I ran across a '76 240D cheap...I think. It has not been on the road for 2 years and has major/minor rust and some repairs done.
The owner did not show-up... but says that the car starts fine. Is this worth fooling with? Or do I look for one in better shape and use this as a parts car? Thanks.

__________________
1983 300SD 343K everyday car
1983 300SD 285K from junk yard-tooks parts from deer car- runs great. Brothers car.
1984 300SD parts car-Hit deer
1979 300D 175K non-turbo "Doctor"
1979 300d parts car

I got a 82 300d for a parts car, but the thing is...Its really hard to find people that want to buy parts. Its not really worth your time unless you are going to sell a lot of parts from various cars. I think its good to have the parts around, but sometimes you get sick of it in your yard.

I have used quite a few parts from that to my 300CD. Probably about 800 dollars of parts that I didnt have to buy.

Austin

__________________
Current Stable:
1994 S500 v140, 210k miles, white with grey.

Former Mercedes in the Stable:
1983 300CD Turbo diesel 515k mi sold (rumor has it, that it has 750k miles on it now)
1984 300CD Turbo Diesel 150 k mi sold
1982 300D Turbo Diesel 225 sold
1987 300D Turbo Diesel 255k mi sold
1988 300 CE AMG Hammer 15k mi sold
1986 "300E" Amg Hammer 88k mi sold (it was really a 200, not even an E (124.020)
1992 500E 156k mi sold
etc.

I'm not trying to sell parts. and I have a neighbors back lot to store it in and think it would make a good car to get parts from. I have the storage/work area...the price is cheap...any thing else I should look at? I fell in love with the 220/240D pumping diesel when I was a kid, and have always wanted one.

__________________
1983 300SD 343K everyday car
1983 300SD 285K from junk yard-tooks parts from deer car- runs great. Brothers car.
1984 300SD parts car-Hit deer
1979 300D 175K non-turbo "Doctor"
1979 300d parts car

Chapp,

Your decision needs to be based on the current condition of the car and what you want to use it for. I am assuming the car is in rough condition due to the price and the fact that it jas been sitting.

Therefor, I would recommend looking at this as a project car. If it has been sitting for a few years you inveriably will have a fare bit of work to do ie. brakes system, fuel system, all fluids, dry rot tires, mice chewing through electrics etc... to just name a few - not to mention fixing whatever caused it to begin sitting in the first place.

The car will most likely work well for you if you are not intending for it to be a daily driver right away. Do youself a favor and have the car thoroughly inspected by someone familiar with this car. It is easy to spend $1,500 to $2,000 just getting the car on the road. If this is the case you might consider purchasing one in nicer condition for $2,300 instead in save yourself some of the headaches.

However, if you are looking at this as a learning experience and are ready to spend some money - go for it.

If it's a manual then it's worth $300 just for clutch and transmission. Either for you or somebody who wants them.

Whether the car's servicable for road use depends on where the rust is, especially on the unibody cars. Major rust around suspension mounting points or around the jacking points means a catastropic failure will happen at some unpredictable point in the future. Only you can decide how valuable your and your family's lives are.

By the way, I bought a parts car for daBenz 10 years ago. Have taken a headlight, the drivers side window regulator, and the two rear sway bar down links from it. Everything else is still waiting for a failure on the main car. I figure at my rate of usage of daBenz I'll use up the parts car in about 30 years. I doubt I'll be able to find parts to buy 10 or 20 years from now, so it's worth it to me to have the parts car.

__________________
daBenz - 1970 220D

Thanks guys...
I got loads of good advice and have since thought this over, slowly. My 300SD has 302K and I guess I should put my money towards it....I drive it every day 1000 miles a week.

I have a friend that wants to split the cost and work on the project car and buy another 240 cheap and sell what comes out??? Still thinking about this...sounds like fun , but not much money to be made.

Chapp

__________________
1983 300SD 343K everyday car
1983 300SD 285K from junk yard-tooks parts from deer car- runs great. Brothers car.
1984 300SD parts car-Hit deer
1979 300D 175K non-turbo "Doctor"
1979 300d parts car

By the way...the 240D is an automatic.

__________________
1983 300SD 343K everyday car
1983 300SD 285K from junk yard-tooks parts from deer car- runs great. Brothers car.
1984 300SD parts car-Hit deer
1979 300D 175K non-turbo "Doctor"
1979 300d parts car