high mileage 190e 2.6.. what is too high?

[nerf]

evening all.

im thinking of getting a 2.6 190. i've done some research and they are obviously highly thought of, the word 'bombproof' crops up quite a bit. this is heartening because ive been driving bombproof BMWs for 8 years and im used to reliabilty..

im on a limited budget due to redundancy, and the cars in my price range have BIG mileages, so how much is 'too big'? and is there anything that will be wearing out at, say, 120k-150k? whilst the cars are bombproof, i appreciate they are getting on a bit, im thinking the gearbox would be a worry maybe? so once my BMW 540 has shifted, im thinking about an auto, and hope to spend between £1500 and £2k

out of interest, is the 2.6 hugely different from the cosworth?

all the best nerf

[The Ben]

190's are renowend for their reliability as long as they have been looked after.

We have a 95 C220 D at home(considered less reliable) 270,000 and it doesn't miss a beat. Nothing major has ever been replaced on it.


Edit: the clutch shudders a bit in reverse.... having said that, it was bought with FMBSH with a folder full of reciepts and non of them mentioned the clutch had ever been replaced. So if thats right, that's a stupidly long length for a clutch to last....

soo all in all, I believe the 190 at 150k as long as it has been maintained well should be good.Try Mercedes benz owners club uk forum for better details...

[GTO Scott]

Mileage is unimportant - condition is the key. I'd much rather have a car that has done 150,000 miles of motorway mile-munching than a car that has spent it's life in a city. So long as the car is looked after, mileage really shouldn't be an issue. The 190E's have a big reputation for long lives, and a small, smooth six under the bonnet should in theory be less stressed than a highly strung four-pot. Try and find one that has been owned by an older driver - more chance of having a huge stack of history, and more chance of buying a decent one.

[nerf]

The Ben said:

270,000 ...

I nearly fainted at that.. thats amazing.. ive done 150k in my current car and it drives superbly, but strangely im having wobbles about buying another car with similer mileage.
thanks for you replies, i'll do a little searching now......

[Maxf]

nerf said:

The Ben said:

270,000 ...

I nearly fainted at that.. thats amazing.. ive done 150k in my current car and it drives superbly, but strangely im having wobbles about buying another car with similer mileage.
thanks for you replies, i'll do a little searching now......

I'm the same. An old M5 of mine did well over 100k (actually I went past the magic 100,000 on track!), but I'm fretting about buying a similar mileage SL. I think it's psychological - either I'm thinking 'I'm lucky I got away with it last time' or 'I did the miles last time so know how well it was looked after'.

How reliable are the R129 SL V6s anyway? Surely not as good as the earlier mid 90's blocks?

[The Ben]

nerf said:

The Ben said:

270,000 ...

I nearly fainted at that.. thats amazing.. ive done 150k in my current car and it drives superbly, but strangely im having wobbles about buying another car with similer mileage.
thanks for you replies, i'll do a little searching now......

Ye Id like to think it would do another 100k, the engine purrrrrres.... However it needs an MOT as I got a new car (just as that one was due a re test) given to me which took priority... But when I finished with it, it was running perfectly well. Should have really put a years ticket on it before the tax ran out, especially as my new car is now giving me grief (merc C220 CDI).

All in all if its in good nick, got a barrow load of reciepts and stamps then you should be onto a winner even over the psychological 100k miles!

[bolide]

190Es have some of the W124 foibles - front balljoints will need replacing at some point and suspension bushes wear over time. 190Es also tend to have noisy diffs

They're great cars and so long as you buy on condition I'm sure you'll be happy

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

[rubystone]

nerf said:

out of interest, is the 2.6 hugely different from the cosworth?

yes - lots more torque, heavy engine = more understeer.

Nice cruiser though - challenge as you are discovering is finding a good one without intergalactic miles on it....and if even those that have high miles could well have been clocked earlier in their life. I have never seen so many clocked cars as when I looked for a 2.6 10 years ago!