RE: SOTW: Mercedes-Benz 190E

[jetfire]

One of the best company cars I had was a 190e 2.6 Sportline, in blue-black metallic. Spent 4 months driving that, it was the equal to my boss' 300ce-24 to drive, and the w201 sportline package was far superior to the w124 version. I used to dream of the w124's 5speed auto installed in my car, it would have been the ultimate.

[C36 Nico]

Not sure if you can compare the 2.6 to the 3.0-24.
That engine with its 231 bhp is a screamer.

[jetfire]

C36 Nico said:

Not sure if you can compare the 2.6 to the 3.0-24.
That engine with its 231 bhp is a screamer.

It sure was a screamer, over 130kph the 24 valve used to romp away on a cold night. The thing was though, you had to really rev it past 5000 to get the advantage, and in warm weather, (over 20c) the 24 valve's ecu really pulled the timing out of the engine, and you could feel the power drop.

The 2.6 190, on the other hand, always had 200+ kg less weight to play with.

[C36 Nico]

Yep.
But its that very unmercedeslike nature above 5000 that is so much fun

[Dapster]

swilkins999 said:

whatleytom said:

Ran a 2.6 manual for a while, great car.

Needs gingercators but otherwise lovely

...and genuine alloys. They look like aftermarket ones - Lorinser maybe?

Otherwise really lovely (and nice gaff too...)

I'm amazed at the love for these old things.

[Dapster]

swilkins999 said:

I reckon for fifteen grand you could have the perfect stable of cars, all from one period of Mercedes. Laydees and genteeelmen I give you my perfect, tackle anything garage:

1. 190e for local shopping, light day to day duties (i had one, 1990 on an h, blue black metallic)
2. E280 estate with 7 seats. For holidays, trip to dump etc a real swiss army knife of a car ( i had one, 1995 on an M, 115k, 8, yes 8 owners, blue black metallic)
3. 500sel for going posh, into london, off to swanky boutique hotels or soothing work stresses. (I haven't had one yet but my neighbour has, in blue black metallic, beige leather. He got married in it last year-better than a rotten old cream RR shadow)
4. 500sl for getting wind in the hair. ( i have one, £5k, 326bhp, lots of loveliness and in blue black... Well you get the picture!)

Not exciting but a bit like comparing a one night stand with a stunning model to marrying someone very nice looking but with depth, character, an interest in the same music as you, likes the same food etc etc. i guess i had better shut up now.

Nice SOTW.

Interesting concept... I'd go:

1) W123 280E
2) 190 2.5-16 auto
3) 560 SEC

[C36 Nico]

Dapster said:

swilkins999 said:

I reckon for fifteen grand you could have the perfect stable of cars, all from one period of Mercedes. Laydees and genteeelmen I give you my perfect, tackle anything garage:

1. 190e for local shopping, light day to day duties (i had one, 1990 on an h, blue black metallic)
2. E280 estate with 7 seats. For holidays, trip to dump etc a real swiss army knife of a car ( i had one, 1995 on an M, 115k, 8, yes 8 owners, blue black metallic)
3. 500sel for going posh, into london, off to swanky boutique hotels or soothing work stresses. (I haven't had one yet but my neighbour has, in blue black metallic, beige leather. He got married in it last year-better than a rotten old cream RR shadow)
4. 500sl for getting wind in the hair. ( i have one, £5k, 326bhp, lots of loveliness and in blue black... Well you get the picture!)

Not exciting but a bit like comparing a one night stand with a stunning model to marrying someone very nice looking but with depth, character, an interest in the same music as you, likes the same food etc etc. i guess i had better shut up now.

Nice SOTW.

Interesting concept... I'd go:

1) W123 280E
2) 190 2.5-16 auto
3) 560 SEC

The answer must surely be

1) R107 500SL for hooning
2) 190E 2.5-16 EVO 1 for backcountry hooning
3) 560 SE for long family trips

[whatleytom]

Dapster said:

...and genuine alloys. They look like aftermarket ones - Lorinser maybe?

Otherwise really lovely (and nice gaff too...)

I'm amazed at the love for these old things.

They were from the 190e Evo 1.

I hate these SOTW threads, I appear to have just done a deal to buy my car back. Whoops!!

[C36 Nico]

whatleytom said:

Dapster said:

...and genuine alloys. They look like aftermarket ones - Lorinser maybe?

Otherwise really lovely (and nice gaff too...)

I'm amazed at the love for these old things.

They were from the 190e Evo 1.

I hate these SOTW threads, I appear to have just done a deal to buy my car back. Whoops!!

Personally I think the evo 1 wheels look naff on regular 190`s.
They dont belong and look out of place. Get some original wheels or sportlines..

