So about a month ago, my g/f and I decided that purchasing a 84 300D Turbo would e a good idea. We plan to run a 2tank SVO conversion and make some BD when we purchase a house. Nonetheless, I test drove the vehicle one day and the next day we bought it.
I kinda knew what I was getting into. After custom bending fuel lines for ThosDoran's w123, I knew what to look for as far as body repair. Mechanically the car seemed to be sound- exept for the hideous slamming that happened every time it shifted...
So we named the car Zuker- German for 'sugar', because after the first repair (500 bux) we knew that is what it would take to get this beast back to her former beauty.

Now, Im a realist. I go to the yard and pull my own. I am not a welder or body guy, but I do all my own stuff under the hood. I know what makes a car go and I know the difference between a keeper and a lemon.

But please, for the love of ___, please, tell me why I cant stop thinking about how to make this car cherry again?
So far, I have managed to rack up 2x the cost of the car in parts and projects- but I havent driven it in 2 weeks and cant find the time to do what I need to. Not to mention the 3 gigantic rust holes, leaky windshield gasket, valve adjustment, turbo oil supply/drain pipe gasket rebuild, seat repair, exhaust manny gasket, sunroof seals and cable, D/s window switch that is junk, cc amp, P/S belt, climate control that is busted, non operational A/C, non-operational center vents,and on top of all that, she needs to be repainted!

When will it stop? I am convinced that this car will last another 20 years. but is it worth the cost?

I have a problem. I love driving it- but it's beginning to drive me bonkers- only a Mercedes. Is it really truly worth it? I am addicted to this car, but my 96 Jatta has 215K on the original head gasket and the compression is near perfect. Why is the Benz so much better than my Jetta? My Jetta takes up no maintainance time-and does 90 on I91 with ease. yet I spend 2-4 hours a night researching what could go/is wrong with the Benz and how to stop/prevent/fix it.

And yes I know it is a 22 year old car. I knew what I was in for- but why does everything have to break at the same time? I cant get under the hood! hood latch pull busted off in my hand.
Sheesh. I am so in for it. The car is taunting me. I know.

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1984 300D

Ditto here 'cept mine's a wife.
Welcome to the addiction my friend
Have you met my two friends? A Mr. Murphy and Colnel Panic?

Have fun
-nB


Oh, and BTW, yes, the car *is* taunting you.
-nB

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'83 300D Turbo
Current: ???K mi - 19.2mpg -> 17.4mpg -> 22.9mpg ---> ODO Died
bought at: 233.8K mi - 10MPG For $1.00
3.5 cylinders work: 320 320 100 340 280
Got insurance? FarmersReallySucks.Com

these cars do have character... if it start talking about how i want an SDL my 300D will be slow and pokey and not work with me.. but if im nice to her shes nice to me

I've got 2 myself. The TD is truly a great car. Rarely a problem. The 240 is constantly needing something.

So, from what I have learned through experience is that you can find a car that doesn't need much but you'll need to pay a bunch of $ intially. Then, on the other hand, you can get a cheap car that is always demanding attention.

Moral to the story is the old saying "Nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes."

Maybe you want to find another car in better shape. Bail out now before you get too deep into it.

Cheers,

Bill

Mine must be a $2 whore. The worse I treat her the faster she goes!

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http://superturbodiesel.com/images/sig.04.10.jpg
1995 E420 Schwarz
1995 E300 Weiss
#1987 300D Sturmmachine
#1991 300D Nearly Perfect
#1994 E320 Cabriolet
#1995 E320 Touring
#1985 300D Sedan
OBK #42

Welcome to 'W123itis'. It is a condition that frequently happens when people become owners of W123's.

Yesterday was another example when I realized what a wonderful car my Margaret is to drive. Due to circumstances I drove my S-10 to work and back. My S-10 is an extended cab with the port injected 4.3 V6. This truck will move and rides like a dream when compared to the 1992 S-10 that I had before, however, when compared to Margaret my S-10 seems to transmit every detail of the pavement to my body. Later in the evening I went to go to pick up the older boy from a golf match. I pulled out of the driveway and was less than 1/2 mile down the road when my body told me 'this is a luxurious ride'. I became entranced by the drive. I went I arrived at the school my son asked if he could drive as he has his permit. I told him 'no' because I was enjoying my Margaret too much at the moment.

