Well, 12K miles after buying my '82 240D, and checking for rust upon purchase thanks to the help of this board, I think it may be time to put my 123 out to pasture...but I can't figure out my options.

After doing the brakes last weekend, I noticed the waxy undercoating was cracked far worse than I had previously seen on the passenger side, where the floorpan meets the rocker panel. Hmmm, didn't seem good, but '82s have the 'good' rust proofing. A little poking inside revealed a Fred Flintstone hole in the rear where the floorpan hits the side of the rocker. Looks like the passenger seat was headed towards the ground someday soon, as in the " my seats are sinking" thread from a few weeks ago.

Well, it was even worse...same problem on the drivers side, hidden by the sound insulation. The seat belt attachment makes a "crunch" when I pull on it, so clearly it's not well attached. Not feeling like I can drive this.

So, what to do? This has been my car to tinker with, and throw 300 miles a week at...and I've definitely grown to love Diesel Benzes.

The car has bad paint, but runs great. Previous owner swapped in a lower mileage engine & [auto] tranny, I've rebuilt some of the front suspension, new axles, newer tires, original radio works, all the power windows work, brakes are excellent all around, AC is busted of course. Everything I wanted in a commuter car .

1. From my 914 I know how expensive/time consuming rust repair is, and I can't see spending the effort on the 240. The problem is large, and hidden well by the undercoating.

2. Car is full of good parts...but what is a "driveable 240D parts car worth??"

3. Do I strip everything but the engine & tranny and store it until I buy another 240 or 300?

4. Hmm, or do I leap into the modern era and go beyond W123s...or just drive my 300hp Mazda

Ugh, I hate rust. If I hadn't left Florida this wouldn't be a problem....

Appreciate any advice...

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05 E320 CDI
99 SL500
02 530i

82 240D SOLD
83 240D Euro 4spd SOLD
86 300D Euro Auto SOLD

I'd say if you like the car, there's no reason not to look for another 123 that doesn't have the rust issues and swap your drivetrain in. Or just sell your whole car for parts to someone who wants a project, and start over with a non-rusted 123. My 123 is also rusted to death ... I'm getting a little worried about the seats falling through, especially if someone who weighs more than my 100 pounds gets in it. In my case, the engine isn't in real great shape either, so it doesn't seem worth doing an engine swap. I'd also really like to learn how to do bodywork. And I've gotten pretty sentimental about the car. So, in my case, I thought it would be a reasonable decision to hang on to it, and use it as a "learn to weld" project this spring. I may find as I start tearing everything apart that it's more than I can handle, but I figure it's worth a try. Best case scenario, I end up with a safely drivable car. Otherwise I will have still learned a lot without messing up a serious collectors car.
But now, it's ugly ... http://savingchase.com/2009/10/31/88/ I haven't noticed any seat or seatbelt instability yet though.

As far as value goes, you could put out some feelers on the cars for sale section.

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1987 300D, arctic white/palomino--314,000 miles
1978 240D 4-speed, Euro Delivery, light ivory/bamboo--370,000 miles
2005 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited, light khaki/slate--140,000 miles
2018 Chevy Cruze diesel, 6-speed manual, satin steel metallic/kalahari--19,000 miles
1982 Peugeot 505 diesel, 4-speed manual, blue/blue, 130,000 miles
1995 S320, black/parchment--34,000 miles (Dad's car)

If you like your particular drive train, I'd pull it and keep it around for parts or find a car that doesn't run so hot and drop your old one in there.

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'82 240D 224K miles manual transmission
mods: wooden 4by4 bumper, EGR delete and older EX manifold without EGR port, glass pack muffler (cheapest replacement muffler), rebuilt bosch injectors with Monark nozzles

working on: aux electric fuel pump, coolant/fuel heat exchanger/filter head, afterglow, low oil pressure buzzer/LED

Yeah, I feel the same way. I've come to think of my 240D as practice/experiment/beater and I can hopefully get a rust-free example some day and keep it that way. That's not to say I won't keep old rusty, though.

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1983 240D 3.0T 4-speed manual, now sold

1989 Subaru GL Wagon 5-speed Touring Edition

I vote for a "learn to weld" project.

Look, you just found yourself a perfectly good reason to buy a welder. I would go with a MIG welder from HF, make sure you get one that allows for gas operation... with gas it is practically a no-brainer.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=94164

they have a 110V version too, but I couldn't find it on the site...

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'82 300D (project)
'46 Willys (project)
"Nothing seems to be the way it should in this garage." -jt20
"Smarter than an engine, dumber than a hoodlatch..." -jt20
"Start jumping up and down to smoosh down those engine mounts" -DeliveryValve
"no" -kerry
"At this rate, you may have it done by winter" -layback40

That's an idea. Personally I'd be tempted to sell it for parts, and reinvest that money into another 123. At least where I live, availability of used 123s is pretty good.

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1982 240D 4spd, 327,000mi

Hmm, so many choices.

Bodhi, I need to grab some pictures, but my passenger side looks like yours...A great view of the ground!

I'm mulling over the "learn to weld" option, but I am garageless, just a nice big long driveway. Even in Maryland we don't have a whole lot of great days for this type of work.

I am going to try to look another 123 right around the corner from me (4 spd "little rust") and try not to take the easy way out! Then I will reconsider the cancer treatment options for my '82.

Appreciate all the advice guys!

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05 E320 CDI
99 SL500
02 530i

82 240D SOLD
83 240D Euro 4spd SOLD
86 300D Euro Auto SOLD