so, hi folks.. just picked my first Mercedes, a 90 300e and am looking to do my own shade tree runthrough before I pass it off to my local indy shop for review.

My last DIY car was a 55 chev suburban with a 235ci L6 and a whopping 1-barrel Rochester Q-Jet. Needless to say, after looking through the 300's engine compartment, I think I may be counting on my local shop for a while until I can get my shop manual delivered. some difference.

car was a great deal on purchase ($1900 w/ 100K), and i've budgeted about the same amount for refurb.. (somewhat pessimistically, I hope). The tranny seems to be a little clunky, there's a clicking which is less present with warm-up (hopefully valves), and overall, it doesn't seem to have the smooth response I'd like it to have. Front suspension is showing a pronounced lowering and needs at least struts.

so, here's my thoughts.. the basics: plugs, hoses, etc. but knowing each car seems to have its own distinct "aging personality," I would appreciate any thoughts/experience on what the "quick hits" are for refurbs- I'd like to do as much as I can myself before I pass it off to an experienced MB tech for some fine-tuning at $65/hr.

thanks in advance, Jeremy E