Anyone on here knows 190e?

[Charley]

Ok so I am almost done with the touring for this year and winter
is coming fast so I need a DD for school and work.

Does anyone have experience with 190e? Are they as easy to fix
than e30's?

Around here I can get a 4cyl(2.3l) auto(yes auto I don't care it's
a DD to sit in trafic) from 2000 to 3000$. It fits my budget while
having around 1000$ for maintenance(I do most of it myself or
can get it done real cheap so the money is mostly for parts)

Plan is to keep the car completely stock(ride height, wheel, engine
and all)

For those who own one or have experience with them, is this
a good idea?

Charley

PS: I have allready owned a tercel(96), 2 corolla(95/97), a sierra(97), a
a camry(00) and of course e30's. If you can make a comparison
with one of those that would be great.
PPS: NO I don't need awd.

[BoxDriver86]

I had an '87 300e for a few years and other than it being generally boring to drive, it was a great commuter car. I don't recall it being difficult to work on or generally expensive to maintain. Had a lot going for it and I ended up selling it for what I paid 180K later. It was garbage in the snow.

That being said, I understand the 190e is less expensive to maintain and was a little more nimble. I've been keeping a lookout for a manual as a new daily driver.

[Emre]

I've got an '87 w201 16v and a '91 e30 318is, so I can compare.

In terms of reliability, the w201 has a few major issues. For one thing, the electrical system is a nightmare. Unless EVERYTHING works, walk away. You'll be pulling your hair out if you have to start chasing down electrical gremlins. Also, the Bosch CIS/K-Jet system is a major pain in the ass. It can be tricky to get them to run right and the associated hardware will cost a fortune. With respect to the electrical system and engine management, the e30 is miles ahead.

Mechanically, these cars are dead reliable and very simple to work on. It's easy to swap brake calipers, rotors, sway bars, and wheels among Mercedes models, so you have tons of options for "factory upgrades." Make sure you find one with a functioning LSD; they're not as robust as BMW diffs and it's tricky to find someone qualified to rebuild them.

In terms of feel, the w201 chassis is FAR stiffer than the e30, the body is more aerodynamic, and the suspension is much more sophisticated (particularly at the rear). All of this makes the car feel totally planted at high speeds and very stable in fast corners. The trade off is that it's less playful in low speed corners, but this isn't really a bad thing for a daily driver. I prefer the e30 when it comes to steering precision. And it has a more sporty feel than the 190e.

The e30 also has far more aftermarket support, but if you plan to keep the car stock, then this isn't really an issue. The interior of the w201 is more spacious and the car does better in crash tests, whereas the e30 can feel a bit like a death-trap...especially if you're a 6'2" 200 lbs guy like me.

[Charley]

I had an '87 300e for a few years and other than it being generally boring to drive, it was a great commuter car. I don't recall it being difficult to work on or generally expensive to maintain. Had a lot going for it and I ended up selling it for what I paid 180K later. It was garbage in the snow.

That being said, I understand the 190e is less expensive to maintain and was a little more nimble. I've been keeping a lookout for a manual as a new daily driver.

They are said to be easy to fix... I've been looking for a few weeks and
haven't seen any manual for sale.

I've got an '87 w201 16v and a '91 e30 318is, so I can compare.

In terms of reliability, the w201 has a few major issues. For one thing, the electrical system is a nightmare. Unless EVERYTHING works, walk away. You'll be pulling your hair out if you have to start chasing down electrical gremlins. Also, the Bosch CIS/K-Jet system is a major pain in the ass. It can be tricky to get them to run right and the associated hardware will cost a fortune. With respect to the electrical system and engine management, the e30 is miles ahead.

Mechanically, these cars are dead reliable and very simple to work on. It's easy to swap brake calipers, rotors, sway bars, and wheels among Mercedes models, so you have tons of options for "factory upgrades." Make sure you find one with a functioning LSD; they're not as robust as BMW diffs and it's tricky to find someone qualified to rebuild them.

In terms of feel, the w201 chassis is FAR stiffer than the e30, the body is more aerodynamic, and the suspension is much more sophisticated (particularly at the rear). All of this makes the car feel totally planted at high speeds and very stable in fast corners. The trade off is that it's less playful in low speed corners, but this isn't really a bad thing for a daily driver. I prefer the e30 when it comes to steering precision. And it has a more sporty feel than the 190e.

