190 Cosworth . Daily use ?
Discussion
I think the older Mercedes run better if you do drive them regularly. Do 5k a year as a minimum and store them under cover and they won't deteriorate
There can be plenty to get right on a Cosworth as the body kit hides rust and the engines are relatively highly-tuned. But they are worthwhile things to own and you will precious little depreciation on a good one
A softer alternative would be a 2.6 with the straight six engine
Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk
There can be plenty to get right on a Cosworth as the body kit hides rust and the engines are relatively highly-tuned. But they are worthwhile things to own and you will precious little depreciation on a good one
A softer alternative would be a 2.6 with the straight six engine
Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk
Used mine every day for a year or so and about 20k miles. As long as you get one that's up to scratch from the start you should be ok. Not bad on fuel - 30mpg is realistic on runs, reliable, pretty refined (mines quieter on the motorway than the 197 Clio I'm using at the mo), and fun to drive.
Parts supply is excellent from Merc dealers and the likes of GSF, Euro car parts etc. Engine bits can be pricey but everything else is reasonable as lots of bits shared with lesser 190 models.
As mentioned, rust can be an issue behind the bodykit, but no worse than BMW of same era.
Buy one (if you do) that starts quickly from hot/cold, idle's good (round about 900rpm), doesn't stall when you come to a halt, pulls round to the red line, has working ASD and SLS and isn't showing rust at the edges of the bodykit 'cause it will be a lot worse under it! Engines are quite noisy - tappety sounding so don't be put off by that.
Mine was written off in an acident but was pretty rotten anyway. Ended up buying a soild one with a blown engine and building one good car out of the two. Still have it, just don't use it much.
Also, if you diy, they are a joy to work on. The build quality is better than anything else I've ever worked on - apart from other Mercs of that sort of era.
Parts supply is excellent from Merc dealers and the likes of GSF, Euro car parts etc. Engine bits can be pricey but everything else is reasonable as lots of bits shared with lesser 190 models.
As mentioned, rust can be an issue behind the bodykit, but no worse than BMW of same era.
Buy one (if you do) that starts quickly from hot/cold, idle's good (round about 900rpm), doesn't stall when you come to a halt, pulls round to the red line, has working ASD and SLS and isn't showing rust at the edges of the bodykit 'cause it will be a lot worse under it! Engines are quite noisy - tappety sounding so don't be put off by that.
Mine was written off in an acident but was pretty rotten anyway. Ended up buying a soild one with a blown engine and building one good car out of the two. Still have it, just don't use it much.
Also, if you diy, they are a joy to work on. The build quality is better than anything else I've ever worked on - apart from other Mercs of that sort of era.
Used my one daily for 50k miles in less than three years. You could consider a 2.6, nice car and still have one, as an alrounder hard to beat especially in auto form but not in the same league as a 2.5-16 if you are looking for a fast focused classic.
Edit: Debadge it, nobody will notice it - great!
Edit: Debadge it, nobody will notice it - great!
Edited by Johnboy Mac on Sunday 13th November 23:27
I've had mine as a daily driver for about a month; it's treated me well so far.
I think the trick is finding someone who knows how to maintain the Bosch Jetronic injection system; otherwise it can be quite troublesome.
I had one issue starting from hot, but that seems to have been sorted out now, and in other respects it's a great motor. Enjoy!
I think the trick is finding someone who knows how to maintain the Bosch Jetronic injection system; otherwise it can be quite troublesome.
I had one issue starting from hot, but that seems to have been sorted out now, and in other respects it's a great motor. Enjoy!
Gochaz said:
I've had mine as a daily driver for about a month; it's treated me well so far.
I think the trick is finding someone who knows how to maintain the Bosch Jetronic injection system; otherwise it can be quite troublesome.
I had one issue starting from hot, but that seems to have been sorted out now, and in other respects it's a great motor. Enjoy!
A month? Give it a minimum of three months, the more you drive them the better they feel, corners will be taken a lot faster too also third gear will become additive! I think the trick is finding someone who knows how to maintain the Bosch Jetronic injection system; otherwise it can be quite troublesome.
I had one issue starting from hot, but that seems to have been sorted out now, and in other respects it's a great motor. Enjoy!
Enjoy. Johnboy Mac said:
A month? Give it a minimum of three months, the more you drive them the better they feel, corners will be taken a lot faster too also third gear will become additive! Enjoy.
Yeah, it's wicked! I've got the 2.5 auto, it's pretty tasty on B roads in 3rd gear. I'm not that confident with it yet though, it's certainly a heck of a lot quicker than I am. Loving every minute, apart from putting fuel in. Enjoy. The sound system is quite poor though, I could do with some advice on how to improve it.
Just the right time to use one every day. I ran mine in this way for a couple of years....nice greasy roundabouts to perfect your drifting.
One buying tip to add to what has already been said - look for rot in the boot floor, under the rear lights and the rear window rubber, also make sure the 'diff isn't too noisy. Also ensure door cards have not pulled away from door tops.
The 2.6 is an epic cruiser though - totally different car. In Sportline spec, doesn't handle too bad either.
