What do you think of this frankencar?
 

This has been listed on CL for a while now and asking price keeps dipping, now under $1000. I am not big on engine transplants, call me a purist, and I hate the WVO crap. That said with teenage daughter #2 (the reckless one) nearing 16 might be an easy way to avoid crying when she inevitably dents a w123 that I have sweated over.


-1984 body w/ 87 non turbo 2.5 5cyl motor, auto trans.
-clean title
-~185k
-line heaters installed, runs on waste vegetable oil (wvo), just about 5k on straight grease commuting 50-60 miles/day. can run on normal diesel also.
-overall beater but has never broken down and will get you where you need to go reliably; i've driven up to 500 miles at a time straight. drivetrain runs well. Started it and drove around for about 50 miles today, ran great after being parked in the garage for a while.

the bad:
-has fuel leak at the primary mesh filter, has manual shutoff valve to prevent leaks while parked (doesn't leak while running)
-dirty in and out
-needs brake pads

Link?

sounds like the perfect car for a teen to learn how to smash up.

Honestly, I'd get her a Honda and let her smash that up. We all know these cars can be expensive to repair just because they are Mercedes Benz's! Honda's are much cheaper and reliable enough and you won't have to put a classic Benz in the junkyard! No one's really gonna care if another Honda winds up there. Honda's are a dime a dozen.

Sorry if I differ, But for me, My child is worth a hell of alot
more than any MB.

My children are worth a hell of a lot to me too, but this doesn't mean that I'm going to constantly repair a Benz at current costs in any economy so mine can play bumper car with it!:eek: If she is that irresponsible, then maybe she shouldn't be driving until she matures a little more!;) She is not the only one on the road. I'm thinking about other people my kids could hit as well.

Regardless, I still would not put my child
in a tin can

Hell, I'm afriad to let my kid drive any car!
It's not her, it's the other idiots on the road!

Though I have been told that Saturn makes a pretty
strong-in-an-accident car.

They do and Honda's are not that bad either! They actually hold up rather well in a crash and they are cheap because they are plentiful. A 1984 Benz with a non-standard engine is going for less than $1000 with problems because the current owner is either unwilling or unable to fix it properly! I'd be a little more worried about my kids driving around in a car that was hacked together myself, something that obviously was entirely missed.

It's easy to say it's the other idiots on the road, but the truth is that teenagers account for almost 90% of all acidents on the highways and almost 81% of fatal wrecks too. Putting any kid in a car who lacks the maturity to operate it properly and safely is negligence on the fault of the parents and deserves to be sued for such. Been there, done that and won.

Maybe people, including parents and their replicants will realise that driving is not a right, it is a PRIVILEDGE!

Ok I didn't mean to spark a parenting debate. My daughter doesn't lack the maturity to drive I refer to her as reckless because be comparison to her older sister, who is compulsively perfect, she is less conservative.

That said lets face facts Teenagers are HARD ON THINGS. How many here treated there first car as well as they do the one you now drive? I imagine the majority of teenagers will be in fender benders during their high school years.

As for the potential lack of reliability, I see that more of a pain for me. My kids aren't out driving at night usually only back and forth to school which is less than 5 miles. The current driver has a AAA card and has practiced using it so will daughter #2. I work from home so I could almost always be there quickly if a mechanical problem arose. I am not thinking of sending them off to college in another city in this car, just a run about.

Safety is something I worry about, and I considered these cars to be pretty dam sturdy am I wrong?

Not at all.

You can buy a decent gas 124 for $1000 or so if you watch, better in a crash and easier to find parts, and IMO it's easier to watch a gas car die.

How cold is it in your area? Will she be able to cold-start it?
Other than that, a w123 diesel is the perfect learning car

Thats a big RED flag. 5k miles is just about right to be running on fryer crap and screw up the engine. Sounds like he is trying to dump a problem car.

Lance is right. If you look at this car, make sure it is running well and is running on D2 when you test drive it. If it still runs well, buy it for cheap and strip out all the grease equipment (sell that stuff on ebay) and let her have at it.