Tell me why I shouldn't sell my 80 300 sd

[rosenfe]

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

[cooljjay]

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....

[sleepstar]

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

[rosenfe]

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

[ruchase]

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...

[The Grinch]

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.

[shertex]

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

[Adv_rider]

Originally Posted by rosenfe

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

Because you don't have one??

Your sig says 79...

[BillGrissom]

Reasons to not sell are all the repairs you mentioned, which won't return much when you sell, especially w/ a salvage title. Used cars are priced w/ all those that haven't been maintained.

I find I always need a spare car. Sometimes I have to take one out of service for an extended time, like to rebuild an engine or transmission, so I just swap the insurance and drive the spare. In CA, you can pay $25 once for a "NoOp", then if you need the car, just pay the normal price to update the license.

That said, I am tempted to sell my two 300D's someday since I have too many cars. I have three 64-65 Chryslers and parts for those are very cheap compared to some M-B parts. Ex, I recently bought a full tranny rebuild kit for 2 of them for $35 each. The situation is improving as 300D's hit the junkyards and other vendors start making parts (I am one of the few who appreciate URO's entry). I wonder when somebody will make a $100 turbo piston set.

[charmalu]

We non-oped the 78 240D we bought a few months back, don`t think we paid $25 to do it but do remember paying $15 title transfer.

I do know here in Kali, when you do decide to put one back on the road, you will pay the full years registration, no matter what month you do it. there is no prorating the fees.


Selling the SD would be worth something to another MB enthiasts. to the majority of people it is just another old car. Most likely turned into another Vegi Burner for a few years before being retired to PNP.

Donate it to a Chairity for a Tax write off, and it will be sent to an Auction Yard where PNP will pick it up for a few hundered dollars.

Charlie

[83w126]

Yeah, the main reason not to sell it is you will get $2k for it and it will be in pick and pull in less than 5 years most likely. If it's still working ok why not keep it?

[Skid Row Joe]

35 yrs ago, I decided to sell my 1 year old Corvette - which was my second car, and get by with just one car. Since I could only drive one car at a time anyway, I didn't see the need to double-up expenses on another one. The car to me is a tool that provides transportation, just like a bicycle, mo-ped, etc. I like to have one car I like, and that's it. Owning several, or even parking lots full of cars can't begin to make sense to me, unless you like having a lot of parts cars around, or are a dealer.

I would keep the car I liked better, and sell the other.


I didn't like it better than the Corvette, but this was my work car I made my living with for over the road travelling:

1971 Cadillac Fleetwood 75 Sedan, Nickname: "Killer" 315K Total miles with (3) engines. When the third long-block blew in December of 1979, when trying to start the car with ether, (I think a piston blew) I donated (begged) an Omaha Technical High School shop teacher to let me tow the car to their auto shop. Thankfully he agreed to take the car off my hands. Technical High School (Tech) as it was known in Omaha, is long since closed, but will remain known as the high school that Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Rodgers played football for as a lad.

[Stretch]

When you have to replace the batteries in the Prius...

[vstech]

...
I think you should keep the SD, then get a D, then get a TD, then get into the 124's and get a TD, and a D, then get several parts cars, and begin helping members on the forum and collect multiple versions for parts and skill... oh, wait you're most likely not TOTALLY INSANE like I am...

[Brian Carlton]

Originally Posted by rosenfe

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

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.................