I currently have a 190D-2.2 5-speed with around 250000 miles on it. Of all the cars I've owned, this is my favourite. I've had it since 2003; if something happened to it I'd look for another 190D.

You can get 40+ mpg on the highway, in good weather, without the A/C on, driving moderately. Upper 30s is common for mixed city-highway driving, low 30s for sub-zero winter city driving.

It's a smaller car than other mercedes, which is one of the reasons I like it - I consider the small size a positive, not a negative. I'm 6' tall and don't find it cramped. The back seat doesn't have a ton of legroom but it's adequate (I've been in many other cars that are worse). It has a very small turning radius.

As barry123400 said, cold weather operation is good. We had a month and a half of -25°C (-13°F) weather this winter and I never had to use the block heater once.

I find it relatively easy to service; things are fairly well laid out and being 4cyl and non-turbo, there's sufficient room in the engine bay to work on things.

The climate control system is great. I never have to touch the temperature setting; the car is always comfortable. Note that the center vents blow unheated air; sometimes people think this is a sign that something is broken, but it's supposed to work that way.

Negatives:
- I thought the stock headlights were horrible. I switched to european headlamps, which I prefer.
- Old OM60x vacuum pumps can fail and do some serious damage to the engine; if you're the cautious type, then plan on changing to the newer style of pump if it hasn't been done already. If the vacuum pump has no screws on the cover, it is the old style.
- Some special tools are required to work on the car. I've had to buy the mercedes spring compressor, the injection pump socket chasinthesun mentioned, a timing chain crimper, and I've fabricated most of the other tools I've needed. I don't consider this unreasonable, but it's something to be aware of.
- Driveshaft support bearings don't seem to last long. I'm on my 3rd.
- The belt tensioner system needs parts more often than I think it should. I've had to replace it twice.

As others have said, condition and prior maintenance are important; I was fortunate enough to find a car whose previous (and only) owner was meticulous about maintenance, and I think that is a big reason the car has worked out so well for me.

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1989 250TD Wagon 5-speed, 160,000mi ::: Dark gray metallic / black cloth
1984 190D-2.2 5-speed, 287,000mi ::: Silver-blue metallic / black MB-tex ::: SOLD