Thanks for the advice PEH, fortunately I live in a climate where there is almost no salt on the roads in the winter (rarely snows). I'm on the west coast, but not close enough to the ocean that the salt there is a concern. THere are some rust areas that need attending, fortunately (again!) I have found a 'rust guy'. He works out of his home for less than half the price the autobody shops charge. He doesn't paint, but it's the repair part of it that gets so costly. Belinda goes in next week.

We're just trying to get a 'what to do first' list. At the very top.... GET RID OF THE SMELL OF SMOKE!:p

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Natalie

Congrads on the new car!! Yes, it is nice that people "notice". Maybe its different in car- crazy California, but where I live it seems that the only thing people notice is that "its a Mercedes"--not that its a 20plus year old one. Enjoy!

As for transmission longevity--I have a friend who has a 300D with over 400,000 miles. The transmission has been making a "squeal" intermittently for about 200,000 miles--it has just started to slip a little.