Well Gentlemen, some good news and some bad news...

After waiting for a long long time, I finally was offered the chance to buy this 1983 300D Turbo from a longtime friend who's owned it since new and has babied it to death. It's Red over Palomino MB-Tex interior, gorgeous condition inside and out, 279K miles, oil changes every 3,000 miles, and ALL records from new. Him and his wife have kept the car at their Florida home since it was new, therefore NO winter exposure ever! He got himself a '99 E300 Turbodiesel and his wife is sporting a new Boxster. So they finally caved in to my harping and sold me this car. Now for the bad news: During my last oil change on "Eduardo", my beloved '80 300SD, I noticed that the rust has really begun to take hold underneath and on the firewall at the stabilizer bar mounts. I just got in to Cleveland from Cincinnati tonight and the whole way home the front end was groaning and knocking horribly. Scary at highway speeds, even to a mechanic! I love this car to death, and will still never get rid of it, but it's time to retire this great machine for a slightly newer 123 diesel. Perhaps one day when I have my own MB shop, I will be able to begin restoring the SD to it's former glory. I will take delivery of the 300D March 10th, so the SD will have one final hurrah on a trip to Florida (after a close front end inspection, of course!). I just couldn't bare to stop driving it without at least one more road trip under our belts! My best to all of you. Keeep those diesels rolling!

__________________
Regards,
Aaron

Aaron,

Sounds like you have a great replacement.

I understand perfectly your attachment to the SD. I drove my 240D all over five states for about six years. I turned it over to my son when he was sixteen and it even made it through the first few years of a sixteen year old driver. I plan on eventually completely restoring it with no purpose for the car after that.

I'm sure you will be, but be careful on your trip with the car being so far gone from rust.

Enjoy Eduardo,

If the SD is "Eduardo", what will you call the W123? How about "Murray", as in Murray Avenue (site of Precision Motors)?


Tom Kanis
87 300SDL, 136K