My father had a diesel Mercedes when I was in college that had a lot of problems (he kept having to replace the fuel injectors) and he eventually got rid of it. I don't believe it was well maintained before he got it.

In spite of that, when offered my father-in-law's 1982 300SD with about 160,000 miles on it for $2,000 a couple of years ago, I bought it. The appeal to me was that the car was clearly solid, had a reputation for lasting forever, and got good mileage. I had to drop about $1K into repairs right off the bat (brakes, tie rod, monovalve, and other stuff) before I started learning to work on it myself.

I love the car and my son now wants me to hand it down to him when he gets his license. I do believe the drivetrain will last nearly forever. My main frustration is that many of the other items have needed repair/replacement. And the climate control is driving me crazy. But, I can maintain it myself, and am constantly learning more about what needs to be done so I can continue to do so. This board has been invaluable in allowing me to keep it going. If I had to do have the shop do the work, I'm afraid I'd have to go to something newer.

Plus, even a 20 year old MB gets admiring looks from folks...

__________________
1987 300SDL 265,000 mi.
1982 300SD 325,000 mi. (and holding)
1956 Packard Clipper 150,000 mi.