If you want to get a realistic idea of what the parts would cost you, though you'd have to do the calculations, go to
www.*************** and punch in your year\make\model, and then go to the body\trim\lighting for the weather seals. They have them for various parts of the car. Then go from that section to the electrical\vacuum to find vacuum hose by the meter and valves, etc. If you need stuff for certain systems, look under there. They have German made parts for decent prices and they show list price/selling price. They're pretty good people to work with, and the shippings free if you order enough stuff. Plus, they've got a good return policy. As far as finding a mechanic? I say the good ones are all on this forum, and will let you know if any repair is worth doing it yourself or if you should bite the bullet and leave it to your local high dollar expert. After two years of owning two different old MB's, I can actually say these are some of the easiest cars to work on. (Except for that block heater plug removal. Don't go there. Pray it's got one in there already.)
