I'm poor as church mouse myself. Been driving Vintage MB's into the ground for decades. Never had one with fully functional A/C, just live without it. But yeah can see where the heat blower motor and wiper's linkage is worst then engine work for repair. Tie-rods are cheap and radiator recore aint expensive. But have you *ever* flushed the cooling system? Nailing is probly one bad injector tip. Learn to double clutch if synchro gets worn thin. On annual budget I put aside at least $1500 to repair/maintain old Benz's I've owned over the years, and thats doing most of the work myself. Are you truly sick'n tired of the car, or just fed up with the razz'ma tazz of dealing with professional mechanics who now charge more then doctors and dentists.

You understand that you will never find a more enjoyable 4-spd sedan then the 240D. This time of year you'll take a beating if you try to unload it. Winter especially is when sharks who know what they're doing look to buy these cars for peanuts from owners quick to give em up.

And where are you located? I've been looking for an older w115 body style 4-spd diesel for awhile. Would trade my '83 daily driver for one with 4-spd and manual sunroof. Items like the clock, air conditioning and crunched seats dont bother me. But to be honest, your '76 would actually be a better car if it was a 1972 220D before they sacked corner vent windows, went to floppy seats and used imported steel for sheet metal.