I have a 1991 300E, pretty decent shape, 175k miles, but it needs a new head gasket along with all the extra work that this would entail.
I'm not a mechanic and don't want to be, so I'd have to pay a shop to do the work. The wife says "donate it to charity," which might be a viable option, and would also save me the cost of registration and insurance.
So, aam group: what would you do? I don't really need the car, although I've enjoyed owning it and driving it over the years. I haven't even driven it since late last year.
.... great car! I've got the '89 version that I haven't driven for a few years - no rust - and have no intention of parting with it ever. You might get a couple of thousand or a bit more for it, if the car body has no rust I don't think it is worth selling in case you need a car for winter or when another breaks down or what have you.... keep it I'd say if the body is in excellent condition
Assuming you have not done any major repair such as rebuilt transmission, I'd have to agree with your wife... donate it or sell it as part car. Since you mentioned registration and insurance... I assumed money is an issue too.
The extra work can be expensive and when you combine with tranny, then it is losing proposition.
Handy guys like me would fix it ourself and save a fortune provided we need that car.
Money's not that big of an issue. It's more of a question of whether it makes sense to keep it, and thus pay registration + insurance for a car I haven't driven in months. It probably doesn't.
The tranny is original, not rebuilt. Still working well.
Just the extra work is a losing proposition, and would probably end up costing more than the car is worth.
As I mentioned in my original post: "I'm not a mechanic and don't want to be, so I'd have to pay a shop to do the work." An initial layout for all the necessary tools and parts, plus the time it would take, just doesn't work for me. Also, it's pretty obvious I don't need the car. We have two others, and both work just fine. My daily driver is smaller and significantly more fuel-efficient than the 300E.
But there's that emotional attachment thing, however irrational it might be. I've had the 300E for 14 years, longer than any other car I've ever owned, and FTMP, I've really liked owning it. It will be a sad day when I see it go away. :-(
I do think it's a great car, yes. But it's not something I really need.
The body's fine, one very minor (and not rusty) dent in the back that's been there for more than ten years. I don't need it for winter; I drove it maybe twice last winter, and winters are generally fairly mild where I live. The one time I did encounter snowy/icy driving conditions, I wasn't driving it; the car I was driving did just fine, and I did *not* wish I was driving the 300E instead. The car I drive daily is just coming up on two years old, and far less likely to break than the the
19-year-old 300E at this point.
I hate to think of doing it, but I think my days of being an M-B owner are numbered. :-(
It shows all the signs, and I've had a couple of independent opinions from reliable people who (usually) know what they're talking about. I suggested that I'd still consider repairing it, but the missus merely rolled her eyes and noted that I just plain haven't been driving it at all, maybe half a dozen times in the past year. Unfortunately, she's right. The times between when I drive it keep getting longer.
The donations usually go to a charitable organization that sells the car anyway, and who's to say that the buyer won't fix it up?
I s'pose I could flog it on craigslist.com, but it seems a whole lot simpler to donate it and just take the tax deduction.
No, I lived in the USA during the program (and still live here :-)), but at the time, I failed one of the criteria: I hadn't been driving it for quite a while, so I let the insurance lapse. Ooops. Under the rules of the program, it had to be continuously insured to qualify for the deal.
Besides, the "Clunker" program meant that the car was pretty much rendered irreparable. There oughta be a better way to deal with it.
Mmm... I forgot there is also fuel economy rating requirement... and that car... depends on which choice... I don't know why they list two 300E.... one at 18MPG average and one at 15MPG average...
One qualifies and one doesn't.
Charity thing? If the car is deemed too expensive to fix, they will simply sell it for scrap metal. They get like $500 for a junk car. You can do it yourself too... call em up... ask them to give you an offer... they will recycle as many parts.
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