Hi all--

I've been lurking here for a few days, and look forward to many future posts (cause I'm clueless!).

I just bought a 1981 240D automatic with 145k miles off eBay. Here's the link if you're interested: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=130149892243&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=003

My rational side (and my wife!) tells me that I'm crazy/stupid for buying a 26-year-old car off eBay, sight unseen. I keep telling people that this will either be my best car ever or my worst car ever. The car is supposed to be in very good condition, with service records included. Owned by an old German lady who died at 81, meticulously maintained, yaddy, yaddy, yadda. Some hail damage, but I'm much less concerned about cosmetics than mechanics.

Anyway, my questions for you wise ones are...Was that a fair price? (not that it really matters now, but just curious).

Also, I fell in love with MB diesels when I borrowed by father-in-law's 1982 300D for a month while I was in grad school. That thing had lots of character (had to open the hood to turn it off), and was just smooth. How will the 240D compare to the 300D in terms of performance? I've heard the 240D is pretty slow. And do they have the same amount of interior space? Any other major differences?

The car is 3 hours from my house, so I'm having a friend drive me there, then follow me back. Any advice on how to increase my chances that I won't break down on the side of the road while driving back? (e.g., what tools or parts to bring, and should I do anything to the car before driving it back?--keep in mind that my mechanical skills are minimal) I don't think the car was driven much the past year or so (and I'm assuming not much maintenance was done during the past year), but the seller says that it drives very well.

I'd also like to ask what maintenance I should do as soon as I get it, but I think I'll wait until I have the maintenance records so I can ask a more informed question.

Thanks in advance for any guidance. Ian