My dad has a 1979 Mercedes 300SD (W116) that he is willing to give me. It has approximately 250k miles on it, but has not been driven regularly in at least 5-6 years and has been more or less sitting. My dad starts it every once in a while but doesn't currently drive it.

What maintenance do I need to plan for / budget for right away to get it up and running and roadwhorthy? (besides tires, battery, fluid change etc.)

The car has been in my family since new. My dad and I picked it up at the factory in Stuttgart in 79 through the european delivery program and drove it around Europe for a month before shipping it back to the US (what a great experience, I have many wonderful memories from that trip with my dad). It was then my mom's car and everyday driver for 19 years.

So needless to say the car has alot of sentimental value to me, but I don't want to spend thousands getting it roadworthy. I've been thinking about buying a W123 300d but want to explore this option first.

Thanks in advance.

 

after a few years of storage, the first that you may think is safety during driving.

brakes: make sure the brake calipers/cylinders are not stuck with rust and functioning properly.

tires (tyres if you are british): better change them for some reason that it might have concealed weak spots.

belt: must have cracks (not the one on the bong) on it.

wiper blades, fluid filters, air filters, etc.