is it worth it or not

[2.5 cossie]

hi all
i need some advice please, im being offered a 2.5 190e cosworth in exchange for my ducati.

my ducati is worth 5300 but i paid 4000 for it and the seller of the cossie wants 4000 for his as a quick sale.

i have always wanted one of these cars and only the cossie or the evo but im unlikley to find a evo for the money i have to spend.

this is a 89 model, burgandyish colour, undamaged, clean, full service history, totaly standard apart from stainless exhaust, 110,000 miles and hpi clear, half leather and everything working, no noises or rattles and all electrics work.

is this worth this money quite simply, is ito ver priced or a bargain, do they cost more or less to buy ?

what goes wrong with these and what should i look out for ?

again thanks in advance, i would like one of these but id rather get a good one going ion so to speek.

cheers
terry
cossie 2.5

 

[pirellipete]

2.5 cossie

Hi,
I don't have one myself, but a good friend does, he's had it from new, 1986 and only done 75,000 miles in it.
He lives in the Northeast and has trouble finding someone to service it as his nearest MB dealers don't want to touch it and there aren't many specialist Cosworth dealers around.
As a result he has had a lot of the gadgets disconnected such as active suspension etc due to lack of service and parts.

He wouldn't sell it but if he had to he'd be lucky to get the money you're looking to pay for one, check out auto trader and other car mags for a decent price guide, (Not teaching you to suck eggs here)

But, like all these things, if its what you want, its worth it !!
Good luck
Pirellipete

 

[bazza]

Best people in the UK are in Port Glasgow(Merparts)and a lot of people from the north of England use them. I was offered a 2.5-16 and went to see them to ask what went wrong. ENGINE, if not looked after will cost serious money.
Even though the car I was looking at was owned by an MB tech for 8 years I was told to always bank on spending £3-4k on the engine at some point. If I didn't ,then I had won a watch.
Also the SLS at the rear can cause problems as can the ASR.

Best advice is to get it checked over by someone who really knows these cars


Bazza

 

[squealinneil]

Cosworths don't have active suspension.

What is SLS? The two I had both came with ASD, not ASR. My last, sold recently, was beautiful, but there are few buyers.

http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t=10809



2.5 Cossie,

Try http://merc190uk.forumhoster.com/index.php?

Specialist 190 site with many 16 valve regular contributors.

 

[Unleashed]

Self Levelling Suspension.
And agreed, try the 190 forum posted above.

 

[996jimbo]

Keep the Ducati and do track days. What sort of Ducati?

So far as the price is concerned the bottom has fallen out of the market for V twins just now.

 

[bazza]

My aspologies, ASD- automatic locking differential. Too many acronyms these days


Bazza

PS ASR is MB's traction control(Acceleration Slip Regulation)

 

[Bolide]

2.5 Cosworth

Terry


The car's starting off looking good if it's got history, lowish mileage and everything works

How many owners has it had, how long has the previous owner had it and why is he selling it?

I don't know why people (and dealers) are scared of these cars. They're a 190 with a 16-valve engine and a few suspension tweaks - no rocket science involved

The self-levelling suspension will probably be just the same as a W124, which is very similar to a Citroen BX. So again it's not rocket science

I'd be wary of electrical/control system problems (ASR, ASD) before mechanical stuff as the mechanics should be good & tough

Obviously bits unique to the Cosworth will be pretty much impossible to find at breakers and so will be expensive, but that's the price you pay for a rare car

I'd ignore the price, Ducati factor & everything else and ask if this Cossie is the one you want. Right spec? Right colour? Right history? If the answer's yes then have it inspected, make a decision, offer what you think is a fair price and let us know!


Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

 

[stwat]

The car sounds very nice and about the right price(if it is as good as it sounds)

Just to correct you on one tiny little thing though. The 2.5's were not tweaked by Cosworth. That was only the earlier 2.3's. The 2.5 was an engine built totally "in house" by Mercedes Benz. So technically it shouldn't be referred to as a Cosworth!!

Sorry for being a little picky but its a fact that gets overlooked all the time ;-)

Stu

 

[pirellipete]

2.5 cossie

Actiove suspension/self levelling suspension
lets split hairs here then, its still gadgetry on the suspension