Hey. My current first free Benz has been the 1983 240D. Immensely reliable, but very rusty. Also not the best car in the winter. My father and I have a decent amount of experience with body work, and he has an IMMENSE knowledge of classic cars in general. My question to you is, are classic Benzes as unreliable and expensive to maintain as they are made out to be? Are parts that expensive? What is a good classic Benz to start out with that won't drain my wallet in gas money. The 280SE looks like a nice car. I don't want to go farther than seventies vintage. How much would a "fixer upper" with a decent body go for, and are parts expensive? Are they B*tches to start in the winter like my diesel?

The car was free so its not big deal. I'd love to find another 240D four speed with no rust for under 1k, or even just a good body and transmission (and transplant my engine in) My body is just becoming more and more like swiss cheese. Rust everywhere the more I look. If I could find a non rusty body, that'd be nice, but it is disheatening that after every rainstorm, you have veins of water in your car, and even though you've fixed everything, the water still comes back. And the areas you patched up, start to bubble again. Your in Texas, they must have some 240D's with clean bodies down there for under 1K or so. You are the ultimate bargain hunter lol. Tell me if anything comes up.

Living in Texas where cars don't rust. In the NE, we pay 2K for a car with rust around the fenders, and 1K for a car with rusty jackpoints and rocker panels. I like the 750 dollar unit. If I could find something like that in the NE, that'd be great. If you ever see anything les than 1K, inform me. My mom has an uncle or two in texas (although no clue where, I think Houston) who could hold it for us.