RE: Mercedes 190e 16v need some unbiased ADVICE!!!

[nando]

530i.. no way. I don't even really like MBZ, but that sounds like a really bad trade.

[Emre]

I bought a W201 16v after some 20 years of BMW ownership. The 'Cossie feels special and is thrilling to drive in a way a regular E34 simply doesn't. If we were talking about an M5, then that's another story. But a plain-Jane 530i commuter special? No way!

[Emre]

MB...swap In a dogleg tranny!

now sure how likely you are to find one of these, but +1 nonetheless..

Not as hard to find as you might think. Levent has my spare tranny and diff sitting in the shop at Guten Parts. He can definitely find you a used one in good shape.

The pedals, shifter, and associated parts would be a bigger PITA. Some of it can swap over from a manual 8v car (plenty in Europe), but some of it (e.g., dog-leg shifter) are unique to the 16v. But again, these parts are plentiful in Europe and I'm sure Levent could hook you up.

[Roland H]

I bought a W201 16v after some 20 years of BMW ownership. The 'Cossie feels special and is thrilling to drive in a way a regular E34 simply doesn't. If we were talking about an M5, then that's another story. But a plain-Jane 530i commuter special? No way!

Agreed. Though I ended up selling my RHD 16v cossie for an E36 M3.

[Roland H]

OP: Keep the Cosworth.