Hey guys, today I came upon a chance to get a 1992 190E with 162,000 on the clock from the dealship that I work for (Nissan Dealer). I actually own a fairly modified subaru WRX, and am just looking for a nice daily. I am very unfamiliar with Mercedes so I just had a few questions to help me decide whether to buy it or not. I dont have any service records but the car is in great shape and looks very well maintained.

1. The auto trans seems very jerky, especially from 1st to 2nd. is this normal or is this a sign of a potential problem?

2. when i look under the car there is motor oil all over the place, and it looks like its coming from the front engine cover ( the cover that houses the timing belt) Is this a common problem on these cars? I dont see and drips on the ground, but there is definitely some oil leaking going on.

The price is $2,000. What do you guys think about this price when considering the problems? Would you purchase the car?

4 cylinder or 6?

The transmission issue could be as simple as adjusting the vacuum modulator or the microswitch contact on the accelerator. Consider getting the trans filter and fluid changed.

Degrease the engine (don't use a power washer or steam) and track down the oil/fluid.

I also own a 1992 190E 2.3 with the same mileage and the same issue!


right now its in the shop eating all money but my mechanic said it needed trans mounts. so that could be it.

If you like working on cars go for it remember the car is old. The oil leak is most likey from a gasket leaking from front engine. There is a special sealer for this job. At least on a 2.6

When I got it, my 1984 190E had a bad tranny leak. My mechanic and I serviced it and found no filter inside the tranny pan, for one. The second thing was finding that the vacuum modulator 'O' ring was hard as a nail and leaking.

New pan gasket, filter, new modulator, and I havent had to add fluid in over 2 years, and yes, it gets checked regularly.

Bruce McGee
Asheville NC

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My first Mercedes Benz. 4/6/07.

1984 190E (201 024) 2.3L four.