after looking for the past year or so, i drove home today in a metallic blue with tobacco and god-knows-what-else stained cream interior 1979 300sd w/168k. i am sad to say goodbye to my trusty '91 volvo 945 w/250k (still running fine, no drivetrain problems ever, no rust, but a bunch of stupid inconsequential problems that won't allow her to pass nj inspection, so she'll be staying around for a month as an insurance policy until i get any bugs worked out on the benz). this is my first mercedes after a long line of old volvos, which i still love and would recommend to anybody (you can't kill a b23 engine, and my amateurish hands have done all i can to do so), but i wanted a diesel to do a veggie conversion, so the 116 is my answer (sorry 123 and 126, but you don't look as stately or as, uh, "chromey"). if this sd is half the car my latest volvo turned out to be, i'll be thrilled.

i drove her home about 75 miles up to 70mph with no problems other than what i had already known, having driven her and inspected her previously (the usual suspects, acc and cruise, a little rust, but to my knowledge mechanically very sound, exterior above average, interior below average to kinda icky- i'll be doing a cleaning product and replacement upholstery review soon). i'm sure there will be an abundance of questions to come once i really get into working on the car, but i'd like to thank the members who through posting here have contributed to my gaining enough knowledge to pull the trigger, and have probably saved me from doing so prematurely on any number of other potential purchases. then again, i may be cursing you for guiding me into this pit of foibles and frustrations at some point in the future. time will tell.

i'll post pics as soon as i buy a digital camera. she's pretty cute for an older broad. in case you're curious, i paid $1800. seemed reasonable.

oh, and any recs on the first things to do/check on (apart from the obvious fluid/filter stuff) when getting a new old diesel would be a fine start to the litany of questions that are likely to follow.......

and now let the congratulations wash over me. ahhhhh, sweet affirmation.