Need Some Buying Advice For A 19/20 Year Old With A Passion For Mercedes

Ismael Arshad

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Hi, this is my first forum post and I was hoping for some insight into the w201 Mercedes 190e/190d.

I have had a golf MKV 1.6 fsi for almost a year now (no idea how i managed to find decent insurance as an 18 year old) and I honestly haven't had a single issue with the car, it runs beautifully.

But I can't deny my lust for a 190e and eventually the beautiful w114.

I was hoping for some insight into the 190e/190d, I honestly don't know what I'm looking for so I'd like some help from some of the more experienced owners.
First of all I wanted to mention would much prefer the 190d due to it being more reliable and economical (i'm a student and don't care for driving fast, i'm the low and slow kinda guy). I'm not expecting any amazing prices for insurance (which is frustrating because it's not like it's a golf R or a high end sports car) but going by normal rules i believe the 2.0 diesel would be better suited to me.

I'm just really struggling to find something that isn't going to ruin my (already low) bank account.

I was planning on selling my golf for one. so my budget will probably be around £2k.

What kinds of issues am I trying to avoid?
What kinds of things should I look out for?
And finally what would be better suited to insurance companies the petrol or diesel?
Any advice would be appreciated :)
 

robparker

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If you manage to find a clean 190d with no rust (rusty sills, rust around the subframe etc) it will likely be a good servant to you. You will have to replace steering linkages and suspension components come mot time each year, and probably not much else. A good car to learn to work on too.
I had a 240TD when I was 19, then a 190d2.5 when I was 20, and both were very affordable to run.
 
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Ismael Arshad

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If you manage to find a clean 190d with no rust (rusty sills, rust around the subframe etc) it will likely be a good servant to you. You will have to replace steering linkages and suspension components come mot time each year, and probably not much else. A good car to learn to work on too.
I had a 240TD when I was 19, then a 190d2.5 when I was 20, and both were very affordable to run.
Thank you very much for your reply, how much would I be looking at for maintenance then? And how can I prevent rust building up when I own the car myself?
 

Wighty

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I would think you be best keeping the Golf for a couple more years as you know it's all working and wait until you have built up more No Claims years on your insurance . Maybe learn some basic repairs and servicing on your car first ? I know that's a bit over sensible but you have many years ahead to buy an old car that may be costly ? And welcome to the forum :D
 
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Ismael Arshad

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I would think you be best keeping the Golf for a couple more years as you know it's all working and wait until you have built up more No Claims years on your insurance . Maybe learn some basic repairs and servicing on your car first ? I know that's a bit over sensible but you have many years ahead to buy an old car that may be costly ? And welcome to the forum :D
Thanks for your reply, my main issue was that eventually I was planning on moving on to the w114 in my sandwich year for uni in 3 years, and by the time I get there this golf will probably be worth nothing.
So if anything it's a means of eventually getting to a w114.
And also the I'm just an additional driver on the policy so I'm not actually building any NCB unfortunately.
 

daveenty

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Thank you very much for your reply, how much would I be looking at for maintenance then? And how can I prevent rust building up when I own the car myself?

Rob who replied to you earlier knows these cars very well so well worth taking note of his posts. There are a few people on here with 190s, myself included, and we'd probably all agree that rust is the main killer, in particular under the headlamps/front chassis legs, spring perches, jacking points, subframe mounts, underneath the subframe and the subframe itself.

I paint a bad picture but just want to make you aware of what you could be getting into. A lot of due diligence would make sure that you are buying a good one and, no disrespect, but going by your post I'd be tempted to take someone with you who knows exactly what to look for. You don't mention a location but if you were to give us a vague idea then I'm sure that someone would be able to help you with this.

The maintenance is pretty basic and any decent "old school" garage should be able to cope, but a specialist in the marque would be an added bonus.

Good luck with your purchase, there are still a lot of good cars about and they're a pleasure to drive when they're all sorted.
 

LostKiwi

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'93 500SL-32, '01 W210 Estate E240 (RIP), 02 R230 SL500, 04 Smart Roadster Coupe, 11 R350CDi
Using a 30 year old car (let alone a 40 year old one) as your daily driver is at best challenging and at worst very expensive. Rust will be a constant concern and spare parts can be a challenge to source as often they aren't available. For example the keys for certain 129s are no longer available. When parts become unavailable new used ones rocket in price.
You also have a potential issue with using the car in cities. Increasingly there are emissions zones coming into force. A 30 year old diesel is not going to be able to be driven into many cities soon. Awkward if that's where you study or get a job or placement. In that respect petrols will also become problematic.

Owning classic cars can be rewarding and great fun but they require significant investment in time and financial commitment.
 
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Ismael Arshad

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Rob who replied to you earlier knows these cars very well so well worth taking note of his posts. There are a few people on here with 190s, myself included, and we'd probably all agree that rust is the main killer, in particular under the headlamps/front chassis legs, spring perches, jacking points, subframe mounts, underneath the subframe and the subframe itself.

I paint a bad picture but just want to make you aware of what you could be getting into. A lot of due diligence would make sure that you are buying a good one and, no disrespect, but going by your post I'd be tempted to take someone with you who knows exactly what to look for. You don't mention a location but if you were to give us a vague idea then I'm sure that someone would be able to help you with this.

The maintenance is pretty basic and any decent "old school" garage should be able to cope, but a specialist in the marque would be an added bonus.

