MERCEDES BENZ 190E 2.3-16 is Piston Head's SOTW

[blondebier]

I'm gob smacked!

SOTW: Mercedes Benz 190E 2.3-16

You can pick these up for under a grand...

With a little fettling that could be a great car.

 

[Benzin]

The big question is, whats wrong with it to go so cheap apart from lack of T&T and high miles??

 

[peterg1965]

Already posted.

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/gene...pistonheads-sotw-mb-190e-2-3-16-cosworth.html

 

[N/B]

Been discussed at length on Mercedes190.co.uk.

Typically, a sub-£1500 16-valve will look fine on the outside, a little tired inside, and sound like it just needs a damn good thrash.
However, it will probably look like this beneath that aero package.

Factor in £500+ in welding, plus paint.
And minor engine work.
And brakes.
And suspension (Hydro-pneumatic SLS, and more rubber bushes than you can count).

These cars can develop a 'to do' list as long as the Magna Carta, provided you want to keep them standard and in good working order.
The other option (which I predict will become increasingly popular in the next two years) is to eschew originality for mild 'development', stripping all the pricey bits out (SLS delete is already common, and EFI conversions are a convincing alternative to buying more and more overpriced Bosch K-Jet components).

They do make fabulous track cars, and interest in them is gathering momentum.

 

[Will]

I'm a great fan of these cars (2.3/2.5-16s) but as Neil says, they don't normally make financial sense at this level. They can guzzle up money at an alarming rate, so a full-blown restoration could cost you thousands - madness when you can still find nice examples for sensible money still. Even bodywork/interiors aside, unlike regular W201s many of the parts are unique to these models and can be quite expensive.

For example - some parts prices from memory:

Exhaust manifold - £1100 + vat
Exhaust system - about £1k from MB
Rear struts - about £300 each
2.3-16 timing chain/tensioner and rails/sprockets - £1k
VDO stopwatch - £300

Having said that, for the cash that Pistonheads car looks like a bargain. It could still sting you for a good few grand though if you were to bring it up to scratch.

A bit like many older/collectable MBs - eg 126 SECs, R107 SLs etc. The difference between a rotten basket case and a peach is huge.

Even my old 2.5-16 Auto that I sold a few months ago had about £14,000 worth of bills covering maintenance/repairs for the last 10 or so years.

Unfortunately, that's why so many of these cars end up as restoration projects. People drive them into the ground because they can afford to buy them, but don't want to/can't afford to look after them.

In a nutshell - you either pay upfront or you pay in the long run, no real shortcuts

Will