Thinking of buying a W201 Mercedes 190
Discussion
Currently thinking of buying a Mercedes 190 (W201) as a second car kept in storage for use on the occasional weekend in the summer.
I've noticed a few topics on this forum from people who own or have owned them and am I correct in thinking a manual one would be better presumably because it would be cheaper to fix than an automatic?
It's something i've been thinking about for a wee while but was just wondering if it would be a good idea to have one or are they potential money pits? There seems to be a few good examples down in England (i'm in Glasgow) so if I was to go ahead with it i'd probably get the best most serviced one I could get my hands on and keep costs down by doing as much as I could on it myself however again I was wondering if from anyone elses experience if this is actually possible or is it just too much of a nightmare?
Any comments/suggestions appreciated. Cheers.
I've noticed a few topics on this forum from people who own or have owned them and am I correct in thinking a manual one would be better presumably because it would be cheaper to fix than an automatic?
It's something i've been thinking about for a wee while but was just wondering if it would be a good idea to have one or are they potential money pits? There seems to be a few good examples down in England (i'm in Glasgow) so if I was to go ahead with it i'd probably get the best most serviced one I could get my hands on and keep costs down by doing as much as I could on it myself however again I was wondering if from anyone elses experience if this is actually possible or is it just too much of a nightmare?
Any comments/suggestions appreciated. Cheers.
I have one.
They are great little cars. A lot of them are worn out. These are the sub-£1,250 cars. However, some are really, really good. These are the more expensive cars. The build quality really is something else: it is better than that of my 124 and 129. The design also is really impressive. They are really satisfying to drive: light, agile, stable. And easy to operate, too. They are the perfect saloon car, in my view.
The cars as a whole are very reliable and cheap and easy to service and repair. An oil service takes about ten minutes and costs less than £30. Parts availability, whether new from the dealer, new aftermarket or used, is good. Rust is the main thing to be alert for: wheel arches and jacking points. There is no difference in maintenance costs between an automatic and a manual car. The automatic transmissions do not break. They need servicing every 36,000miles but we're not talking about a lot of money. I don't know how often the manual box needs servicing, if at all. A manual will give better mpg but on a little-used second car that is irrelevant.
I know it is trite, but it is much, much cheaper to buy a good one in the first place rather than try to make a cheap bad one good. I have kept a blog of my work on my car. I paid £2,000 for it (probably over the odds by £500) and have spent about £4,000 making it as close to new as can be. It could have been used without any expenditure as it was but I am a bit OCD about cars. You can read my blog here but it is a bit boring: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
I would recommend the cars offered by Mark Taylor at www.mtsv.co.uk. He seems to be a very nice guy, is highly spoken of, and specialises more in the 190 than anyone else. His cars are not that dear, generally £3k to £4k but they are practically new.
The 190 would be the ideal second car to be left at a holiday house. They have minimal electrical systems; so put a good battery on it and it is bound to start even after months standing. You could even leave it outside, so hardy are they, though if that was the plan, I'd fill the cavities up with some appropriate anti-corrosion product.
They are great little cars. A lot of them are worn out. These are the sub-£1,250 cars. However, some are really, really good. These are the more expensive cars. The build quality really is something else: it is better than that of my 124 and 129. The design also is really impressive. They are really satisfying to drive: light, agile, stable. And easy to operate, too. They are the perfect saloon car, in my view.
The cars as a whole are very reliable and cheap and easy to service and repair. An oil service takes about ten minutes and costs less than £30. Parts availability, whether new from the dealer, new aftermarket or used, is good. Rust is the main thing to be alert for: wheel arches and jacking points. There is no difference in maintenance costs between an automatic and a manual car. The automatic transmissions do not break. They need servicing every 36,000miles but we're not talking about a lot of money. I don't know how often the manual box needs servicing, if at all. A manual will give better mpg but on a little-used second car that is irrelevant.
