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Anyone ever run a Mercedes 190E? Any good?

wulbert

wulbert

pfm Member
I've been toying withe the idea of buying an old Mercedes Benz 190E when I retire my business in a year or two's time. I've often fancied one of these cars. They seem to have a mixture of quality and non-showiness that appeals.

I'm thinking a 1992/1993 car with driver airbag and ABS. Probably an auto box. Something around £4-£5k.
This would be our only car and would need to be reliable and durable for a couple of years at, say, 10,000miles/yr. Would also need to be cheap to run.

Am I being too optimistic thinking that a car this old could be run without major expense and 30+mpg? I've noticed that once the plastics and rubber bits start to fail in older cars, it can get expensive (fuel injection parts, steering racks, bearings, seals etc)

Just wondering if any other PFM-ers have run one of these and if you would recommend them?

 
SteveS1 said:
Next. If you want to enjoy something like this, forget that bit. You'll never justify it on running costs, be pleased if you avoid major drama.
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Hmmm. One thing that does give me pause for thought is that they are often advertised with "...comes with a folder of receipts for thousands of pounds spent..." and I wonder if I might end up contributing to that folder? An expensive-to-run car would put a strain on marital relations, so this would be a high-stakes venture.
 
Vey good cars, but I think a bit long in the tooth for banging 10,000k a year in. They're well into classic territory but not hugely sought after, so you'll sometimes find one that someone has lavished money and care on that won't be reflected in the asking price. Original unrestored examples will almost certainly be suffering from corrosion by now (the concealed jacking points are especially prone). I wouldn't advise buying one before you've genned up on all the things you need to look out for.
 
Older Mercedes-Benz are a much better bet than modern ones, mainly due to simplicity and quality.
I'm certainly no expert on Mercedes but I have often heard that earlier ones than 1992 are even better - except for the rust !

My car is 21 years old and works very well for what I want of it, if I were to start commuting again I would buy a middle aged Honda or Toyota.

The adage of look after your car and it will look after you is even more valid as cars age, if you want one go for it - all cars produce bills !
 
I've had six old Mercs now, and even the justified legendary status of the W123 series Mercs can't defeat time and age.
The only people who should consider ancient Mercs are those with a really well regarded independent Merc workshop on their doorstep.
And it'll still cost you 500 a year minimum.
 
Ps, do a look up into 'mercs bad era if you really want to scratch that itch. Chrysler owned Merc for a spell, and all the quality vanished with the Chrysler accountants. Avoid those years.
 
wulbert said:
Hmmm. One thing that does give me pause for thought is that they are often advertised with "...comes with a folder of receipts for thousands of pounds spent..." and I wonder if I might end up contributing to that folder? An expensive-to-run car would put a strain on marital relations, so this would be a high-stakes venture.
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You might get lucky, but my worry would be - why an earth would someone sell one of these that was in such good fettle they could guarantee a 20k couple of years without major bills? It's not usually the time when people sell, they usually let them go when they think significant cost lies ahead.

If it's on the bucket list and you do only live once, look for a really nice example that will be top end of what they can sell for. Buy it and just enjoy it. If you really are not able to support a couple of grand's worth of service/repair over that time, walk past.
 
Lovely cars. I had a 1992 190D 2.5 that I bought at a year old and kept for 12 years. This and the larger W124 were the last ‘real’ Mercedes built to a standard rather than to a price. It was very reliable over this time because it lacked all the modern things (turbo, EGR, DMF etc) that make diesels faster and cleaner but also less reliable. There are examples of this engine doing 500k miles. It was a great motorway car but I sold because cars generally had got faster and the diesel was struggling to keep up, particularly overtaking on B roads. I should have bought the 190e petrol, faster and not much less economical in fuel terms. But I still loved it and regretted selling it. Maintenance by a Merc garage, then by an independent was expensive and the cost of maintenance over the time I had it comfortably exceeded the initial (substantial) purchase price. So I tend to agree that at 30 years old this would would be an expensive choice, maybe fine as a second, weekend car but not as your only car. But I absolutely understand why you’re tempted.
 
If you're going to buy an MB of that vintage, a C/W124 shouldn't be ignored. That way you open up the pool of possible cars to choose from and have a better chance of finding a good one. That said, we're talking 30 year old cars - you can get the parts but rust and age will be an issue in whichever one you get.

Dad ran a 2.0 for a few years in the early 00s and loved it. It's ideal if you prefer smooth over performance and comfort over handling and want a compact saloon.

Personally, I'd avoid the 2.5 diesel unless it's the mintiest thing you find. It's an absolute slug.

I'd like the 190 that MB UK made; taking the engine from a W204 220d and putting that in it. 0-60 in 6s and over 50mpg.
 
I had one (poverty spec) in the late 90s. Build quality was exemplary and fit and finish were fine if you can tolerate MB fabric and Zebrano wood, and it was simple and cheap (for a Merc) to maintain.

The only thing to worry about IIRC was the drainage channelling from the sun roof; it needed regular clearing.

But I’d take one for an extended test drive - I found the front seats painful on long journeys, but I was spoiled by having a Saab 9000 and an R129 SL at the same, both with some of the best seats in the business, so the comparison might be tainted.
 
Admire them at car shows and meets, smile, then go to the next interesting old relic.

A mate has an E39 M5 that he maintains himself. With the work that he has done over the last six years or so, someone else might have paid £20k for in labour charges alone. And he’s taking it off the road in a couple of weeks to do some welding.

With a 30 year old Merc, I bet there are a lot of parts, especially trim, that are unobtanium.
 
I owned one of these from new, had it for three years & did over 100k miles in it. A good car in many ways, but I did have a few issues. The exhaust manifold cracked twice, & the head gasket failed at about 70k miles, making it the most unreliable car I've owned.

When it was with the Mercedes dealer for its 18k service, I got a call from them telling me the rear discs were “Corroded” & needed replacing. Naturally, I queried this, & told them I wanted to see these discs when I picked the car up. They then told me they'd try to “Clean the discs up”. I never heard any more about this again, the brakes always worked fine…
 
Suffolk Tony said:
I owned one of these from new, had it for three years & did over 100k miles in it. A good car in many ways, but I did have a few issues. The exhaust manifold cracked twice, & the head gasket failed at about 70k miles, making it the most unreliable car I've owned.
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Was it a 2.6? The inline 6s of that vintage were never as good as the fours.
 
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A bit of a step up from the 190e. Yours for £5k, chief. Get it bought. :)

https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1231551
 
Thank you for all the replies. Lots of wise words indeed. I have looked into these cars a bit. I even bought a 190E buyers guide a couple of years ago when I first noticed these cars.

I am moving to the view that a 190E would not be a good choice for me. Maybe they are just getting too old. I am pretty handy with cars and can do most jobs, including a full engine swap, but I do not enjoy that level of mechanical work anymore. Life's too short.

Another motor I'd like to try is the Lexus LS430, just for the mad levels of luxury. More sensibly, a fully loaded old Honda Accord seems to be a cheap way to comfort and they are supposed to have good seats. Volvo's always appealed with their great ergonomics and interior design but high-ish fuel consumption always put me off. I enjoyed the various Saabs I had in the past, particularly the 9000 CSE turbo, but these have mostly died off now too.

What I should probably do when I retire is forget about cars completely and get my free bus pass and a decent bicycle. Better for me and the planet.
 
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