190E Deliberations

[mercrocker]

Been pondering the future of 190E ownership.   I may have mentioned before that thoughts had drifted toward a possible upgrade* to a W202 C Class.  This is purely in the interest of keeping Mrs Rocker mobile in a safe manner and without recourse to ultra-modern motoring.   Also it has not escaped my notice that they are cheap.  

 

This year's MOT has just been passed - not with flying colours but with several advisories, mostly related to corrosion.  This is not, yet, of weld-worthy standard but needs addressing nonetheless.   Also I still suspect pending HGF and the back window leaks like a bastard. 

 

A little time spent with borrowed C Classlesses has convinced me that it does not represent any worthwhile progress.  

 

So, today I stripped all the liners out of the Merc's boot, the rear seats, C post liners and vent panels and the rear parcel shelf and found the leaking area of the rear screen rubber.  Big deal - its still going to cost me for a new seal and fittage thereof but at least I know now what I am up against.  More rewardingly, there does not seem to be any corrosion other than what might be hidden under the rubber. 

 

Going to bite the bullet now, order a rubber and get the screen out to have a looky. 

 

Gave it a good clean earlier in the week and it still makes me smile to see it wearing its 26 years so well.   

 

Got one more C Class to look at but I reckon I can sort the 190E out for less than a grand - its done 100K and Mrs R puts about another 5000 on annually - got to be worth it, surely? 

  

I just dont want it to be another car that I sell and see other people driving it around for the next four or five years....

[Squire_Dawson]

You've had it for so long, you know and like the car, I'd be inclined to keep it mate.

[Bren]

The issue is not so much other people enjoying the car for years after you have punted it on - the problem arises when you have invested ££££ for somebody else to get the benefit.

[forddeliveryboy]

By a C class and run the two side by side for a few weeks/months/years - unless the 190 is rotting in its seams from inside out, it would be the better bet over the next 10 years, corrosion-wise. Better metal, better made.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Do you have space to buy another 190 as a spares car ? They're never going to get cheaper , so now is the time to make yours perfect whilst it's easy to get bits and start stockpiling a few things you'll need over the next 30 years or so. Imagine if you'd been able to do this with a Ponton ( or Morris Cowley ) in the 70's.

[MarvinsMom]

i reccon that the 190e is an infinitly better car than the c=class.

 

the 190e is better built, using better materials and in my opinion would be a better proposition over say, 10 years.

 

it was one of the last proper mercs to be built s, just looking in the local scrappies and their MB section is all c-class, W210 E-clases and the first (W170?) a-class models and they are all dropping to bits hanging with rust.

 

after the 190/W124/W126 and i suppose also the early W140's the accountants and bean counters really got involved, and the cars went down hill.

 

if they do have one of the older models in the yard its either had a shunt, or been flooded out.

 

for the cost of say £1k, i think putting the 190 right would be the better investment, instead of splunging out on another car.

[Barry Cade]

I've owned a few W201's, and a couple of W202's. I wish I still had my 190D. I think if I still had it now I would have, by now, decided that I would keep it forever. I owned it for about a year, but it took 6 to realise how good it was.

[Pete-M]

I've got a W210 at the moment. Yes, it's got rot here and there but it's no worse for rust than the W124 I had 10 years ago.

 

Also, other than one b0rked rear window reg everything works exactly as it should. It's even on the original window switches - my 124 used to consume them regularly.

 

The whole Mercedes build quality went crap after the 124 thing isn't something I buy into. Yes, the interior plastics are a bit cheaper in the 210 than in the 124, but the 210 has better steering, brakes, gearbox, suspension etc. Better equipped too.

 

My 210 has had a spot of welding, but so had my W126. The wings on my 210 are better than the ones on my 124 were at the same age.

 

Mercedes had a D reg Orion moment with early 210s, later ones seem to hold up a lot better.

 

As for 190E v C class, C class every time for me. They drive a lot better than the 190.

[mercrocker]

Thanks for the interesting and relevant thoughts here.   I did think about Captain Tolley's clunge gunge but I know what I'm like - four months of sleepless nights wondering what the feck was going on under the seal so I might as well have the bastard out and see what the metal's like.    I do have a good local mobile screen fitter so that helps.  

 

Had the car 7 years now and still like driving it so the plan is to do about £300 a month on it, that way if I see something horrible it can be flogged on for probably the last couple of months outlay or driven until its borked.   Pretty certain I will be replacing it with another if that happens.   It isnt just more modern Mercs that I dislike, its more modern anything.   Once airbags, cats and plippers put in appearance, Ah'm OOt....

[dieselassist]

I sold my 190E, after owning it for 6 years, as I fell outta love with it after it had been nicked; the only real miles I did in it were in the last 6 months of ownership; the car didn't feel 'the same' to me, after I got it back, tho the damage was minimal - they did thrash it quite a bit in the 7 days n 600 odd miles, the did in it... I just fell outta love for it really - it owed me just shy of 2k....

Mine had 120k miles on it, n I sold it for less than half what it owed me to a '190E enthusiasts' mate - said 190E enthusiast himself were there on inspecting it with his mate n insisted the rear screen bottom n inner was borked with rust, cause every one hes seen is'... anyways mine was all solid in there, tho the cossie rear spoiler was letting water on the mounting points on the bootlid...

Id struggle to buy a 190E as good as that for twice the money, if I wanted one again... maybe in a few years... the next 'gen C-class have nothing on the 190E; totally soulless n a leap in 'modern' in comparison...

....these will appreciate in value, soon; look at Bimmer e30's in comparison - the only way is up in values for the 190E...

 

does the rear screen need  a specialist to remove?? When I had mine, I was up at a specialist merc breakers looking for bits (ended up buying a set of merc wheels I didn't need!), another guy at the yard was after a rear screen n seal n the eastern European 'yard  assistant ' removed it with the 'table spoons'- pushing the inner seal bit over the lip round 70% of the opening 'method'... he had it done n out in 5 to 10 mins....