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.
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.
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