I know it is trite, but it is much, much cheaper to buy a good one in the first place rather than try to make a cheap bad one good. I have kept a blog of my work on my car. I paid £2,000 for it (probably over the odds by £500) and have spent about £4,000 making it as close to new as can be. It could have been used without any expenditure as it was but I am a bit OCD about cars. You can read my blog here but it is a bit boring: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
I would recommend the cars offered by Mark Taylor at www.mtsv.co.uk. He seems to be a very nice guy, is highly spoken of, and specialises more in the 190 than anyone else. His cars are not that dear, generally £3k to £4k but they are practically new.
The 190 would be the ideal second car to be left at a holiday house. They have minimal electrical systems; so put a good battery on it and it is bound to start even after months standing. You could even leave it outside, so hardy are they, though if that was the plan, I'd fill the cavities up with some appropriate anti-corrosion product.
r129sl said:
I have one.
They are great little cars. A lot of them are worn out. These are the sub-£1,250 cars. However, some are really, really good. These are the more expensive cars. The build quality really is something else: it is better than that of my 124 and 129. The design also is really impressive. They are really satisfying to drive: light, agile, stable. And easy to operate, too. They are the perfect saloon car, in my view.
The cars as a whole are very reliable and cheap and easy to service and repair. An oil service takes about ten minutes and costs less than £30. Parts availability, whether new from the dealer, new aftermarket or used, is good. Rust is the main thing to be alert for: wheel arches and jacking points. There is no difference in maintenance costs between an automatic and a manual car. The automatic transmissions do not break. They need servicing every 36,000miles but we're not talking about a lot of money. I don't know how often the manual box needs servicing, if at all. A manual will give better mpg but on a little-used second car that is irrelevant.
I know it is trite, but it is much, much cheaper to buy a good one in the first place rather than try to make a cheap bad one good. I have kept a blog of my work on my car. I paid £2,000 for it (probably over the odds by £500) and have spent about £4,000 making it as close to new as can be. It could have been used without any expenditure as it was but I am a bit OCD about cars. You can read my blog here but it is a bit boring: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
I would recommend the cars offered by Mark Taylor at www.mtsv.co.uk. He seems to be a very nice guy, is highly spoken of, and specialises more in the 190 than anyone else. His cars are not that dear, generally £3k to £4k but they are practically new.
The 190 would be the ideal second car to be left at a holiday house. They have minimal electrical systems; so put a good battery on it and it is bound to start even after months standing. You could even leave it outside, so hardy are they, though if that was the plan, I'd fill the cavities up with some appropriate anti-corrosion product.
First class post. I'd add that the 1.8 isn't as powerful as the 2 litre, that the 2.6 is a peach of an engine, that sportline is worth finding and that rust is the enemy of these cars...check above rear lights, boot floors, seams all over including boot.They are great little cars. A lot of them are worn out. These are the sub-£1,250 cars. However, some are really, really good. These are the more expensive cars. The build quality really is something else: it is better than that of my 124 and 129. The design also is really impressive. They are really satisfying to drive: light, agile, stable. And easy to operate, too. They are the perfect saloon car, in my view.
The cars as a whole are very reliable and cheap and easy to service and repair. An oil service takes about ten minutes and costs less than £30. Parts availability, whether new from the dealer, new aftermarket or used, is good. Rust is the main thing to be alert for: wheel arches and jacking points. There is no difference in maintenance costs between an automatic and a manual car. The automatic transmissions do not break. They need servicing every 36,000miles but we're not talking about a lot of money. I don't know how often the manual box needs servicing, if at all. A manual will give better mpg but on a little-used second car that is irrelevant.
I know it is trite, but it is much, much cheaper to buy a good one in the first place rather than try to make a cheap bad one good. I have kept a blog of my work on my car. I paid £2,000 for it (probably over the odds by £500) and have spent about £4,000 making it as close to new as can be. It could have been used without any expenditure as it was but I am a bit OCD about cars. You can read my blog here but it is a bit boring: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
I would recommend the cars offered by Mark Taylor at www.mtsv.co.uk. He seems to be a very nice guy, is highly spoken of, and specialises more in the 190 than anyone else. His cars are not that dear, generally £3k to £4k but they are practically new.
