David Brodbeck wrote:
It's so clean, the Virgin Mary herself would be honored to reach in and change the fuel filter.
I recently resurrected an '83 300D that is nearly as clean as that one (minus all the used car spray'n'shine). 148k miles and not a single scratch, dent, or speck of rust; just a couple of small rock chips. 99th percentile inside and out as if it has been held in stasis since the Wall came down.
The procedure was simple: Check oil, install a battery, turn key. It started instantly and immediately settled into a perfectly smooth idle. A sticker on the door jamb stated that the oil had been changed at the dealer 100 miles ago - in 1993. The brakes, wiper blades, ACC (save for the depleted R12) were all as they should be. Thirteen-year-old diesel fuel. Huh. The car has been in regular service for a month now and is a joy to drive once I cleaned the boost line and adjusted the ALDA and bowden cable. It likes to go sideways in corners in the rain, though; the old Michelin XAS tires are as hard as rocks.
It is difficult for us old jalopy drivers to imagine how nice these cars were when they were new. And how expensive.
Tom '82 300D 336k miles - um, not so pristine
