Should 190E stay or should 190E go? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

blackmercedes · #1 02-06-2003, 06:04 PM

Well, our 1990 190E 2.6 needs a little work. Not bad considering the car has quite a few miles on 'er now. The odo reads 240,000 and was replaced showing 122,000 (I though it was 102,000 until today when I checked the decal in the manual a little closer) so she's got 362,000 km's on her (225,000 miles).

She needs new shocks/struts and the springs look a little saggy too. The steering damper is shot. The ABS sensors in the front are shot. The SRS computer is gone. Replacement summer tires are also needed in a few months. She's running hot, with the temp near 100C all the time, and I haven't figured it out yet, but I think it's a fan clutch. One of the headlamp washers is on the fritz.

On the plus side, the engine is tight and strong, and the tranny seems good too. Neither have had any kind of work beyond routine maintenace. It's got fresh brakes and new rear axles. The AC blows cold and the PBU works well. It drives well, and is overall a really good car considering it's age and mileage.

We had a look at a 2000 Mazda Millenia S today with 90,000 kilometers (55K-miles). Nice car. The Miller Cycle engine is really neat, and the car is pretty quick. Fuel economy seems as good or better than the 190E despite the Mazda being much larger. It's a handsome car, but no MB. The 17" alloys are nice, but there are no snow tires with the car, so we'd be buying some. It also needs the 100K service, which is about $1000.

I have a buyer for the 190E for $4500. We can get the Mazda for $13,000. That leaves $8500 difference, which means no financing, so no car payment. We need to spend a couple grand on the Mazda (service and tires), but I figure we need to put $2-3K into the 190E to ensure it lives for a few more years, so that's a bit of a wash.

The Mazda has a tranferable factory warranty with 70K and three years of bumper to bumper left, which is a strong factor.

Dare we sell a Mercedes to buy a Mazda? (That sounds bad...)