The 190 would be the ideal second car to be left at a holiday house. They have minimal electrical systems; so put a good battery on it and it is bound to start even after months standing. You could even leave it outside, so hardy are they, though if that was the plan, I'd fill the cavities up with some appropriate anti-corrosion product.
r129sl said:
I have one.
They are great little cars. A lot of them are worn out. These are the sub-£1,250 cars. However, some are really, really good. These are the more expensive cars. The build quality really is something else: it is better than that of my 124 and 129. The design also is really impressive. They are really satisfying to drive: light, agile, stable. And easy to operate, too. They are the perfect saloon car, in my view.
The cars as a whole are very reliable and cheap and easy to service and repair. An oil service takes about ten minutes and costs less than £30. Parts availability, whether new from the dealer, new aftermarket or used, is good. Rust is the main thing to be alert for: wheel arches and jacking points. There is no difference in maintenance costs between an automatic and a manual car. The automatic transmissions do not break. They need servicing every 36,000miles but we're not talking about a lot of money. I don't know how often the manual box needs servicing, if at all. A manual will give better mpg but on a little-used second car that is irrelevant.
I know it is trite, but it is much, much cheaper to buy a good one in the first place rather than try to make a cheap bad one good. I have kept a blog of my work on my car. I paid £2,000 for it (probably over the odds by £500) and have spent about £4,000 making it as close to new as can be. It could have been used without any expenditure as it was but I am a bit OCD about cars. You can read my blog here but it is a bit boring: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
I would recommend the cars offered by Mark Taylor at www.mtsv.co.uk. He seems to be a very nice guy, is highly spoken of, and specialises more in the 190 than anyone else. His cars are not that dear, generally £3k to £4k but they are practically new.
The 190 would be the ideal second car to be left at a holiday house. They have minimal electrical systems; so put a good battery on it and it is bound to start even after months standing. You could even leave it outside, so hardy are they, though if that was the plan, I'd fill the cavities up with some appropriate anti-corrosion product.
Thanks for all the info, very much appreciated! Also thanks for bringing Mark Taylors website to my attention the stuff he sells/has sold looks incredible!They are great little cars. A lot of them are worn out. These are the sub-£1,250 cars. However, some are really, really good. These are the more expensive cars. The build quality really is something else: it is better than that of my 124 and 129. The design also is really impressive. They are really satisfying to drive: light, agile, stable. And easy to operate, too. They are the perfect saloon car, in my view.
The cars as a whole are very reliable and cheap and easy to service and repair. An oil service takes about ten minutes and costs less than £30. Parts availability, whether new from the dealer, new aftermarket or used, is good. Rust is the main thing to be alert for: wheel arches and jacking points. There is no difference in maintenance costs between an automatic and a manual car. The automatic transmissions do not break. They need servicing every 36,000miles but we're not talking about a lot of money. I don't know how often the manual box needs servicing, if at all. A manual will give better mpg but on a little-used second car that is irrelevant.
I know it is trite, but it is much, much cheaper to buy a good one in the first place rather than try to make a cheap bad one good. I have kept a blog of my work on my car. I paid £2,000 for it (probably over the odds by £500) and have spent about £4,000 making it as close to new as can be. It could have been used without any expenditure as it was but I am a bit OCD about cars. You can read my blog here but it is a bit boring: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
I would recommend the cars offered by Mark Taylor at www.mtsv.co.uk. He seems to be a very nice guy, is highly spoken of, and specialises more in the 190 than anyone else. His cars are not that dear, generally £3k to £4k but they are practically new.
The 190 would be the ideal second car to be left at a holiday house. They have minimal electrical systems; so put a good battery on it and it is bound to start even after months standing. You could even leave it outside, so hardy are they, though if that was the plan, I'd fill the cavities up with some appropriate anti-corrosion product.
