Mercedes 190E

[theorganist]

My boss bought a H reg Mercedes 190E automatic a couple of years ago as a run around. I have driven it a couple of times. It is very tidy inside and out and drives very well. I half jokingly said I would buy it if he ever sold it, even thought it is a bit posh for me!

 

It told me yesterday he is selling it as it doesn't get used and reckons he will want around £500 for it which I think is cheap.

 

I am tempted as it is a nice car and would be great on long journeys, however with the Maxi coming and the Renault being newly MOT'd, if I purchased it I would have to sell the Horizon as I haven't room for four cars.

 

What is the general view of them on here? I quite fancy something slightly coveting to go with my other fairly basic cars.

[Keymaster]

I had one for a short while. It was a great car to waft around in & the only problem I had with it was the windscreen wiper mechanism jammed. I think I fixed it with some grease and a screwdriver.

 

Went to Australia for a while, so sold it to a shady character from canny farm.

[chaseracer]

Get it bought.

[saucedoctor]

I had a 1992 2.0 manual. Liked it a lot. The wiper on mine went a bit funny as well, as above. Cleaning the little piston sorted it for good. My car was about 5 years old when I got it, and didn't give me too many problems. Trigger had one more recently, he's your man.

[AndyW201]

I'm currently on my 6th!

 

If it's a good one for £500 you're laughing. Prices are starting to rise now.

They make great dailies if you can put up with high 20s/low 30s mpg. Enough performance to keep up with modern traffic and a nice wafty ride with decent handling. Service parts can be got at any MB dealer at surprisingly cheap prices.

 

Condition is all. There are still a lot of decent ones but a lot of dross. Your main points to look out for are,

 

Jacking points underneath. Are they solid, are the rubber bungs still in place? Check the sunroof drain holes/grommets next to them as well for rot. Remove the small square covers in the sill cladding panels to check the other jacking points in the side of the sills as well. If there is still metal around the tubes (that the factory jack goes in) you're doing well.

Check the metal around the rear screen and the metal panel under the rear shelf.

Check the front inner wings around the washer fluid tank and behind the headlights. Battery trays can rot but they're replaceable (bolt on) and new ones can still be had.

Front wings can be scabby but new pattern ones are available (but are a poor fit) and decent used ones can be had. They just bolt on.

 

Mechanically you need to be looking for the usual signs of hgf, it can happen on the four cylinder cars. Otherwise they're generally tough. Manual boxes are bulletproof but a bit 'mechanical' in feel. Autoboxes are similarly long lived as long as the fluid changes have been kept on top of. A small bit of diff whine on overrun is normal on these now. They'll run on forever like that.

 

Not much to look out for inside. Door cards can go along the top edge and look out for duff window motors. Drivers seat bolster wear can be common as well.

 

Me, I love these cars and have used them daily in all weathers for most of the last 11 years with no major problems apart from a small bit of welding here and there on a couple of them, but they were snotters bought cheap.

 

If it runs and drives sound and isn't falling to bits bodywise, you can't go wrong for half a bag.

[mercrocker]

Buy it.   I can't add much to the very comprehensive and accurate reply given by W201. 

 

Except I have just spent nearly £1500 on a top end overhaul on mine, something I would not have bothered with on a lesser 25 year old car.   My W124 which I liked nearly as much got shipped off to Ghana instead when that required the same work. 

 

Quite entertaining to drive if you hold the gears manually, something easy to do with the Merc shifter.  

 

The 190E forum is a good place to learn from and not as up itself as some one-make sites. 

 

I kept mine after 7 years (even though I hardly get to drive it) because I couldn't bear to see other people driving theirs if I got rid of it - a pretty high recommendation by my own standards.

[theorganist]

Thanks for your informative replies guys. From what I can see it is a good one and drives nicely.

 

I'll shall have a chat to him on Monday.

[2MB]

I've got a diesel one that I can't see myself parting with any time soon, in spite of having no real use for it. As long as you don't get fooled by the 'bulletproof' reputation meaning they never need any maintenance work doing they are brilliant in my opinion. The fact that there are so many still about says a lot

[Jim Bell]

Another voice here for the Get It Bought choir.

 

You cant go wrong at the money.

 

 

 

 

 

Unless gearbox.

[Rocket88]

If it all goes the shape of the pear, it'll break for that........possibly a good deal more

[Cavcraft]

They are quite nice, but I found the manual box along with 'that' steering wheel made life a litle uncomfortable for the taller, more portly gentleman. Along with all the advice above (from others) I seem to recall the fuel pumps are a weak point on these.

[Jim Bell]

When you get sick of it, i'll have 80x £5 notes to swap for it. Its not everyday that you can buy an old Merc with the cast iron garuntee of definate depreciation.

Act now to please your peers.

[BorniteIdentity]

I just sold mine on Friday. I miss it already.

 

2.6 is the one to have really, and AFAIK they only come in das automatisch flavour.

 

You need to get on the ground and check the sills and jacking points. Also under the spare wheel in the boot.

 

Hope it's been maintained because, as previously noted, their reputation for reliability often leads to neglect.

 

£500 for a 2.6 is very very cheap. Probably about half price. Pull the trigger.

