A friend has come across a one owner 190 16v for sale at a very reasonable sub-$10,000 price with around 60k miles on the clock. Im concidering buying this car.
Any thoughts on the 190 Cosworth?
Leo
A friend has come across a one owner 190 16v for sale at a very reasonable sub-$10,000 price with around 60k miles on the clock. Im concidering buying this car.
Any thoughts on the 190 Cosworth?
Leo
In reply to Leo Basile: My dad bought one new in 1987. They are very sturdy cars. They tend to rust where the body cladding holds water and the air shocks in the back were very expensive. I'd love to have another one. That one sounds like a nice car.
Chris
In reply to Leo Basile:
My buddy was fortunate in the 1980's to have one as his company car from work. I know he really liked it in the day, especially since all his previous company cars had been base GM sedans. I asked him recently if he'd consider getting one nowadays as a classic and his concern was the usual regarding older Mercedes or BMW's - the high price of maintenence and parts.
I would think that since I do most of my own wrenching, that only the parts would be a factor, esp the Cosworth parts.
I currently drive an 83 M-B 300SD and so far that has been a dream to work on. That 190 16v to me is kinda like the scenes in the Vacation movies where Chevy Chase is "distracted" by the hot chicks.
I must say that the last manual shift M-B I drove was my old 1972 M-B 220 when I was stationed in Germany in the late 80s. Im looking forward to at least a test drive of the 190 Cossie. Esp since its what I call a High School Car...One of those cars that I read about in the car mags when I was in high school, but never stood a chance of driving.
Leo
My friend has one as his kid hauler. So far, so good. Parts haven't been that bad, either, he says.
The CIS injection is troublesome for diagnosing running problems. A lot of people will convert to megasquirt. A good number of people will swap in the m103 or m104 6 cylinder engines. Repro Evo 2 kits are being made by a 190rev member in Thailand.
I've owned a couple, by brother has owned more than me. There are few that would be worth $10k to me; they always seem to have a ton of differed maintenance and even doing your own work some of the parts are NLA or Europe sourced. When you find that good one; its a warm feeling because they are a LOT of fun.
I had a friend who owned a really nice one back in the mid-90's. He had also owned a 944 and BMW 325is, and found both of them sportier than the Merc.
If you're already a Benz fan, I bet you like it. Good luck with the purchase!
I can see the value in a really nice example at $10k. I'm at $6k on mine with a cheap paint job and a set of wheels and tires costing ~$2200. I've been driving it regularly as a kid hauler for three years now and it has been drop dead reliable. The majority of parts on the car are standard issue 190, widely available and inexpensive if you buy third party.
The engine "management" is definitely the most complicated system in the car. It's actually two systems- fuel and ignition, which means double the sensors and circuits. And there are a lot of sensors. Having installed and tuned a few EFI systems, and seen the success attained on this car with the same, I am destined to do the same.
My 16v is at the point where things are wearing out or need servicing. Examples:
In conclusion the car has worked well for me- somebody who wanted something that wasn't boring "daily driver", easy to wrench on, and not expensive to own (buy parts.) And it hasn't been a big time consumer for somebody with two small kids. - Rob
David S. Wallens wrote: ...as his kid hauler. So far, so good. Parts haven't been that bad, either, he says.
Thanks guys, If I get it, Ill be sure to post some pics.
Leo
You'll need to log in to post.
