Need advice on what to do with my 300TD. I bought it at an auction for $1800 a couple years ago. It was my first experience into MB diesels and I do really like it, at least I like 300TD’s. Here’s the problem: cosmetically it’s in pretty bad shape. My wife won’t drive it. It needs quite a bit of work to get back to something that looks decent. Should I go after the restore or sell it and buy another 300TD that already looks good for $5000 or so?

The pros:
South Texas car – no rust
Receipts since 1991 (formerly owned by Robert E. Lee!)
Excellent drivetrain – no oil use, no leaks
70K on rebuilt transmission.

The cons:
Needs paint
Dented fender and hood
Needs seat covers
Dent on rear corner
No a/c, no cruise
Dash cracks, wood issues, cracked instrument lens
Basically spent 20 years in south Texas and never saw a garage
Needs some front suspension work

Basically I’d like to have a nice 300TD. What the best way to go about it?

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1982 300TD 279K.
1984 190D 5sp 265K

Robert E. Lee?

the civil war general?

I have seen 300TD's on e-bay for less than that, looking really good. If your ebgine is good though, you might want to keep it for spare parts or in case the new one is not mechanically sound and sell the body.

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Save the planet

If it has been through the battles of Gettysburg and Antietam, just what in the hell do you expect????!!

Of course it won't be in cosmetically good condition!!!!

Plus, 144 years outdoors won't leave you with a car in garage queen condition, either.

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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)

No, John Voight the dentist.

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Jonathan

2011 Mazda2
2000 E320 4Matic Wagon
1994 C280 (retired)

Well, how handy are you? The more repairs that you can personally perform, the more sense it makes to refurbish your car. If not, maybe the more economical route is to sell your car and find a better example.

I'm handy enough to do most of the work myself, just don't know if I want to go to the trouble.

This Robert E. Lee was actually a Captain in the US Air Force according to an old insurance card, second career maybe? Kind of strange seeing the sticker on the radiator support saying that the R134 conversion was performed by Robert E. Lee.

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1982 300TD 279K.
1984 190D 5sp 265K

If it's rust-free, it's worth putting some work into... but this comes from a MidWesterner, so take it with a grain of salt. No pun intended. Seriously, I'd consider a new fender (easy to replace), and maybe try to knock the dings out. Will the paint buff out? You have a known quantity in your driveway now. Unless you buy from an honest forum member here, you can plan to spend several thousand bucks getting any used W123 up-to-snuff. You already know what yours needs -- why not work on fixing that one? If you do the prep-work, a paint job (if really necessary) can be inexpensive, and the seats, cluster, and wood trim can be swapped easily enough.

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1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)

R-E-S-T-O-R-E (now hum this to Aretha Franklin's 60's hit RESPECT).

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"It's normal for these things to empty your wallet and break your heart in the process."
2012 SLK 350
1987 420 SEL

That's what I'm thinking. The body on mine hasn't fallen apart only because of a mistaken belief that everything's fine.

The dash is probably the biggest PITA. Seat covers shouldn't be too hard to do, or even new seats entirely from a pick and pull junkyard. Fenders can probably be had from the junkyard too.

I wouldn't waste your time if you aren't going to keep it and use it though.

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1984 300TD