I don't care what my Margaret looks like...she is the most wonderful car that I have ever driven....and that includes my E300.

I have a friend who has owned nothing, but Mercedes. He lives in to 'camps' of chassis.....Pontons and W123's. He tells me that I need a Ponton; I agree.

Take the projects one at a time, believe me, thse are real keepers. So long as the engine hasn't grenaded and the doors arent rust buckets from the door handles down, you will make it.

Think of the safety, durability, reliability, comfort, class and exclusivity you have here. It could last you forever you know and once you run biodiesel you are way ahead of the rest of us

Look at all those Lebanese who dirve the 123 sedans to this day, those cars have been through TWO wars, 1980s and 2006 and the cars are still going.
If they can do it so can you.

Arriba Arriba W123 carajo!

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

Hello DubMutant,

Yes, I think these should be a separate section of the forum for people like us that want perfect cars. It is a difficult burden to bear. I guess the thing you need to figure out is this: are you in it for the long run? I have been wrenching for myself since I was twelve on a go-kart I had. I have Craftsmen metric tools since I was 15 when I got my first car. It was a non running 1955 MB 220a. I never got it running because I had no real direction, and no one around with experience in restoring cars to guide me.

The body of your car sounds a little rough, and I think that is a more difficult issue to deal with than mechanical issues. You picked a good diesel to start with because the OM617 engine is fairly rock solid. As far as working on the mechanicals, I think there are 3 factors to consider.

1. Do you have an inside place to work on it and do you have a good assortment of basic metric hand tools? Working outside is a bear, especially where it is cold in the winter like MA. I lived in FL most of my life and it is much easier there. There are also specialty tools that you may want to consider that can cost a few hundred dollars. If you have no tools, maybe look for used Craftsmen on eBay, but you are still looking at hundreds of dollars worth of tools before you have a fairly well stocked tool cabinet.

2. Time is the enemy of most of us. The guy I bought my first MB from was very succesful buying all makes of old cars and restoring them himself and making money at it. He always told me: "if you do something every day, even if it is just for a half hour, before you know it the job will be done". To me that means you have to set time aside to work on the car. My usual time is after 9 in the evening, when the kids are in bed.

3. To me this one is the most important. What kind of shape is the car in? It is all about picking one that does not need too much and getting it as cheaply as possible. New parts prices are a fairly constant thing so the only place you can gain an advantage is to have as small an initial investment as possible and to get good deals on used parts that you purchase. If you look at these cars, there are a few big systems that need to work correctly for the car to be mechanically perfect.
a. engine
b. tranny
c. suspension and brakes
d. climate control
e. body, trim and interior

The rest of the stuff is not that major, but can require time to fix. The vacuum system comes to mind here. One last thought I will put out there is that these are superior cars in engineering, construction and components. There is service which is following the service chart, then there is repair of broken, worn out stuff. Once you do a repair correctly, you should not have to do it again for a long time. In other word, once you get something working right, it should stay that way for a long time because of the quality of these cars. Here you also have lots of real world expertise from people who want the same thing you do.

Best of luck,

__________________
Doug

1987 300TD x 3
2005 E320CDI

Too late.
I do love this car. And My g/f isbeginning to love it too. She gotan inspection this morning andthe gareae guys started asking all about it. I think that she was feeling proud to be a Benz owner (finally).

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1984 300D

I loved my first Benz. But then I fell out of love as my wallet got lighter!

They are wonderful cars and this forum will help to diagnose/repair them.

Best of luck to ya.

Cheers,

Bill

Yesterday i was thinking "the only thing to make my car perfect would be a manual trans" my 240d heard these words, was hurt and left me stranded on the highway after i blew out something and there was nary a drop of atf left in the pan. http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=164701 I need to apologize.

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I like cars.