The e30 also has far more aftermarket support, but if you plan to keep the car stock, then this isn't really an issue. The interior of the w201 is more spacious and the car does better in crash tests, whereas the e30 can feel a bit like a death-trap...especially if you're a 6'2" 200 lbs guy like me.

Do all engines have a CIS/K-jet system? I'm mostly looking at 4cyl
but they are a few 6cyl for sell as well. In what way are they major
pains...Mechanical complexity? Poor reliability?

I saw on a few forums about the factory upgrades especially brakes.

Also I never felt in danger in my e30... at least form my 6' 150lbs

Thanks for the info guys.


So so far my choice isn't a bad one...Anyone else have an input?

[Dj Buttchug]

i <3 190. it will be my next build

[shiftbmw]

I've got an '87 w201 16v and a '91 e30 318is, so I can compare.

In terms of reliability, the w201 has a few major issues. For one thing, the electrical system is a nightmare. Unless EVERYTHING works, walk away. You'll be pulling your hair out if you have to start chasing down electrical gremlins. Also, the Bosch CIS/K-Jet system is a major pain in the ass. It can be tricky to get them to run right and the associated hardware will cost a fortune. With respect to the electrical system and engine management, the e30 is miles ahead.

Mechanically, these cars are dead reliable and very simple to work on. It's easy to swap brake calipers, rotors, sway bars, and wheels among Mercedes models, so you have tons of options for "factory upgrades." Make sure you find one with a functioning LSD; they're not as robust as BMW diffs and it's tricky to find someone qualified to rebuild them.

In terms of feel, the w201 chassis is FAR stiffer than the e30, the body is more aerodynamic, and the suspension is much more sophisticated (particularly at the rear). All of this makes the car feel totally planted at high speeds and very stable in fast corners. The trade off is that it's less playful in low speed corners, but this isn't really a bad thing for a daily driver. I prefer the e30 when it comes to steering precision. And it has a more sporty feel than the 190e.

The e30 also has far more aftermarket support, but if you plan to keep the car stock, then this isn't really an issue. The interior of the w201 is more spacious and the car does better in crash tests, whereas the e30 can feel a bit like a death-trap...especially if you're a 6'2" 200 lbs guy like me.

Having also owned a 16v, I can pretty much echo what was said here. The major PITAs are the engine management and the electronics. Everything else is pretty much bombproof.

[Mercury[BKM]]

190e is gonna be my next car i build later on this year.
Ive been shopping for one and talking on the 190rev forums.

evo II kit with a LS1 swap

[Simon S]

I used to get no play
now she stay behind me..

[Dj Buttchug]

190e is gonna be my next car i build later on this year.
Ive been shopping for one and talking on the 190rev forums.

evo II kit with a LS1 swap

link to swap kit?

[Holland]

The mirrors don't match, and that just bugs me.

[Mercury[BKM]]

its an OEM style replica kit for the evo II stuff, mirrors look fine imo. (evo III junk looks great too)

as far as LS1 swap kit, there are a few LS190s out there, i dont know if anyone is mass producing swap stuff, but plenty of info out there

http://mbworld.org/forums/190e-w201/207515-ls-190-v8-engine-swap-pics.html

[Charley]

Thanks guys...should have expected this from R3V but LS1 swap is not
what I have in mind when it comes to a DD...

I will make some research on the engine management in these cars.

[Mercury[BKM]]

basically the electrical aspect is a total nightmare and if you ever pull of the dash good luck getting it all back under there

[tjts1]

I had a 318i (M42) before getting 2 190s. A 92 2.6 manual and a 93 2.3 auto. They are both very easy to work on but as previously mentioned KE-jet is a stupid electro-mechanical bitch. This was the last car in the world to use a version of Kjet in 1993. Thats why I converted both to Megasquirt :p EFI makes a huge difference on these cars.

Other than the engine management, everything else on the car is dead reliable. The interior quality, sound insulation and seats are much better than the E30. The one thing I really don't like on the interior is the angle of the steering column. Its too low for tall people and not adjustable. I'm working on a solution. In that respect the E30 has better ergonomics. The body is more rigid but the stock suspension is much softer than any E30 I've ever experienced. Excellent for a comfortable ride but with lots of body roll. Parts off the heavier W124 like LSD, brakes, springs, swaybars etc can be swapped for a cheap upgrade. It doesn't have rack and pinion steering unfortunately. If you're buying one, find the newest best condition example you can afford. They are all dirt cheap at this point. I bought both of mine for less than $1000. Like most old cars, rust is an issue in cold climates.
good luck

[CabbE30]

Buy another e30!