Rare w201 1987 190D 2.5 turbo value?
 

As much as I hate to say it I'm going to be selling my 190d turbo. I purchased the car from my boss a couple years ago for my wife to use as a daily driver. The car is smoke silver with burgundy interior and has less than 215k miles, it's 99% original (aftermarket radio). Paint is a 7 out of 10 needs a good buff. Interior is a 6 out of 10, dash has minor cracks, door panel has sun blemish. Everything works, a/c, pwr seats. Religiously maintained and worked on by myself, a mechanic at a very reputable mercedes ********. Transmission was rebuilt by us at 200k, good tires and chassis. Fastest factory old mercedes diesel and gets 40mpg. What's it really worth?? With a one year production of around 1000 I can't find another for sale at the moment. Location Fayetteville, Arkansas United States USD. Thanks in advance!

First, FYI... describing a car like that as rare absolutely rubs some of us the wrong way, because we see it applied all the time to cars that oftentimes aren't really that rare.

Also, we're pretty familiar with this car :)... this is primarily an MB diesel forum, after all.

As for what it's worth, I think we'd need to see pictures. Valuing something from just words is very difficult.

Sorry if I come across as unwelcoming -- I'm happy you're here! It's always nice to have more members on the forum. However, your post looks like the annoying kind of ad that a lot of us have seen over and over again ("rare", random facts about car in general, like speed or fuel economy, no pics). It does sound nice, though! Service history is one of the best things on these old cars.

No offense taken I appreciate any advice. I'm a long time viewer first time poster. I'll post some pics asap.

The 2.5 turbo is a pretty rare vehicle in the US, legitimately. That's not like the 4 speed 240s that everyone says are rare. :) Agreed that we need pictures to give you a ballpark.

I have two... Both of mine rate as good or better than the description on yours, and I paid $800 for my first one, and 1000 for my second.

I like the cars very much, they get around 30 mpg, not 40...
They are QUICK cars, but if you load much in them it really slows them down.

As few as are claimed to be in production, they sure turn up a lot.

Yeah... My 190D 2.2 5 speed gets mid 30s in city and low 40s highway. A 602 turbo will be mid 30s...

Right now the market for older MB diesels is very, very, very, VERY depressed....I think I know some of the reasons, but I'm still a bit mystified. :confused:

As a seller, the trick is to become as brutally realistic about the market realities as quickly as possible....otherwise the car will simply languish at too high a price. In some cases the market price is so low that the seller will simply decide not to sell.

I used to have... Please sit down for this.

1 of 658. USA spec 1988 190D non turbo!

Paid $600 for it.

Friend just picked up an 87 190Dt for $400, ran and drove but was rusty.

Realistically an 87 190Dt is worth somewhere between scrap value and like 3-4K. Search Craigslist nationwide, you'll find more than 1.

I hope its a big number. My 190dt cost me $7000, but that was fifteen years ago. Since then, I've added a quarter million miles, so I consider the price reasonable. It get mid to high thirties in mixed driving. My personal best was 41.7 all highway, that's US mpg.

The problem with these cars is that most if not all were used like mine: driven to the limits of endurance. With more than 360k on the clock, my car is doomed to die hard. What's rare isn't any particular model, but rather a car that hasn't served a hard life as a commuter or family bus.

+1

Old thread, but still a great point. Even though the 190DT is "rare" by production numbers, I dont feel that was appreciated at the time & most if not all have been driven just as far and hard as any other W201. I consider myself lucky to have one with only 235k on the clock (avg 7500 mi/yr), and perhaps the rarest bird of them all, one with a 5 spd gearbox :D

Mine is up to 420k. It will keep going as long as I’m willing to tolerate it.

Are they really that bad? Honest question, I've not driven one. Much newer than a w123, I would think they should be fairly comfortable and modern feeling.

My '98 e300 is a daily driver, the w210 platform is 20 years old now, but when well maintained, it's a genuinely comfortable and enjoyable place to be.

Bad? No. It's one of my favorite cars of all time. What I'm tolerating are the problems associated with driving a 30 year old car in the rust belt. It's been spruced up many times, but nowadays there's always something that needs fixing.

Ah, got it. Yes I can certainly relate to the "always needs something fixed" part.

It’s a totally different bird from the roomy 300 series, any year...

Tight cabin space. Seats just a tad too thin...

But sooooooo much fun to drive. And the efficiency over other rides is a great perk.