Is this so, or do I need to stop smoking crack? Over the past year, a few of the climate control parts that I need to repair the 300CD have gone up a lot, and many of the suspension parts I may need in the future have also gone up

Parts prices have been on the rise for quite a while now, primarily due to the devaluation of the $$$. On the other hand, if you quit smoking crack, you'd have more money to spend on parts.:p

Of course their on the rise. The Euro has gained quite a bit against the dollar in the last year or so.

Have a great day,

I guess I should have bought the parts a few years ago I guess, before the Euro went up and the dollar went down...

About 3-4 years ago $.85 bought 1 euro. Now it takes $1.25 to buy 1 euro, an increase of about 45%. We haven't seen price increases that large because many of the parts suppliers have been working off old inventory without a full price increase and/or absorbing some of the difference. Most big European companies who do much of their business in the U.S. have hedged the currency so they can keep their prices from going up the full 45% and still maintain profits. The problem is that those hedges only last for a while and, thanks to various policies in Washington and our balance of trade, we can probably expect the dollar to fade even further. The point is, if you think you are going to need new parts, buy them now. The risk of prices for euro based goods going higher is far greater than the potential that they get "cheap" again.

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LRG
1987 300D Turbo 175K
2006 Toyota Prius, efficent but no soul
1985 300 TDT(130K miles of trouble free motoring)now sold