I got my first MBZ...an 85 300D W123...in 1998. After all this time, lots of work on the car, and nothing but dependable service, I still enjoy putting diesel fuel in at the pump, and i still really enjoy every ride.

I'm getting ready for some major repairs:

Monday will bring into the shop for adjustment to an alignment done last september...wore the outer edge off of left front tire...brand new set of Arctic Alpins!!!

following week will be in body shop to fix collision damage...I got hit when parked all day in a parking lot...the person left name and number and their insurance paid...I will have them fix a couple other rust spots while there

following week I'm planning on taking some time off from work (extra vaca. days) to do major work. Will replace head (leaky head gasket or crack in head), belts, oil cooler lines, all new coolant hoses, oil filter housing gasket. I still need to get prechamber puller and new lugs & nuts for manifold, and I will be ready.

I also have a complete set of new MBZ fuel lines and brake lines which I will try to do if I have time...otherwise I'll do sometime this summer.

Amazingly, even though the engine runs a little hot (95-100C) and I verified leaky head (oil in coolant, carbon monoxide in coolant reservoir), the car still runs pretty well....A couple of weeks ago I drove from Boston to NYC, over to Newark, then to Philly then back to Boston...about 700 miles...I was a little nervous with the head problem, but I wanted to get the couple hundred dollars in mileage reimbursement (business trip) to put toward repairs, so I took a chance...the car never missed a beat!!!

Great car, cant wait till all this work is done!!

Mark M

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1984 300TD Wagon, 407,800 mi (current daily driver)
1985 300DT Sedan, 330,000 mi (gone to that great autobahn in the sky)