Thank you all for this great advice. I had a feeling the Mercedes mechanic was just heaping on the charges to make sure they would total the car since someone in their shop had wanted to buy the car previously. I'll talk to the person who sold it to me before I make any decisions. I wish he lived closer, but he's several hours away. I'm in the Tampa area if anyone knows a trustworthy mechanic in this area. Thanks for your help. Mary