Folks,

Thought I would share a photo of an 84 TD that I picked up yesterday. I have been looking for a decent TD for close to 2 years, and missed one other good one, and passed on a few that needed more help than the price reflected.

I purchased the car from the daughter of the original owner, and it has been well taken care of over the years. Originally a Texas car, it has no rust, but was repainted the original colour about 10 years ago after getting a new hood after hitting a deer. A little over 200K miles.

The car starts easy. It does have a collapsed motor mount and a cut oil line that need to be replaced, hence the reason for trailering it home. The engine has minimal blowby. I also tend to take off the oil cap and feel the first two lobs of the cam with my finger to check for flat spots on the cam. There was none I could detect.

From talking to the sellers, I am understanding the car does not have the power it should have. Out of the several turbo OM617 powered cars I have tested in the last few years, only one had the power it should have had. If only people knew what they were missing. (if only they knew, they would probably not sell the car!)

I bought it sight unseen aside from the craigslist images, and was selected out of the field of respondents as I had replied to the ad with a 4 paragraph response that to them identified me as a true 24 carat MB diesel nut! They wanted the car to be appreciated and cared for. I have learned to ask the right questions, and they answered them well so that I was confident of what I was committing to purchasing was up to what I wanted. I was not disappointed.

There are still quality vintage MB's out there at reasonable prices, it is however taking more time beating the bushes. This one was certainly worth the wait! There are also still delightful people on Craigslist to deal with, even with many experiences to the contrary!

A good friend who is responsible with infecting me with this disease went with to help pick the car up. Thanks Jan, my wife still likes you anyway! : )

Regards,

W

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