One buying tip to add to what has already been said - look for rot in the boot floor, under the rear lights and the rear window rubber, also make sure the 'diff isn't too noisy. Also ensure door cards have not pulled away from door tops.
The 2.6 is an epic cruiser though - totally different car. In Sportline spec, doesn't handle too bad either.
Gochaz said:
Yeah, it's wicked! I've got the 2.5 auto, it's pretty tasty on B roads in 3rd gear. I'm not that confident with it yet though, it's certainly a heck of a lot quicker than I am. Loving every minute, apart from putting fuel in.
The sound system is quite poor though, I could do with some advice on how to improve it.
Can't comment on the auto version never driven one, but it's a great g/box used in all Merc's of that era. I wouldn't expect the auto to be much harder on juice than the manual, as the manual is a 5 speeder but 5th is 1:1 rather than an overdrive gear as in the norm in most cars. The sound system is quite poor though, I could do with some advice on how to improve it.
M-B fuel consumption figures, non CAT models:
Manual/Auto
City cycle 21.8/ 22.3
56mph 40.2/ 38.5
75mph 32.8/ 31.3
Not difficult to get 30mpg, I average around 27mpg, auto shouldn't be a whole lot different.
As for the stereo, I can't help really as it's not my bag so to speak. I did fit a Merc/Becker unit with black facia as the silver or chrome jobbies look out of place. I do reckon a good head unit, upgraded speakers in the top of the dash and parcel shelf would improve things sounds wise. Extra sound deadening, 'Dynamat' or similar fitted to the doors, floor & rear bulkhead would help too.
Edited by Johnboy Mac on Wednesday 16th November 20:39
Johnboy Mac said:
Can't comment on the auto version never driven one, but the it's great g/box used in all Merc's of that era. I wouldn't expect the auto to be much harder on juice than the manual, as the manual is a 5 speeder but 5th is 1:1 rather than an overdrive gear as in the norm in most cars.
M-B fuel consumption figures, non CAT models:
Manual/Auto
City cycle 21.8/ 22.3
56mph 40.2/ 38.5
75mph 32.8/ 31.3
Not difficult to get 30mpg, I average around 27mpg, auto shouldn't be a whole lot different.
As for the stereo, I can't help really as it's not my bag so to speak. I did fit a Merc/Becker unit with black facia as the silver or chrome jobbies look out of place. I do reckon a good head unit, upgraded speakers in the top of the dash and parcel shelf would improve things sounds wise. Extra sound deadening, 'Dyanmat' or similar fitted to the doors, floor & rear bulkhead would help too.
Thanks Johnboy! Those figures will give me something to shoot for anyway. I try to keep the economy guage towards the left, but I can't help letting rip half the time. M-B fuel consumption figures, non CAT models:
Manual/Auto
City cycle 21.8/ 22.3
56mph 40.2/ 38.5
75mph 32.8/ 31.3
Not difficult to get 30mpg, I average around 27mpg, auto shouldn't be a whole lot different.
As for the stereo, I can't help really as it's not my bag so to speak. I did fit a Merc/Becker unit with black facia as the silver or chrome jobbies look out of place. I do reckon a good head unit, upgraded speakers in the top of the dash and parcel shelf would improve things sounds wise. Extra sound deadening, 'Dyanmat' or similar fitted to the doors, floor & rear bulkhead would help too.
I'll have a dig around the forum for some more advice on ICE, thanks for you help though.
I used my 2.3-16 everyday for 2 years and proved to be a practical steed for getting about. It's now a pampered pet. - biggest problems rust, expensive parts and might just be mind but it hated being driven slowly - it almost goads you into thrashing it! I'll shove a few pics up if I can find some
I did around 10000miles in my 2.5 16 for the year that I owned it. Whilst it required additional maintenance as expected with older cars it never left me by the side of the road.
Getting a nice one at reasonable money can be difficult these days and it is very hard/expensive to make a rough one nice so it's best to pay more for a good one.
My 2.5 manual:
They're very special cars and do take some getting used to, they won't feel that fast initially but once you gain confidence in it, it is incredibly exciting thing to hurl down a B-Road.
With regards the sound system - they're just like any other 190. A sub will go in the boot but the effect is limited because of the fuel tank. Audioscape do some nice door pods that fit in the front doorcards that look virtually OEM. You can also get better dash speakers and fit bigger/upgraded speakers on the parcel shelf but unless you're happy cutting back metal they'll need to be fairly shallow.
Get one, you won't regret it.
Getting a nice one at reasonable money can be difficult these days and it is very hard/expensive to make a rough one nice so it's best to pay more for a good one.
My 2.5 manual:
They're very special cars and do take some getting used to, they won't feel that fast initially but once you gain confidence in it, it is incredibly exciting thing to hurl down a B-Road.
With regards the sound system - they're just like any other 190. A sub will go in the boot but the effect is limited because of the fuel tank. Audioscape do some nice door pods that fit in the front doorcards that look virtually OEM. You can also get better dash speakers and fit bigger/upgraded speakers on the parcel shelf but unless you're happy cutting back metal they'll need to be fairly shallow.
Get one, you won't regret it.
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