All of us who fix up old cars know that it's hard to sell a car after doing a bunch of work without losing too much money. People who get lucky and find something that needs a few minor fixes but buy the car cheap because the PO thought it was a basket case are probably a very small minority. The rest of us end up spending more that we'll ever sell the car for but we aren't concerned because we plan to keep the car for awhile.

Such a thought has occurred to me regarding this 603-engined 300D. By the time I get the IP working correctly, the valve guide seal leak stopped, the sunroof working, and the ABS fixed, I'll have way too much invested. As GSXR has just said, selling the car as-is with those problems will be difficult unless I give it away.

An option, then, is to fix the problems and keep the car, selling the W123 car instead. The latter car is in great shape and I could come a lot closer to getting my money out of it. I'd miss the old thing but it would be nice to have a 124 with the smoother, quieter, more powerful engine.

While I think about it, I'm going to look for a wrecked 124 diesel or a good 603 engine. If I could find one with a late-model head (mine is a #14), I might be able to bypass the existing problems at a reasonable price and end up with a much better car. There's always the risk of bad parts in the used engine, of course, but it's something to think about.

Jeremy

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"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .343,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 148,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 177,300 (2026 projected)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 668,300
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970