190E: still a reliable daily driver??

[The Mirror Man]

I'm asking for my dad, so this is unrelated to my thread about E class estates.

My dad is 79, not interested in car DIY but he is thinking about buying another 2.0 190E. He had one until a couple of years ago and loved it. In fact he only had it for about 3 years and it was a little troublesome to say the least. I'm handy with the tools and could do all his maintenance but for the fact that I live 100 miles away.

My question is: are these cars too old now to be considered a reliable daily drive or are they for enthusiasts only who can tinker a bit?

I'd really appreciate your opinions either way.

Cheers

Jonathan

 

[carat 3.6]

As long as it's in decent shape they are very reliable as daily transport, I have a lot of friends that use these and the w124 as daily drivers.

 

[martyz]

They are as good as the level of attention they get,I've only owned mine 12 years
but it's a keeper.

 

[Parisien]

Yes indeed, check it over, go for some preventative maintenance, be a bit more pro-active in its care, it will reward you with many more miles reliable service.

I used mine for 7/8 months last year, 3/4 days a week, only problem was a failed HT lead.


P

 

[StuartK]

I'd try and get a 190d

 

[The Mirror Man]

Sounds promising.

In the interest of preventative maintenance: what sort of things start to fail at 23 years old? Any common issues I can take care of before they give way.

 

[neilrr]

I'd try and get a 190d

I wouldn't. At 70 he doesn't have the time to drive a slug.

Sounds promising.

In the interest of preventative maintenance: what sort of things start to fail at 23 years old? Any common issues I can take care of before they give way.

Everything, possibly. Preventative maintenance on a 23+ year old car is a Sisyphean task.

Ask here too - Mercedes-190.co.uk

 

[bolide]

The commonest problems on 190s are split front shock absorber top mounts, soft saggy springs and worn shock absorbers

Other than that, they seem pretty bullet-proof if you find one that hasn't got any rust spots. Usually rust is caused by poor accident / stone chip / scratch paint repairs - the original paint is superb

Nick Froome

 

[190]

I owned a 190e for 21 years without any big mechanical faults. It needed one water pump, a heater valve and a thermostat and that was it except for the usual service and wear items. The engine was faultless but the coolant does need to be maintained to prevent head gasket problems. The real issue is going to be rust, not necessarily on the body work as front wings are easily replaced but underneath where they tend to rust eventually around the jacking points and suspension mounts. If you can find a good one though it should be more reliable than a modern car not less because there is little in the way of electronics to go wrong. The engine will still run even if the ECU fails as the fuel injection is fundamentally a mechanical system. If it's fitted with ABS there is also an ECU for that but mine never caused any problems.

 

[Will]

Rust is probably the main concern. All the other stuff is easy bolt on, bolt off jobs.

There's still a few nice well cared for cars out there, but the days of tidy £1000 cars that you could buy and just drive are over. They're either rot boxes that scrape through MOTs which are pretty much rolling restorations or cherished examples for high prices - not much in between IMHO.

At 79 I probably wouldn't advise one unless he wants to pay top dollar for a superb example and then have it cared for by a local specialist? You say he had one a couple of years ago - I guess he/you must know by now what they are like? Everything will be the same - some parts harder to obtain/more expensive, the cars themselves now a bit older/more tired and some a bit more rusty.

 

[The Mirror Man]

Up date:

I think my dad has decided to stick with his Honda Jaz. Head over heart, which is fare enough: jaz, easier to get in and out of and the mechanical piece of mind etc etc.

Thanks to all who responded and maybe this thread has help someone else out too.

Cheers guys.

 

[TDE1]

A Sisyphean task.

Didn't know what you meant. Do now, thanks to the www.

Tomorrow I WILL drop it into conversation at work. It's very appropriate.

Cheers!

(Sorry OP, I know even less about 190's than I do Greek mythology).

 

[190]

I looked up Sisyphean task too and can say it was becoming very apt for what was in my case maintaining the underside of a 26 year old car. At least it's apt for a daily driver that has to go out in rain and salt regardless. An old car used on dry days only is another thing altogether and much easier to maintain in good order. A really nice 190e would be a pleasure to own in that role.

 

[DaveLondon]

With all German cars of this 'analogue age' (I'm including things like the E30 BMW and Mk2 Golf GTi), they will go forever with the right attention - and I'm assuming you would prefer that this attention had been lavished by a previous owner, than leave it to your dad. I would buy the most rust-free example you can find with plenty of paperwork/history, and keep everything crossed.