Something that'll make you gasp
 

I've got a serious buyer (well, trade) coming by tomorrow to likely take the 300CD and leave something in it's place. As part of due diligence I printed out all of the receipts from Pelican and other sources in the CDs resurrection from years of deferred maintenance and flipper induced faults, as well as my own issue with the valve guide so that the new owner would have a record and warranty reference.

Yikes!!

Never ever add up your receipts. It will hurt. A lot.

I'm sorry but if he takes it, you will feel a hole in your heart....as well as the one in your pocket :D

Then in 2 weeks we will here your getting another :P

I purchased an 85 VW jetta... it came with all service records from new... over 50K in service at a local indi ...
also, the 87TD I have came with all service records, and it was over 30K...

The last time I added mine up I got over eight grand, and that was a while ago.

:(

Better than depreciation of a new vehicle!!

Mine was over $30k when I looked, $6k alone for a OE transmission installed by MB of Portland. :o

I love the 240D, I'm not getting out of W123s. This particular 300CD just has an attitude, and the other guy has an Alfa Spider that's decided it doesn't like him either, so we're looking at swapping projects. And yeh, I know I'm switching from a reliable marque with easy to source parts to a high maintenance car built entirely of rust prone unobtainum.

Imagine what it would be, were you not wrenching yourself. The local Mercedes indy is now $120/hr and they charge a premium on that if you supply parts.

Consider the alternative: I purchased a 2005 Dodge Magnum SXT in the fall of 2008 (300sd calved and I had to have a reliable car immediately). Kept it until late 2011.

So, for 3 yrs:

$11,000 purchase price (plus taxes)
$ 2,900 maintenance/repairs (02 sensor, front end**, brakes)
$ 0000 valve job (covered by Chrysler after I raised the roof)

Total: almost $14,000 spent
Sold for: $5,500 (and it took 4 months to get that)

Nice car for sure. Two weeks back into my w123s I had forgotten all about it.

**: Charger/Magnum/300 front end repairs are scary and frequent. I made the mistake of doing a half-rebuild one year... then a year later, had to pay the same labour to do the rest of the work. I did not wrench on the Magnum for various reasons, at the time.

I once started to add up the money I had spent but just decided to stop after when I went past the purchase price of the vehicle...

...so what's the trade?

Sorry I just mis-read that - Alfa in America? Are spares a problem?

I spent over 13k in parts/labor on my 84.

Then it was totaled. Luckily, I got most of those parts back.

The labor? Not so much.

Of course you could just go out and spend $30 / $40K on a new one and just have a POS that looks like most other cars out there.

Buy an 1969 Porsche 911S, then look at your receipts. Mercedes are Chevys in comparison.

About $800 right now including the purchase price for both cars ('84 300D parts car not in sig anymore, it's gone). Once I sell the engine, I should actually break even... then I will even drive it and stuff will break :D.

Thankfully, the PO did the tires, calipers, brake pads, new brake hoses, 4 new brake rotors, wheel bearings, motor mounts, filters (including power steering filter and flush), battery, flex disc, water pump housing, thermostat, expansion tank cap, upper and lower rad hoses, and ignition tumbler. So I'm off to a good start...

Oy Jooseppi, I stopped adding but I think buying and fixing this 300CD has me about 6.5k and over 90 hours of my labor for 3 months of ownership. Sure, a lot of that labor was learning and I was able to do the 240D restoration better and in relatively very short time, and the 240 needed a lot more rust repair. My old baby lincoln mig has been with me since '91 and just keeps on going.

Now, typical craiglist stuff, I drive the car 78 miles to my other house to meet the guy (haven't lived there in 7 years, anyone wanna buy a house in Selma NC?)....and after I'm there he calls and says he's not coming because his car would get wet....

/vent mode on....I left at 5am in a downpour...by the afternoon when we were supposed to meet it was dry and sunny. It's 30 miles for him.... /vent mode off

Plus side, started at 26f with no issues at all, just roared to life once I poured water on the door frame to melt the ice and got inside.

Tearing into it tonight to do the turbo drain tube (still dripping a little even after reseating the old seal) and then will move on to do sunroof cable tube cleaning and greasing, since it needs help in cold weather to move, and then go the fleabay route. Would like to be able to list it with as few caveats as possible.

Yeah I knew a guy who worked the parts counter at the local porker dealer for a few years.

He can quote any price with a straight face now :D.