[trigger]

Is it a 2.6 though? Gearbox, engine and spec can all make a big difference with the price and desirability. Mine was a 2.0 Auto and it was ok, i didn't enjoy the gearbox and i found the large steering being a pain as i struggled to get my legs under it. £500 sounds very cheap on the face of it though

[dieselassist]

190E's are great cars; I bought a 92 1.8 'rare' manual, 126k miles AMG Kitted one off my Dad's drinking/pub mate- same as yourself - on a whim; we partaking in 'refreshments'  n the old man mentioned his buddy had a nice old merc for sale; he was getting divorced, got custody of the dogs, n needed it shifted to buy a berlingo van to car them about in...

 

...got up early the next day - blearey eyed, n knocked the fella up in his rented house - my old man did all the haggling, as they had that rapport from suppin, n I got it nice n cheap for what it was.... 

 

I had it 7 years n I treated it with kids gloves, didn't drive it much, as it was the nicest car I had ever owned, having previously bought a lotta throwaway cheap, worn out cars...

 

Mine needed a new fuel pump - as it had stood about a bit in my ownership, Over'voltage relay n a rubber coupler for the prop...

 

Unfortunately some skumbag robbed it from outside the house here, the night before the NCT test; I spose it resembled a cossie n they may have been watching it for a few weeks previously - the robbed the keys from the hall table, in the middle of the night, which was a big worry... after plastering it round online forums n facebook, the car got spotted parked up Waterford, n the cops picked it up - I got it back about 10 days later - everything I had in the car, was still there; they even left the keys in the centre console...the did 600miles in 6 days in it...

 

anyways, I sort of fell outta love with the car after that; I didn't look upon it in the same way, n sold it on cheap...

 

check for rust in the boot with a mirror; bottom of the C pillar can rot from the inside out due the vents at the bottom of the pillar; sills do rust - I was lucky re rust; there wasn't a spot of rust anywhere on the body, it had been looked after so well...

 

Hope your experiences are a bit better with yours - get it bought man; its a 'no brainer' at that money!!

[theorganist]

Thanks all for your advice and comments. It is a 2.0 but seems to go well. I am used to big steering wheels so that is not a problem tbh.

 

I will chat to my boss about it on Monday.

[richardmorris]

Before I bought my 124 coupe I was very tempted with a couple of low mileage 2.6 190s being sold by my dealer friend. What I decided I couldn't live with was the interiors. Both had cloth which was fine, but one was green - seats, carpet, dash, doors etc and the other burgundy. A bit too much colour!

[anonymous user]

They make great dailies if you can put up with high 20s/low 30s mpg.

I dream of such figures, get it bought

[PiperCub]

A mate has a 1.8 auto of a similar age (G-reg), he paid quite alot for it but it's really nice and has been little trouble overall and it's his only transport. He likes it but thinks the 1.8 is rather slow, I've driven it and would agree but it was never intended to be a fast car, I've never driven a bigger engined one so these are probably better. 

Economy isn't great (at best 30mpg if you are lucky) as it's not a small or light car but again, if mpg is important, buy something Micra-like. MB spares are dear but it's still well served by the aftermarket outfits so running it shouldn't be a burden.

 

Overall if it's solid enough and drives OK, for the money he wants, it sounds worth a punt. 

[BorniteIdentity]

A mate has a 1.8 auto of a similar age (G-reg), he paid quite alot for it but it's really nice and has been little trouble overall and it's his only transport. He likes it but thinks the 1.8 is rather slow, I've driven it and would agree but it was never intended to be a fast car, I've never driven a bigger engined one so these are probably better.

Economy isn't great (at best 30mpg if you are lucky) as it's not a small or light car but again, if mpg is important, buy something Micra-like. MB spares are dear but it's still well served by the aftermarket outfits so running it shouldn't be a burden.

 

Overall if it's solid enough and drives OK, for the money he wants, it sounds worth a punt.

This isn't something I recognise in MB parts. 90% of things I bought for my 190e were cheaper from the main dealer than places like ECP.

 

Mine would do 37mpg with the 5 speed manual too.

[bigstraight6]

These are superbly built cars, one of MB's best I would say.......

[sawdustman]

The 2.0 engine is quick enough, It's not sluggish getting up hills and the car is light enough to not need another cam and 8 more valves. 

 

The gearbox is ok, but the kickdown may kick down one gear too many if you're not careful with it.

 

They are a well built car, the likes of which I don't think we'll see again. Certainly better built than a w202.

 

I own one that a couple of people have owned on here. I'd put together a repair thread, but nowt's gone wrong with it.

 

Buy it.

[purplebargeken]

Get

 

It

 

Bought

 

Man

[Ghosty]

GiB, it's not a 1.8.

[richardmorris]

Parts from the dealer aren't bad really - this week I've had an ignition barrel for £85 +vat for my 22 yr old w124. Try that with Citroen!

[theorganist]

I have had the Mercedes for one week now. It is very smooth, quiet and comfortable. Definately a car more suited to wafting around in, I am looking forward to trying it on the motorway. It has softer suspension than I was expecting for a Mercedes. It has a nice spec though, electric sunroof, windows all round and central locking. Strangely only two front speakers for the stereo. I wouldn't say it was fast although is okay if you put your foot down and send the econometer into the red. I haven't tried sports mode out yet, if it is anything like the Peugeot 206 auto I had, then all sports mode will do is use more petrol!

 

[BorniteIdentity]

Fit.

[theorganist]

I had an Allegro which was silver on the log book but was definately gold. The Mercedes has silver on the log book but looks gold to me!

[Lord Sterling]

Well bought chap! I'm having to get rid of mine.

[Ghosty]

The colour is called Smoke Silver - we had a 1.8 in that with brown interior just like that, with the 8 hole alloy wheels. That brings back memories.