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Wanted: 1993 Mercedes 190E (or 190LE)

But it's quite a nice green (IMO)

5ee88l.jpg
 
Will said:
How much were you looking to pay?

If that 1993 car has a genuine 38K, and the condition is commensurate with this, I would say that the asking price (£1995) is pretty reasonable, especially considering the spec (2.0, auto, alloys, airbag etc) :) - marque specialists would certainly ask quite a bit more than that ;)

The majority of people who have low mileage, mint cars, know the value of them and price them accordingly.

Will
Click to expand...

I'm not looking for one with ultra-low miles particularly, though if its within in my price range then I'll be happy. I've got around £1500 to spend, which could have got me a 1993 190LE with 54k, had I been faster on my feet. :(

I think is not unreasonable to ask for a 190E with less than about 80000 miles for £1500. Anything north of £1500, to me anyway, is ridiculous money for what is a basic baby Benz that is now 15 years old (at the youngest), no matter how low the mileage. I could understand £2000+ for one of the EVO or larger engined 190E, but for a pauper specced 1.8 or 2.0 litre, no way.
 
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Hi again,

Some fair points there, I think I understand where you are coming from :)

What I would say though is that £500 is little more than a set of tyres and a basic service/MOT these days. Certainly worth evaluating each car on it's own merit rather than getting too fixated by a mileage 'figure' - eg 80k.

These cars only ever die of neglect, a well looked after 100k model should be in no tangible different condition to when it was at 60 or 80k. Many of the parts that deteriorate will be age related (15+), not just mileage related. Stuff like seals, brake pipes, exhausts etc. And watch out for rust!

One large repair could jeopardise the economics of any of these cars, it makes sense to view a few and you'll get a feel of a good car.

Not sure how far away the 38k mile one is from you but it might be worth viewing anyway, I'm sure the seller would be more open to negotiation if you've made the effort to view the car first - at least you'd know exactly what you'd be 'bidding' for :)

Good luck,

Will
 
m_chalubowicz said:
15 years - 38k miles....
sorry don't buy this story it gives you 48miles per week
....
answers the question
Click to expand...

Sorry, but not everyone uses their cars everyday. Low mileage cars do exist, however this alone is not enough on it's own to guarantee a perfect car.

My 2.5-16 does less mileage than you refer to these days. 38K miles in 15 years is still some 2500 miles per annum.

Will
 
I spoke to the dealer about that 38K car and it is your typical "old-lady" car so it was used to potter to and fro from the local shops. Apparently she died and its being sold off on behalf of the family.

I do agree that mileage is not everything, indeed you can have a neglected car with low mileage. However with 190s above 100k they tend to have stuff like valve stem seals go and head gaskets which can be inconvenient to say the least.

I'm just a bit worried about these apparent common weaknesses, which is why I'm after something with less 100k (at least) - not that low mileage guarentees in anyway that the head gasket/valve stem seals won't go the day after you've bought :p

I really appreciate the help that you guys have given me - thanks!

By the way the prices that some people asked! I have one 1993 190LE with 99000 on the clock with a blown head gasket and the price was £1500...what planet are these people living on?! And another 190LE with 140000-odd miles (thats on Gumtree right now) for £1250...he must be having a laugh - not matter how good condition it is its still 140000 miles.

I've spotted a low mileage (54000 mile) 190E, but its a Japanese import. Apart from the obvious hike in insurance premium are there significant differences between a 190E from Europe and one from Japan?
 
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nullogik said:
I spoke to the dealer about that 38K car and it is your typical "old-lady" car so it was used to potter to and fro from the local shops. Apparently she died and its being sold off on behalf of the family.
Click to expand...

IMHO that's one of the worst histories a car can have. Never driven enough to get properly hot, pussyfooted around by an old biddy who used it on stop-start journeys. You may find too that the owner changed the oil & / or serviced the car on the mileage schedule rather than annually (as the Owner's Manual requires) so there may be loooooong gaps and very hard miles in between oil changes.

nullogik said:
I do agree that mileage is not everything, indeed you can have a neglected car with low mileage. However with 190s above 100k they tend to have stuff like valve stem seals go and head gaskets which can be inconvenient to say the least.

I'm just a bit worried about these apparent common weaknesses, which is why I'm after something with less 100k (at least) - not that low mileage guarentees in anyway that the head gasket/valve stem seals won't go the day after you've bought :p
Click to expand...

In my experience if the oil has been changed at around 5-6000 or more frequently & the engine has never been overheated these M102 (& M103) engines go on for a very long time. They're simple, durable & pretty much bulletproof. I've had umpteen W201s and never replaced a valve stem seal or a CHG, or for that matter any major component. The MB indy I use says the ones that are flogged hard, after being gently warmed up of course, (like all mine!) are the ones which run best & last longest. It's the pampered, never driven above 70 mph or near the red line cars that develop problems.

nullogik said:
I've spotted a low mileage (54000 mile) 190E, but its a Japanese import. Apart from the obvious hike in insurance premium are there significant differences between a 190E from Europe and one from Japan?
Click to expand...

Yes, it will have a completely unverifiable mileage & service history.
 
Neilrr is very correct.

My 190 2.6 is now on 278k, and runs perfectly.

Don't be blinded by the low mileage cars, after experiencing the pitfalls of buying a 30yr old 20k miles car I would much rather have one that has been used properly.
 
Found a car! A 190LE with 80k on it and FSH for somewhat below my budget.
 
Woops, sorry I didn't update.

I purchased the car and its a real beauty. :)

Its a little dusty at the moment - after driving it back home, but I'm going to clean it up this weekend. As such I don't want to post any pictures of it dirty...but I will after the weekend.:p

Details...Well its a 1994 (first reg'd) MB 190LE in the limited edition Azzuro blue colour with light grey interior. Its the LE model, so it has the x4 electric windows, tilt/slide steel sunroof, Blaupunkt radio, auto gearbox, 8-hole alloy wheels, electric aerial, rear armrest, walnut dash trim as standard. And as its a 2.0 190LE it has in addition to that, front armrest and rear head rests.

The car bodily is totally clean (no rust, and crucially none in the boot or on the jacking points). At the moment it has very slight rough idle which I might post about in another thread if I can't find the solution and the rear box sounds a little "boomy". But it does have plenty of tax and MOT left on it. It also came with a huge bill of bills going back to when it was brand new and has had a lot of parts replaced over the last couple of years ie. heater fan done reacently, serviced the sunroof etc. Its also just had a recent service.

All in all it was good buy for a good price and I'm thrilled to bits. I will post some pics after I get it cleaned over the weekend (weather permitting).

Once again I appreciate the help and support you guys have given me over the past few weeks.
 
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