I did not say we were not... just that it was going to Look like it to others.... I assumed they had not figured it out yet...
I have never called PEH cheap.... I did call him FRUGAL.....

Let me say one thing, I've learned a lot AND it's not that 240D owners are cheap... they are into value for their money. AND $5K is too much for any 1980 car unless it's been kept in pristine condition in a showroom, more or less.
I was looking at the car and it looks the damage stops at the radiator, but, I was told once that each 1 inch of damage behind the radiator is $1,000. The hood is trash, the headlight "holders" will have to be replaced, etc.... The more I looked the more money I realized would be needed to get this car going again.

I believe I will pass and keep on lookin'

Thank you all for your great help!
debi

We were just talking amoungst ourselves till you got back....

I think you made a good decision... now, if it had been a manual shift.... uhhhhh

I looked hard for a 240D recently and found $2500 will buy a pretty good one. The thing is to learn how to do your own preflight. The only thing you can't learn by looking at a car is compression, and the engine is also used for refrigeration units and fish boats, so fixing bad compression can't be that expensive, I hope. If the owner has kept the hoses and lines good he won't let the car go for much under $2000. But you might get lucky and find someone, like the excecutor of a will, who would.

DEBI,,,, Now this is what a ' big' bucks 240d should look like ...look at the description /with records backup, etc....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6329&item=2415743680

Debi,

I purchased a 78 300d off of ebay about a month ago. Car had 125,000 miles and is in great condition, everything works including the sunroof. Interior is perfect except for cracks in dash.
Paid $3,750 which I thought was a little high but have been very pleased. However, as others have said it is dog slow from a start. I use it for my commute on the freeway of about 80 miles round trip and the sluggish response is not a problem..but if I was driving around town in a lot of stop and go, it would drive me nuts. It is the response from a dead stop to about 15 mph that is almost non-existent...so if you havent driven one my advise is to try to drive one first.

It is kind of scary for me..the only way to get the 300 to move is with the accelerator to the floor. Then I get into my 300zx twin turbo and freak myself out doing the same thing.

__________________
Andy
72 280 SEL 4.5
78 300D
92 300 ZX Twin Turbo (mid life crisis)
99 Suburban (wife)

Andyj, yours is an automatic... right ? I am trying to talk Debi into getting a manual shift.... not exactly a racer,,, but acceptable most of the time....

Yeah its an auto so you cant rev the engine before taking off.

__________________
Andy
72 280 SEL 4.5
78 300D
92 300 ZX Twin Turbo (mid life crisis)
99 Suburban (wife)

Debi,

You don't say where you are. It might be of some advantage for us all to know if we come across a great deal that we don't need.

Just for informational purposes, you should check out Ebay, Mercedes 200 Series and 300 Series.

By all means go for either the 240D manual or a Euro 300D manual like the one currently on Ebay in Texas. The Euros often come with 5 speed transmisssions and always with manual A/C, windows,. etc.

Again, check www.recycler.com in L.A. and www.craigslist.org in S.F. especially if you're headed that way. The California cars are almost certain to be rust free.

Good luck,

Ben

__________________
www.reproduce100s.com

Ben ,,,
"I'm in East Tennessee in same county as Gatlinburg..." --Debi
Skimming a Tad fast Ben ?