I must admit I'm burned on MB so take any advice with a grain of salt. First, your inspection of the spring perches was inadequate, Part of the problem is the material they used to prevent the problem. It looks fine but with a few pinholes it allows enough water and salt in to start to cause the rust. Not only that, but the design traps the moisture in there to speed up the process. Check around but I believe you must remove the coating to make a proper inspection. Only then have some owners found a serious rust problem. Having said that, you seem intent on ownership. That's fine. If you're a DIYer with significant money to spend on parts then you'll enjoy the car. I would check various sources for current sale prices. Ebay is an esay check to see what they'll go for. Here are some examples....





120063275391 Sedan 66K miles (if you trust them) and currently just over 4K dollars with 5 hours left to go. The but it now price will never happen.

150071053118 99 Wagon 4 matic, xenon. Got to $8000 did not meet reserve.

110067911405 98 wagon 4 matic $8,100 Did not meet reserve

330059782087 98 sedan 100K miles $6600 did not meet reserve.

280051500628 95 sedan 140K Less then $6K asking. Not one even bid.

170055119367 99 with 120K. Starting at 9995 with no bids before auction closing.

Heres one for you.

220057481207 2002 with 128K Miles. No bids at $8700 asking. Call him and offer $6500. In a previous auction he tried for $9500 and got no bids. He might be prime for anyhting to get rid of it.

You may also try autotrader. Call on several similar cars that have listing that are old. Ask about the car. If it's a price that YOU think is good but the car remains unsold then the market knows better then you. I don't remember if autotrader has a way to show expired listings.

Another way to check price would be to take the car to several lots and check trade in on a similar but newer car. IE, go to the MB lot and start looking at used Mercedes. See how much they'll give you on a newer car. Remeber to remove any evidence that the car is for sale like a dealer tag, etc and if they run the vin tell them you're comparison shopping.

Finally, two more things. First, you mentioned the car was owned by an Indy. This is not an indicator of maintenance or upkeep quality. They don't treat their cars any better then the rest of us. You don't think they work on others cars all day and then work on their own as a hobby, do you? And, remmeber about all things automotive. Never fall in love with something that can't love you back. If you don't get this one another will come along. This is true for cars, homes, motorcycles and many children.