I found a 1988 Mercedes Benz 190E 2.6L 6 Cyl on craigslist. Its beautiful inside and out and has been cared for amazingly well. Maintenance records show the car to have 145,000 miles on it. The odometer reads 77,000 because the speedometer in the car went bad so they replaced the whole instrument cluster. There is also a instrument cluster in the trunk of the car that shows 177,000 miles, but they said that it was another cluster they bought to replace the old broken one. Worst case scenario, the car has 177,000 miles on it. It feels incredibly tight and responsive. What do you think?
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I looked up the Kelley Blue Book value for a 1989, and in excellent condition with 177,000 miles it is worth $1,735. So I would try to talk them down a couple hundred bucks, but otherwise I think its a good purchase.
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If you like the car, buy it. The 190E 2.6 is not a common model, and $2,000 is a fair price right now. Plan on spending another $2,000 at the dealer for reconditioning work. It will hold it’s value very well, and is will be a better car than anything else you’ll find for $4,000.
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The Mercedes W201 chassis is a great vehicle and parts and maintenance can be very cheap to reasonable if you are willing to purchase parts from the internet (autohausaz.com) and do a little DIY maintenance. As an example, an oil change on a M103 engine is very easy and very inexpensive (even if you take it to jiffy lube). The oil filter is in easy reach and the oil drain plug is easy to get to. Also for the M103 straight six, you do not need to use synthetic oil, just plain mineral oil (I use Shell 10-40W) is fine. As for the “special” Mercedes coolant, you can use Valvoline Zyrex G-05 (about $15.00) instead. Valvoline is the OEM manufacturer for Mercedes coolant and the G-05 is approved by MB.
I just had to replace the fuel pump on my MB (1988 W126 300SE) and I called the dealer who wanted about $380.00 for a new pump that I could get for $140.00 at autohausaz.com for the exact same Bosch unit. Third party new replacement pumps start at about $70.00. What I ended up doing was going to my local junkyard (pull-a-part) and found a used working unit from a 1988 W201 190e for $8.00. It took me about 30-40 minutes to replace the pump (and I am no mechanic by all means). Brake rotors and pads are also very affordable too. The good thing about the older MB’s is that there is a wealth of information available on the internet for DIY maintenance and repair. I do all the minor maintenance by myself and if I need more extensive work done on my MB, I do a little research on repair instruction and print the step by step procedures for my mechanic.
The things you should pay attention to at that mileage is the: valve cover gasket, head gasket, valve stem guides and engine mounts. Parts are very inexpensive but labor could kill you (especially the valve stem guides & head gasket). Also check the coolant to see that it is correct orange color and not the Prestone green stuff. The green stuff works but over the long run it will destroy your engine because it will eat away at your aluminum block. Check that there is no oil in the coolant because that is a indication of a bad head gasket.
Make sure the transmission is in good shape with little or no slipping. If it is slipping, then you could try to use Lucas transmission fix and replace the K1 spring and the B2 piston (parts inexpensive and somewhat easy procedure to replace). I acquired a 1989 W126 300SE with extremely bad transmission slipping problem and thought that I might have to replace or rebuild the transmission. I did not want to put too much money into this car so I tried the Lucus transmission fix (it took two bottles) and most of the slipping disappeared. It still slips a little (especially when cold) from 2nd to 3rd (when starting from a stop), but once it is warm it just slips a little bit and on the highway it is not noticeable at all. My next step is to replace the K1 spring and the B2 piston (parts under $100.00) and about two hours of labor.
The W201 190 series is a great vehicle with plenty of life left in it with proper maintenance and care.
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get a carfax!!!!!!!
make sure the head gasket is alright and tha6t the tranny doesnt slip.
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For not much more you could get the successor, the C-Class C280. Better engineered and more powerful 24 valve 2.8 liter six cylinder engine. 195 HP vs 160 HP in the 190e.
If you like the 190e body style get a 190e 2.3 16v Cosworth with the 5 speed “dog leg” transmission
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don’t mind about the mileage, the car’s overall condition matters most especially the engine. bring with you a specialist Mercedes Benz mechanic for advice and upon inspecting the car.
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No way, any type of service on that car is going to be very expensive. The gas mileage is probably also bad. I’d stay away
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Consider the maintenance cost before you buy a used Mercedes. Think about the cost of oil change and tune up.
Oil change for Honda is approximately $25 to $30. Oil change for a Mercedes is in the $100 to $200 range.
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Get it checked over by a Mercedes mechanic or the dealer. Even though the mileage is high, it could be well maintained.
i have one of these just did the head gasket thing, as for the regular maintenance this mb 190e 2.3 liter is a dream to work on and i am an ac mechanic. knowledge is power and a decent mechanic to throw ideas off. the oil change took 10 minutes it would have been quicker but you have to wait for the oil to drain. the engine came apart easily maybe 30 bolts/nuts total.