A neighbor a few blocks away from me had a 300D in his yard. It had been sitting there for more than 3 months. One day, I had spotted an orange tag on its rear windshield. Thinking it was for sale, I knocked on the door asking what the price was.

It turns out that the car was not for sale. The police had placed that tag on the car because it was a non-working vehicle with no registration. Even though the owner resides on the property the car was at, due to a city ordinance, the police now have the "right" to take someones car simply for lacking a tag, even if the car is not in running condition and is waiting to be restored(so much for property rights... Texas is so f'd up). No complaints were issued about this car, either.

All it needed was a battery charge, a few fuses, and a little bit of messing with the corroded wires connecting the lights(they will need to be replaced), making sure all the air was removed from the fuel pump before starting, and it was in working order. Now the car is temporarily relocated so that time can be found to get it the proper tags.

The body has minimal rust(most of it confined to the front hood) and the passenger side hinge that holds the hood up is broken due to rust, but otherwise the body is in excellent condition.

The engine purrs.

That neighbor got that beautry for $300. I hope they put some money forth to keep it maintained(being in the ghetto and all, money is quite tight for most); if they do, it will probably last a few decades more. The downside is, that the maintenance costs for a car like this will run about $800/year, but it is more than recouped by a vehicle that will not have to be replaced for a *long* time(if ever), and the prospect of running it on free/cheap WVO at 25-30 mpg when driven with economy in mind(or 40 mpg hypermiling it).