Back now, and not drunk!!!! ;-)
I have always had a soft spot for the 2.6l version of the 190e, so I bought one. In all honesty, it has been a great car and hasn't really done anything to surprise me.
Not really sure where to start, so here goes:
The engine is the M103, which I think is used widely in the E class of similar vintage. Really takes off from around 3700rpm, but has enough torque to pull the car around at lower revs. Fuel consumption is crap, unless you drive around with the gearbox in Winter mode and keep off the gas. Typically I will get 240-260 miles per 65 litre tank whilst driving "enthusiastically" around town. Headgaskets are a known issue and will require £500 worth of work to replace (I've just had mine done). Rear crankshaft seal is always worth a look, as you have to drop the gearbox out to fix it (~£400).
Air conditioning is standard MB. If kept well serviced it will go forever. Mine wasn't working when I got the car, but an evacuate and regas has it going again.
Gearbox seems strong and well suited to the power output of the car, however if you spend a lot of time on the motorway a 5 speed is something you will long for.
Suspension seems very good on the standard car. When I had standard profile tyres on the car, you felt totally disconnected from the road. Now that I have 40 series tyres it feels quite sporty.
Brakes are more than adequate. Cheap to replace too. The 2.6 has vented front discs and solid rears, which respond quickly when requested. The ABS works rather well.
Boot space is a little limited, so make sure that it is adequate for you before you buy. Seats can sag in the front, so check them out and make sure that they are acceptable. Always ensure that the sunroof is lubricated as maintenance to these is very expensive. Many of the early airbags only had 10 year life spans - £700 + VAT to replace! I have been assured that this was a conservative approach by MB, and should work for many years to come.
I paid £2000 for mine from the clearance section of a yard in London. It's in very good condition and was sold to me with approx 140k miles on it. It drives like a much newer car, as it has been fairly well maintained. I got a partial service history, but would urge you to try for one with a full history. Since purchase, I have spent £650 on wheels/tyres, £450 on a water pump (which I broke), £500 on a headgasket and about £200 on miscellaneous other bits (which didn't need replacing). Next thing is brakes and suspension rubbers, and I can't see much else that needs to be done.
I took it to the Nurburgring in Germany with the club recently, and it managed 130mph on the autobahn, mainly limited by the gearing. Track performance was blistering. I did 6 laps around the ring of which 4 were "keen laps". The brakes did not fade once and the car handling was completely predictable. I didn't come off once (but did manage a movie star sideways slide in the wet past some people with video cameras!).
The long (sorry - a bit too long) and short of it is that this car is very capable, and if it dies, I will buy another immediately. Hope that this helps.
. . . thrashed to within an inch of its life . . ? not really !!
