We took the A4 back off the road for the winter and got out the 1988 190D 2.5 non-turbo automatic I bought my girlfriend as a winter car a year and a half ago.

Its a ragged little car, I picked it up for $600 from a friend of mine. Its rusty, semi-wrecked, and generally beat up. But its only got 151k on it and makes like a pound shy of factory compression. It was a dealer maintained car until it was involved in a minor wreck that "totaled" it but the owner got to keep the car and the clean title.

The car runs like an absolute champ, gets 30mpg+, and when all my girlfriends campus neighbors get their windows smashed, no one ever touches the 190D.

So my point,

I've been driving the car as she has my 300D out of town. WHY is this car so much fun to drive? Its a 93hp car, with stock suspension and I always have fun driving it. It feels easier to throw around and the short rear end in it makes it jump off the line, granted its out of steam at about 30mph.

My W124 has 400E brakes, sportline suspension, and like 60 more hp, its certainly faster, and it definitely will take corners at much higher speeds.

But the 190D consistently puts a huge smile on my face. Does anyone else have a 300D and a 190D?

Is it the shorter wheelbase? According to wikipedia the difference is 5.3 inches.

Silly thread, but I was thinking about how much I like this little pile on my ride home.

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68 280SL - 70 280SL - 70 300SEL 3.5 - 72 350SL - 72 280SEL 4.5 - 72 220 - 72 220D - 73 450SL - 84 230GE - 87 200TD - 90 190E 2.0 - 03 G500

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