Good luck with your purchase, there are still a lot of good cars about and they're a pleasure to drive when they're all sorted.
Yeah I'm fairly new to buying and working on cars, I've learned quite a bit from the internet but just watching someone fix something is much different than fixing something yourself, I'm based around Manchester, thank you for your advice
 
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Ismael Arshad

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Using a 30 year old car (let alone a 40 year old one) as your daily driver is at best challenging and at worst very expensive. Rust will be a constant concern and spare parts can be a challenge to source as often they aren't available. For example the keys for certain 129s are no longer available. When parts become unavailable new used ones rocket in price.
You also have a potential issue with using the car in cities. Increasingly there are emissions zones coming into force. A 30 year old diesel is not going to be able to be driven into many cities soon. Awkward if that's where you study or get a job or placement. In that respect petrols will also become problematic.

Owning classic cars can be rewarding and great fun but they require significant investment in time and financial commitment.
As a result of the emissions zones do you think the value of the cars in general will be affected? As like I mentioned earlier I plan on moving on to a Mercedes w114 eventually.
 

LostKiwi

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As a result of the emissions zones do you think the value of the cars in general will be affected? As like I mentioned earlier I plan on moving on to a Mercedes w114 eventually.
I don't think the emissions zones will have much impact on good ones as in most cases they are cherished second (or third or fourth) cars so not used for daily duties. It does effectively make them harder to use as daily drivers so for anything that's not pristine it may drive values down.
The other thing to consider is that using a classic like a 114 as a daily will quickly increase its mileage which may have a large effect on its value.
 
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Ismael Arshad

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I don't think the emissions zones will have much impact on good ones as in most cases they are cherished second (or third or fourth) cars so not used for daily duties. It does effectively make them harder to use as daily drivers so for anything that's not pristine it may drive values down.
The other thing to consider is that using a classic like a 114 as a daily will quickly increase its mileage which may have a large effect on its value.
I'm not worried about the value of the w114 as I plan on keeping it, regardless of whether it's a daily driver or just a cruising car, it's mainly the 190d I'm worried about as I want to be able to get my money back so I can put it towards the w114
 

robparker

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You don't want to use a 114 as a daily driver. Had a couple before and they are great as weekend cars, but a 114 will be thirsty as anything (obviously they are all 6-cyl engines, and not my favourite) and using one daily, particularly in the winter, it will rot away quickly, they rotted badly when they were brand new, let alone now.
You could get away with a 190d as a daily, but be prepared to spend on bodywork and keep it wax oiled
 
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Ismael Arshad

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You don't want to use a 114 as a daily driver. Had a couple before and they are great as weekend cars, but a 114 will be thirsty as anything (obviously they are all 6-cyl engines, and not my favourite) and using one daily, particularly in the winter, it will rot away quickly, they rotted badly when they were brand new, let alone now.
You could get away with a 190d as a daily, but be prepared to spend on bodywork and keep it wax oiled
Yeah I imagined so to be honest, at the time I won't be using it as a main car I would have another as I'll probably be insured on my sister's car as well (which she doesn't use much)
 

js190d

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1991 w201 190d 2.5/ 2002 s210 320cdi avantgarde
I have owned my 190d 2.5 for 7 years now and they are great cars more than capable of still being used on a daily basis. Parts are not expensive in general.
MIne is on 304000 miles now and still runs very well. Areas i have had issues with are the aux belt system which runs pas, alternator and water pump. If the tensioner, shock abs, aux belt or pulleys are not perfect you will have a problem so when buying inspect this area (just behind the rad) carefully. Budget around 100quid to replace the lot.
Front lower ball joints should also be checked as they are a safety issue if failing. They are press fitted so can be expensive to replace, although you can do it yourself if you have access to a ball joint press.
The 190 forum has a great buyers guide on there highlighting all the rust areas to look out for.
There is also all the advantages of a fully mechanical diesel to consider. No ecu's to deal with (you can start a 190d and then take the battery out and it still runs) and cheap bio fuels.
Best of luck in your search.
 
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L John

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The only diesel I ever owned (and ever will own apart from a 6 cylinder diesel which are in a different league), was a 2.2 Renault Laguna, the performance was poor but the insurance was high.
When I asked the insurer why it was so expensive as the performance was snail like, they said the size of the engine governed the price more than the performance stats but that was a long time ago, maybe things have changed.

How old does a car have to be before it qualifies to be insured as a classic vehicle?
Not sure what savings are possible but it's worth looking into.
 

d215yq

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Go for it if it's what you want and can afford an OK one. I have run a 32 year old W124 300d (similar age/build/engine to a 190d) for the last 3 and a half years doing 20k miles pa as my only car. I didn't get a good one and bought v cheap thinking it needed 500 of repairs and it needed a fair bit more than that in the nightmare first year but since then it has been far cheaper on repairs and more reliable* than my other friends cars that do a third of the mileage and are 5-15 yrs old. It's easy to work on and service for soemone like me who is practically minded but has never been taught anything so need to learn it all on here/youtube, etc.

*if you count reliable as getting to where you want to go, with only one "non start" due to a faulty alternator in 70k miles.

Obviously there are loads of little things that crop up every so often and have to be mended over the odd weekend (change fuses, fix a wiring connection, araldite a leaky washer bottle, dismantle and oil electric aerial, 6 monthly spray with dinitrol everyhwere I can) and a bit of "what's that strange squeak, I'll ignore it if it doesn't get any worse" type stuff but the key components that make it start stop and steer don't give much problems.

If you get a 190d I would guess it would be more economical than the golf you are replacing, not sure about the petrol models. The 190ds must atleast have stopped depreciating now and I doubt city legislation will reverse that trend.

As for insurance it's a dark art so only way you'll know is to get multiple quotes on the golf, 190e, 190d, etc and see for yourself
 

daveenty

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As the threads been bumped with all the pros and cons of a 190, I'll attach a token picture of mine to help the O/P make his mind up as to whether he still wants one or not. ;)

BOTG 01 From Big Un.jpg
 

L John

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Don't you just hate it when you show a photo of a well polished car and someone says, "you missed a bit".

So I'm not going to say anything about the side window :p
 

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