cheap to maintain.

When it is not fun anymore, it is time to move on.

That said, I am speechless about how much the car has cost you already. I do not think I have $5K in my 75 300D, and that includes paying a shop to put one engine, then, after the vacuum pump killed it, putting the turbodiesel drivetrain I bought off the yard (some modifications required). Also, tires, A/C, suspension, and so on. Now I need to get the head checked/rebuilt by someone who understands the engine and then, while it is doing that, modify the turbo oil return fitting at the upper oil pan to stop pissing me off. Probably need a new hood too. And then putting a W126 electronic speedo in the car but making it look like it belongs there. I guess it is because my W115 300D is a much more spartan/pedestrian car than the 300SD, but I just cannot find ways to spend that much in it.

FYI, If I am not mistaken your AC compressor is a Delco R4. When they leak, you can replace the offending seal without taking compressor out. Also, they can be had for under $100 at any discount autozone, just ask for, say, the compressor off a 82 Caprice Classic. I also firmly believe the priming pump is award-winning ghey. Got tired of it and put a boat squeeze ball before the pump in my car with enough hose I can use it without having to stick my hand in there. Now I can prime the car in 3-5 pumps.

__________________
Your TACH may have a loose connection...I was wondering why your mechanic would be dead one minute then flopping around the next... PanzerSD

i am inspired. i will replace my windsheild... with an intercooler. swedishK