You can order a book on small claims courts from a great web site: www.nolo.com The publisher (Nolo Press) was mentioned in a previous post, but not the web site. It also has legal self help forms and advice. Worth a look when you are suing the lying crook.

A quite unbelievable thread, albeit absolutely fascinating.

So you splashed out $13K on an 89 MB. Spent a further $750 on necessary work, convinced a professional mechanic to rebuild your engine and rear suspension for zero bucks (an honourable mechanic indeed - is he still in business?). Then it must be $500 (just a guess) on new discs and pads all round.

But now you want to know how much it is worth?

You may have paid over the odds for the car and had some inconvenience but it sounds as though you have a fine MB now - and it appears you are not afraid to bite the bullet in maintaining it - so why is the monetary value relevant? You ain't going to sell are you?

At the end of the day, if you do sell - that is when you will find out how much it is worth - what a buyer is willing to pay (once he knows the history!).