Faults:

When I first bought this car, it wouldn't idle, after trouble shooting I found that the previous owner had filled the tank with gasoline. The solution was simple; drain the tank and fill it with diesel and it's been running just fine ever since.

I've also replaced the rear shocks about 6 months ago as they were in bad shape when I bought this car.

The drivers seat is starting to wear out, but it still has some life left in it.

The paint is going away, the clear coat is peeling.

The cruise control is not one of this car's strong points, many people have complained about it not working correctly and my car is no different that way.

The A/C has not worked since I've had the car and it appears to have a bad compressor and no refrigerant in the system.

Parts are expensive and getting harder to find.

General Comments:

This car is not at all quick, although once at speeds above 40 MPH, it will move right along when you stomp on it.

It climbs hills just fine and has no problems when it comes to passing another car, just make sure you plan your move a little bit ahead of time.

The car handles so much better than any American sedan in this year range that it is, in my opinion, in a league of its own. Very solid through the corners and a comfortable and smooth ride make this car a real jewel on the road. The car weighs in at about 3800LBs.

The seats are okay for short trips, so, if you are planning a long trip, you'll want to plan to stop and walk around for a bit about every 2 hours or so.

As for economics, my car gets 26.5 MPG and driving over 500 miles on a single tank of fuel is easy to do as the fuel tank holds approx. 20 gallons.

The transmission has always been a little slow going into reverse, but seems solid otherwise, the shift points seem to be good at getting the best performance from the 3.0 L. 5 CLY. 120 HP. 149 LB FT torque turbo diesel power plant while still keeping the passengers comfortable. Smooth and solid shifts are definitely one of this car's strong points.

This car is very dependable, easy on fuel and one gets a sense of security in the fact that this car is very well built and heavy, good handling, nice body lines and a fair amount of other goodies on the inside as well, and that is what makes this car a winner in my book!

Faults:

Many things were wrong with this car when I purchased it. Since restoring the car I have had no further real problems with it.

General Comments:

When I first saw this car was on an Ebay listing late one Saturday night. It was being sold by a dealer as an "all original", the engine was said to be sound and well kept. The bidding ended on Sunday so of course I could not talk to anyone before buying it. But, the body was beautiful and I had to have it. Astral silver is the color, with indigo blue interior. It took about two weeks to have the car shipped from the mid west (yes, it is completely rust-free). It arrived at 9p.m. on a misty night, so of course I still didn't know what I had until the next morning.

The car was in better shape cosmetically than I had expected, some various chrome pieces needed to be replaced, along with the rubber trim pieces, and two or three dings removed. The paint was not new, but in good shape and would do well until she could be resprayed.

The interior was pretty enough, but I soon realized how worn out it was (I suppose from the dessert heat). So the interior had to go. New German leather, German carpet, Mercedes CD with Bose speakers and other various interior items ran into the 5 to 6 thousand range.

The engine had been well kept untill 1995 when it had been parked. Since then the oil had not been changed. The engine was due for its major service and in bad need of a valve job. It needed a radiator, various new pumps, gaskets, hoses, belts and seals. All totaled it took about 5 thousand to get the engine and transmission in order.

The suspension system was shot. To overhaul the suspension and brakes was 3 thousand.

Of course I have done various cosmetics to my own taste including a $4k respray, but the is irrelivent.

Since the restoration I have had no trouble with it other than the climate control system failing once. Make no mistake that I am very happy with my car, but you must expect to do atleast some restoration on this old a car. I just chose to do a lot of restoration. Of course you do have on going maintenance bills, but on a car like this if well documented you could get every penny you put in it. I will keep mine.

A friend of mine named the car "Elvira" and that is her name. Elvira will now easily go down a highway at 120 mph just as she first did in November of 79 when she was delivered to the USA. I like to think after restoration the car is better than it was when new. Elvira certainly got a new life, and well deserved it.