I had wondered about getting a cheaper one and doing work on it or getting a decent one and paying a bit more for it and the latter does seem the better idea especially if it has good bodywork and the engine/gearbox has been serviced and looked after properly. It would certainly keep long term costs lower and ensure more short term enjoyment.
r129sl said:
I would recommend the cars offered by Mark Taylor at www.mtsv.co.uk. He seems to be a very nice guy, is highly spoken of, and specialises more in the 190 than anyone else. His cars are not that dear, generally £3k to £4k but they are practically new.
Great site. I really want that blue 260E. Edited by AC43 on Friday 1st May 17:30
I drove a couple of 190 2.0s and have to say they work better with the auto gearbox. The manual I drove was very notchy and stiff and it was difficult to drive the car smoothly. The manual is also rather over-geared in top, as the engine does not hit peak torque (3500rpm) until around 95mph... The auto is much lower geared at hits around 3500rpm at 70mph in top.
Better to spend £3-4k on a good one than £1.5k on a do-er upper, given the cost of trim, body panels and electrical parts, and the fact that 22 years after the last ones were made the scrapyards are not exactly overflowing with parts cars.
MTSV has had some good 190s and he currently has a 2.0 and a 2.6 in preparation, as well as a couple of diesels, which are non-turbo and considerably slower (& more expensive) than the petrol cars. The grey 2.0 he has with 60k miles looks like it could be a good buy.
My friend has a 190E 2.0 automatic and reckons to get between 28 and 32mpg from it, the former being in mixed driving and the latter driving gently around 65mph on the motorway. I gather a manual will be capable of mid-high 30s on a run.
The 2.6 seems to average around 4mpg less than the 2.0 across the board, at least according to the stated economy figures I have (old-style urban / 56mph / 75mph which seem to be more accurate than the more recent urban / extra-urban figures). You'd be looking at low 20s around town and high 20s on a motorway run.
Better to spend £3-4k on a good one than £1.5k on a do-er upper, given the cost of trim, body panels and electrical parts, and the fact that 22 years after the last ones were made the scrapyards are not exactly overflowing with parts cars.
MTSV has had some good 190s and he currently has a 2.0 and a 2.6 in preparation, as well as a couple of diesels, which are non-turbo and considerably slower (& more expensive) than the petrol cars. The grey 2.0 he has with 60k miles looks like it could be a good buy.
My friend has a 190E 2.0 automatic and reckons to get between 28 and 32mpg from it, the former being in mixed driving and the latter driving gently around 65mph on the motorway. I gather a manual will be capable of mid-high 30s on a run.
The 2.6 seems to average around 4mpg less than the 2.0 across the board, at least according to the stated economy figures I have (old-style urban / 56mph / 75mph which seem to be more accurate than the more recent urban / extra-urban figures). You'd be looking at low 20s around town and high 20s on a motorway run.
r129sl said:
I have one.
They are great little cars. A lot of them are worn out. These are the sub-£1,250 cars. However, some are really, really good. These are the more expensive cars. The build quality really is something else: it is better than that of my 124 and 129. The design also is really impressive. They are really satisfying to drive: light, agile, stable. And easy to operate, too. They are the perfect saloon car, in my view.
The cars as a whole are very reliable and cheap and easy to service and repair. An oil service takes about ten minutes and costs less than £30. Parts availability, whether new from the dealer, new aftermarket or used, is good. Rust is the main thing to be alert for: wheel arches and jacking points. There is no difference in maintenance costs between an automatic and a manual car. The automatic transmissions do not break. They need servicing every 36,000miles but we're not talking about a lot of money. I don't know how often the manual box needs servicing, if at all. A manual will give better mpg but on a little-used second car that is irrelevant.
I know it is trite, but it is much, much cheaper to buy a good one in the first place rather than try to make a cheap bad one good. I have kept a blog of my work on my car. I paid £2,000 for it (probably over the odds by £500) and have spent about £4,000 making it as close to new as can be. It could have been used without any expenditure as it was but I am a bit OCD about cars. You can read my blog here but it is a bit boring: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
I would recommend the cars offered by Mark Taylor at www.mtsv.co.uk. He seems to be a very nice guy, is highly spoken of, and specialises more in the 190 than anyone else. His cars are not that dear, generally £3k to £4k but they are practically new.
