Thanks for all the replies.
He isn't me--he is musically talented; I am mechanically talented. The two may not be mutually exclusive, but he also has no garage, and no tools to maintain a Mercedes. If he were handy, and had a place to do normal maintenance, I'd recommend the 300TD. But he needs a car that is a turn-key.
I'll send him the list.
Thanks again

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1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags