I recently bought a Prius c.gets great mileage.yes it's a little box,but trouble free.my sd has 134k,perfect interior,ac heat temp wheel vents work perfectly,new compressor,etc.rebuilt injectors,oil cooler lines in the last year.rebuilt Becker Mexico and hirschman antennae by becer radio this last year.body has new hood,fender bumper with paint ,has salvage title.body very good,absolutely no rust,paint very good.great power,steering box a bit sloppy.


Having anew car makes me realize the sd is going to be a hobby and continuous expense.as I describe it I realize how goodItis,but may need simplicity.what are all your thoughts

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95 e320,87 sdl,79 300sd

Oh god comparing a Benz to a Prius....this will be fun.....

HA you think a Benz is expensive give the Prius 10 years Max.....look at them like any other electronic gadget.....only problem is the batteries can't be bought at radio shack.....

My favorite saying, I am saving the environment by just keeping a 40 year old car on the road......

Sorry off my pedestal now....

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isn't that 1980 300SD the last of the all hand built cars? thats reason enough to keep it. also, i think its the best looking chassis of that era... i really like priuses but.. its just another toyota

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1981 NA 300D 310k miles

I'm not trying to compare Prius to Mbz,I'm trying tosimplify but hard to let such a good example go

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95 e320,87 sdl,79 300sd

Sounds like you got your mind made up to sell. I would try to find the SD a good home. Not having to tinker with a car might be nice. I find new cars to be dull and too expensive so I drive the older stuff but at the cost of a weekend or late night after work every now and then.

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1980 300CD - 130,000 Daily Driver
1984 300CD - 325,000 Dad's summer cruiser

1977 K10 - The Grinch - lifted, locked, winch, 37's. Beadlocks.. 379 t Detroit Diesel
1956 Willys Wagon - buick 225 oddfire v6
1982 SJ 410

The Prius is a (very good) transportation appliance....the SD has character and soul. Keep the SD.

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14 E250 Bluetec 4Matic "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 159k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 179k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver on Tan, 145k mi, wastegate conversion, ALDA delete

19 Honda CR-V EX 77k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife

Everyone on the forum will certainly attempt to convince you to keep it. That's who we are.

Unfortunately, there are always forces present that will eventually take the vehicle away from most of us. Although most on this thread will never admit it, all will eventually succumb to those forces unless they have unlimited resources. The fact that they drive such vehicles typically means that they do not.

The forces driving all members away from 30 year old vehicles are simple to quantify:

1) Wrenching
2) Time required for wrenching
3) The need for a backup vehicle to do extended wrenching


With regard to 1):

You must be a person who has some skills and doesn't mind the effort required to do this work. If you resent the work needed to maintain the vehicle, you can stop right here and get rid of it unless you have the funds to pay a mechanic to do it. I make the presumption that the latter point is nearly impossible to find on this forum.


With regard to 2):

You must be a person who can devote approximately 100 hours per year to do both the research necessary to perform the wrenching and the actual wrenching itself. If you do not have the 100 hours, or do not want to spend the 100 hours, then you can stop right here and get rid of it.


With regard to 3)

It is quite difficult for most of us to maintain a 30 year old vehicle in D/D status without a backup vehicle. Those that claim to do it are simply waiting for the day where the vehicle is out of service for several days or weeks awaiting both parts and the mechanic (you). If you decide to get a second vehicle (the Prius........already done), the question simply is a matter of cost. Presuming your are OK with 1) and 2) above, you must then decide whether the cost of parts, insurance and vehicle registration is acceptable to you. If they are, then you definitely keep the M/B because you have met the criterion of all three points noted in the list .

Many of us are just plain stupid and own four vehicles, paying over $3K in just insurance for them. This is ridiculous from a financial standpoint as Joe noted above, but, you have to spend your money somewhere.................

True true but perhaps number 4 would be whether you always need a car? Kerry started a thread recently on OD asking about the walkability of areas where forum members live. Whilst most forum members don't live in very walk friendly areas I have been surprised that some people in the US live in areas where a car isn't an absolute must. Sure even here in Holland where there are alternatives in virtually every part of the country, people want to drive everywhere - but - if you don't have to drive and you can take the bus...

...there's no better way to encourage you to get your bloody car fixed!

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

This should be a sticky here in Diesel discussion forum.

This tells the tale of the vintage MB diesel car as the means of transportation for some, because of it's ruggedness/economy and desirabilty, IMO.

Wow... 4 vehicles can cost some OVER 3K in insurance?? I've got 7 registered, and am nowhere NEAR that annually...
what do most of you pay in insurance on these old vehicles?

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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 560SL convertible
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
2005 Dodge Sprinter 2500 158"WB
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

I pay $3,500 in insurance on 6 cars. I'm pretty young and unmarried.


To the op, if you have somewhere to store it indoors I would keep it, if it has to sit outdoors I would sell it.


Its a $3k car. You stand to gain very little by selling it, and you stand to lose very little by keeping it. However if it sits outside un driven it will go from a nice car to a crappy car in a hurry. But with all the stuff working on the car I would think you've got more in it than its worth, but it would also be a shame to let it die outside.

I've got 3 Pontiac fieros, an 84 with 10,208 original miles and a 1 owners 88GT. If fieros ever were collectible those are them. They are worth very little and I haven't driven a fiero in years, but since I can store them indoors and they don't cost me anything to own, I've just held on to them. Maybe someday ill spend too much money on restoring them, who knows.

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68 280SL - 70 280SL - 70 300SEL 3.5 - 72 350SL - 72 280SEL 4.5 - 72 220 - 72 220D - 73 450SL - 84 230GE - 87 200TD - 90 190E 2.0 - 03 G500

Nissan GTR - Nissan Skyline GTS25T - Toyota GTFour - Rover Mini - Toyota Land Cruiser HJ60 - Cadillac Eldorado - BMW E30 - BMW 135i

I only have liability (plus uninsured motorist) on mine....about $350 each annually (after dividend).

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14 E250 Bluetec 4Matic "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 159k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 179k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver on Tan, 145k mi, wastegate conversion, ALDA delete

19 Honda CR-V EX 77k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife

$330 a year, that's with full coverage for a subaru outback H6 and liability/unins. for the SD and my D21 truck

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1983 300SD (daily driver)
1991 420SEL (work in progress)
1979 300SD (future replacement for 83 SD)

RIP:
1983 300SD (totalled)
1986 420SEL

Reason to not sell:

You'll kick yourself in the rear and always regret it.

Plus, after a few years of the elements, the prius will start to look tacky with all that faded plastic. The benz will only look better with age, given all the chrome...

Because you don't have one??

Your sig says 79...

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1972 W108 280SE 4.5
1977 W116 450SEL
1981 E12 528i BMW