[Ewan S]

C36 Nico said:

The answer must surely be

1) R107 500SL for hooning
2) 190E 2.5-16 EVO 1 for backcountry hooning
3) 560 SE for long family trips

No, the R107 500SL is not for hooning, my mum has one and it's more of a cruiser that bellows a lot. If you want fun with the roof down why not an SLK 32 AMG?

[C36 Nico]

Ewan S said:

C36 Nico said:

The answer must surely be

1) R107 500SL for hooning
2) 190E 2.5-16 EVO 1 for backcountry hooning
3) 560 SE for long family trips

No, the R107 500SL is not for hooning, my mum has one and it's more of a cruiser that bellows a lot. If you want fun with the roof down why not an SLK 32 AMG?

Alright alright, still a lovely old thing though?

[12v3pot]

I've had three or four of these. My favourite MB. The 3.6 Brabus is the ideal, although any well detailed 190 looks superb.

SpeckledJim said:

pSyCoSiS said:

Quick question though, as I never really understood this:

Why do they have odd wing mirrors? And why is one of the manual adjustment and one electric?

I know the W124 also have this design...

Proably a simple answer, but I have always been intrigued!

One you can reach. Ze ozzer you cannot. Zimple.

And I think the reason that they are different shapes is to do with different fields of view being required (which would mean that LHD and RHD cars have them swapped around).

[T S Magnum]

My lovely old 1.8 manual. On an L-plate so one of the very last. 80k miles. bought off a friend to do them a favor, was going to keep it a week or two for a bit of a laugh. That was 3 years ago. Love it to bits. I'm a geeky engineer so the way it's built is a constant source of joy. Bit slow but that's not the point of it. Sooo quiet at speed and not a single squeak or rattle after 20 years. I work away and when I come back after 6 weeks it starts as if it was run an hour earlier.

[C36 Nico]

Loving the shedtastic wheels

[AC43]

Dapster said:

swilkins999 said:

whatleytom said:

Ran a 2.6 manual for a while, great car.

Needs gingercators but otherwise lovely

...and genuine alloys. They look like aftermarket ones - Lorinser maybe?

Otherwise really lovely (and nice gaff too...)

I'm amazed at the love for these old things.

Want. Want. Want. Want.

[Blue Bullet]

An excellent car and I would have another one again in a heart beat.

I had a 190E 2.0i Auto a few years ago as a second car and it was fantastic, the only bad points were my one seemed to have a drink problem, even compared to my V6 ST200 I was running at the same time and the chain started to slap.

[Bladedancer]

Last true Mercs this and W124. Nothing since came close.

[405dogvan]

BeirutTaxi said:

SpeckledJim said:

405dogvan said:

Whilst I fully grasp the appeal of floaty-old MB's - I do not get why anyone would ever want a 190 (Evo 2 excepted, perhaps).

The quality was never there - they are a bit ungainly to look at - they're a bit cramped front and back (a big selling point for MBs is roominess for taller drivers - not the 190 tho) and so on.

I'm less surprised to see one for under £1000 - I'd be more surprised to find one worth more than a grand tbh (Evo 2 again, excepted)

Ha! Ha! Hahahaahaaaaaaahaaa.

Good one.

Sorry, I'm a Mechanical Design Engineer and I can assure you, the quality is most definitely there.

Back in about 1994 I decided I had to have an MB and whilst I wanted a 300CE I probably couldn't afford one. I ended-up looking for a nicer spec/bigger engined 190 and it was a crushing disappointment.

I looked at about a dozen 190s of varying types and they were all fairly tatty - they all needed something done and they all felt a bit "worn" and "dated". OK, they were 2-3 years older than something comparable for the money (remember that the 'cheap barge' didn't exist back then) but they just didn't feel like they'd had the extra bit of effort that any of the rest of the MB range tended to exude.

Looking at them now - they look EXACTLY the same so they've clearly lasted well (apart from cosmetic body rust perhaps) but they still feel a bit 'low rent' to me and the fact there are far, far more W124s suggests they either don't last as well or are simply less desirable for some reason!?

Everything that felt 'massively dated' on them back then is now a plus I suppose, MS claimed to have over-engineered them but they did it so they felt 10 years old when new...

Bigger MBs, even with cloth and crap equipment, feel "wafty" - no 190 I drove felt like that. 190s with cloth (which seems to be about 75% of them) feel cheap and nasty in particular. Manuals are common too and absolutely AWFUL - I have no idea how someone could stand driving one, the gearbox was from a tractor or possibly a steam engine?

Edited by 405dogvan on Saturday 9th February 15:24

[RosscoPCole]

I would love a W201 2.5 turbo diesel as my daily driver.
Dream would be the 190D Blueefficiency that Mercedes built in 2009.
http://www.mboc.info/cars-190blue.html

Edited by RosscoPCole on Saturday 9th February 15:46

[T S Magnum]

C36 Nico said:

Loving the shedtastic wheels

Ta Nico, they're off a C-Class so 6.5J instead of 6J and with an offset that fills the arches much better.