The 190 would be the ideal second car to be left at a holiday house. They have minimal electrical systems; so put a good battery on it and it is bound to start even after months standing. You could even leave it outside, so hardy are they, though if that was the plan, I'd fill the cavities up with some appropriate anti-corrosion product.
+1 on everything that was said above. I bought a 190 from MTSV a couple of months ago, and cannot fault the level of service from Mark and am over the moon with my purchase. A well sorted 190 really is that good and after driving one for a couple of months, I can now see where the reputation comes from. Here are some pics and details of mine in a post I made on the Smoker Barges thread (have a look at the blue 190 about 3/4 of the way down)....They are great little cars. A lot of them are worn out. These are the sub-£1,250 cars. However, some are really, really good. These are the more expensive cars. The build quality really is something else: it is better than that of my 124 and 129. The design also is really impressive. They are really satisfying to drive: light, agile, stable. And easy to operate, too. They are the perfect saloon car, in my view.
The cars as a whole are very reliable and cheap and easy to service and repair. An oil service takes about ten minutes and costs less than £30. Parts availability, whether new from the dealer, new aftermarket or used, is good. Rust is the main thing to be alert for: wheel arches and jacking points. There is no difference in maintenance costs between an automatic and a manual car. The automatic transmissions do not break. They need servicing every 36,000miles but we're not talking about a lot of money. I don't know how often the manual box needs servicing, if at all. A manual will give better mpg but on a little-used second car that is irrelevant.
I know it is trite, but it is much, much cheaper to buy a good one in the first place rather than try to make a cheap bad one good. I have kept a blog of my work on my car. I paid £2,000 for it (probably over the odds by £500) and have spent about £4,000 making it as close to new as can be. It could have been used without any expenditure as it was but I am a bit OCD about cars. You can read my blog here but it is a bit boring: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
I would recommend the cars offered by Mark Taylor at www.mtsv.co.uk. He seems to be a very nice guy, is highly spoken of, and specialises more in the 190 than anyone else. His cars are not that dear, generally £3k to £4k but they are practically new.
The 190 would be the ideal second car to be left at a holiday house. They have minimal electrical systems; so put a good battery on it and it is bound to start even after months standing. You could even leave it outside, so hardy are they, though if that was the plan, I'd fill the cavities up with some appropriate anti-corrosion product.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Currently running two of these, manual and automatic 2.0 L, auto has only 81k miles on it, manual 115K, I've done about 5k over 9 mths in manual, it didn't start just the once and took us while to swop out the electrical items and it turned out to be the HT lead from coil to distributor. Did a full service on both checked all out, renewed a few things, changed out the aerial, filled it full of waxoyle even though very little rust, passed MOT no probs.
Only done 6/700 miles in auto ( sort of a backup 190...;)...), again no rust, filled full of waxoyle anyways, MOT passed no advisories at all.
I had 2 manuals brand new back in late 80's early 90s, these cars 25 yrs on seem to be even more enjoyable to drive now!
Great fun to drive, so very different to other modern cars, few electrics to go wrong but can be a weakness. 30-35 to gallon, handle and drives well, good when going!
Mercedes Enthusiast do several buyers guides, indeed I even have one for sale on ebay!!!!!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes-Enthusiast-3-05...
Only done 6/700 miles in auto ( sort of a backup 190...;)...), again no rust, filled full of waxoyle anyways, MOT passed no advisories at all.
I had 2 manuals brand new back in late 80's early 90s, these cars 25 yrs on seem to be even more enjoyable to drive now!
Great fun to drive, so very different to other modern cars, few electrics to go wrong but can be a weakness. 30-35 to gallon, handle and drives well, good when going!
Mercedes Enthusiast do several buyers guides, indeed I even have one for sale on ebay!!!!!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes-Enthusiast-3-05...
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