Advice and Experience with 190's

[ErinMcK]

Hi all,

Not sure if this is the right place to come, but I'm 22 and in the market for a 190 and looking for any advice and information people are willing to share about the car and experiences.

I'm new to working on cars (I practically know nothing but I am fortunate to have people around me that know their stuff and can teach me) I've loved this model for ages hence why I've decided to start looking for one.

It won't be my daily driver so it'll only be used for the occasional short/medium trip or shorter distances. I can see myself owning the car for as long as I can keep it running maybe being its last owner because it's probably my end goal.

In terms of insurance I'm not expecting anything amazing but I am hoping it'll be under 2k, I've done some looking around and do think this will be possible.

Ultimately like I said at the start I'm looking for any opinions, advice, tips and general knowledge that you think is important or even just handy things to know.
Issues to avoid?
Common problems?

 

[harrye500]

Good morning to you. I don't have specific knowledge of 190's but I have run classic cars and you'd essentially have a modern classic. Look for the usual things in an older car such as corrosion, electrical faults, mechanical issues, seals and mountings especially Suspension etc. As its also a classic, you may be able to get classic insurance which is often very good value especially if you have any no-claims bonus you can add to the policy. If you have none, you may find it expensive as a first car / new driver. There are 190 owners on here who may offer more specific advice. The 190 though is still a fine motor and relatively simple by modern standards. I'd say finding one with the fewest owners would be best but as they are older, best advice from me is to check everything throughly and drive anything you want to buy and set aside a few £ to put anything right on anything you do buy.

 

[bladecrazy]

Hi all,

Not sure if this is the right place to come, but I'm 22 and in the market for a 190 and looking for any advice and information people are willing to share about the car and experiences.

I'm new to working on cars (I practically know nothing but I am fortunate to have people around me that know their stuff and can teach me) I've loved this model for ages hence why I've decided to start looking for one.

It won't be my daily driver so it'll only be used for the occasional short/medium trip or shorter distances. I can see myself owning the car for as long as I can keep it running maybe being its last owner because it's probably my end goal.

In terms of insurance I'm not expecting anything amazing but I am hoping it'll be under 2k, I've done some looking around and do think this will be possible.

Ultimately like I said at the start I'm looking for any opinions, advice, tips and general knowledge that you think is important or even just handy things to know.
Issues to avoid?
Common problems?

Good for you , i would say the main thing would be rust , i would think the diesel version would be a rarer car to own , listen to any car from stone cold , build quality should be good from that era good luck.

 

[rifiki]

Welcome Try mercedes-190.co.uk
Also try google Mercedes W201 Do not get mixed up with 190 W121, its a 1950s car.

 

[Norton Insurance Brokers]

Hi all,

Not sure if this is the right place to come, but I'm 22 and in the market for a 190 and looking for any advice and information people are willing to share about the car and experiences.

I'm new to working on cars (I practically know nothing but I am fortunate to have people around me that know their stuff and can teach me) I've loved this model for ages hence why I've decided to start looking for one.

It won't be my daily driver so it'll only be used for the occasional short/medium trip or shorter distances. I can see myself owning the car for as long as I can keep it running maybe being its last owner because it's probably my end goal.

In terms of insurance I'm not expecting anything amazing but I am hoping it'll be under 2k, I've done some looking around and do think this will be possible.

Ultimately like I said at the start I'm looking for any opinions, advice, tips and general knowledge that you think is important or even just handy things to know.
Issues to avoid?
Common problems?

Great to hear you're on the search for a 190, @ErinMcK! Some great tips above already too.

In terms of getting classic car insurance, it's always trickier and more expensive for people under the age of 25 as claims are more frequent and of higher value. We're most competitive for people over the age of 25 for this reason, but we would be happy to provide a quote for you if you'd like us to.

Have you thought about a multi car insurance policy too? You could insure both your daily drive and 190 on the same policy in many cases, and we can also look into this for you if you wish

 

[AndySlade]

I think @daveenty used to own a good example. Perhaps he can share his wisdom on what to look out for and possible pitfalls?

 

[daveenty]

It's a while since I had mine, in fact over 7 years when I originally bought it. I did a fair amount of research on them beforehand though so, if any of the following helps you, it's not been a complete waste of time.

I know nothing about diesels so I won't be any help at all if that's what you're thinking of, mine was the 2.5-16 (Cosworth) model. I'll admit to liking the 6 cylinder ones but don't know enough about them to comment really so I'd sooner leave the mechanical side to someone familiar with the models..

The singular most important thing to be aware of on the W201 is their incredible ability to dissolve in front of your eyes. Let's face it, they've not been made now for over 30 years so most of them have a certain degree of rust lurking around.

The main check points are the usual places, inner and outer sills, jacking points, the rear subframe and it's mountings, also as much underneath the subframe as you can get to. I ended up taking mine off to clean up all the underside, even the transmission tunnel had rust spots all over it which, due to the complex shape of it, took hours to clean up. Rear wishbones also get damaged by rust, as do the front spring perches and the springs themselves. Finally, the front of chassis legs behind the front bumper are also vulnerable. Whilst you're under the car, try to check as much of the underseal as you can for splits and cracks. The factory underseal is excellent stuff though, after a few years, tends to get damaged and allow water in. This can cause a few problems, on mine it caused a rear wheel tub and arch to rot away so I had to cut it all out and let new metal in. It's also worth mentioning at this stage to check the bodywork, in particular the wheel arches, front wings and where the trim (Sacco) panels bolt through. Look in the boot at the inner wings for these.

As I mentioned earlier, I won't go into the mechanical side, I've probably bored you enough anyway, though it's pretty much the same as with any car, particularly an older one. Basically, if it makes a noise which sounds like it could be expensive, it will be. Finding someone to work on these older things is another problem nowadays, the guys who were brought up with them are now getting to retirement age and a lot of the younger ones don't want to know. Another thing to bear in mind is that a lot of parts are now difficult to find. I have a good relationship with my local dealers after owning Mercedes for around 30 years but I still struggle to get certain bits.

Good luck with whatever you decide and let us know how it goes but please beware of the rust issues which can kill these cars.