I'm mulling over the idea to purchase an older Mercedes diesel. There is a 1987 190D 2.5 for sale near me. How rare are the 190Ds and are they a good car? I know about the head problems on the 300D of the same year but did the 190D have the same problems? What are some key concerns or issues with this model and how do they compare to other diesel Mercedes of the same era?

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1989 300CE

Automatic transmissions and general overall condition of the car. A good one is well worth owning in my opinion.

manual or automatic? either way, it's an awesome vehicle power and economy wise.
is it a turbo model?

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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

I have a 1984 190D, 2.2 with 5 spd manual. Great car, unbelievable MPG. Very fun to drive also

Had one for a long time (86 190D2.5 with the 5 spd) until I discovered the W124 chassis). Needed a head gasket at about 275K miles, sold it with disclosure, should have kept it. Look for rust around the jack points. Cosmetic in the rockers is just that, but make sure its no worse than that (jack tubes should still hold up the car). All else is condition, condition, condition.

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Hanno
'79 6.9 Sold (after 27 years)
'83 280SL, 5 spd.
'94 E320 Sdn. 5 spd conversion
'02 E320 Sdn.(on loan to mom!)
'87 300E (5 spd. conversion) Sold
'05 E500 Wagon

The 2.5 is an OM 605 correct? I thought all of the 2.5 190Ds were automatic only. What years did they make them to? I know they discontinued the 300D W124 after 1987 in North America but did the smaller 2.5 meet emission requirements past 1987?

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1989 300CE

The 2.5 in question is an OM602. IIRC the OM605 is a DOHC engine.

IIRC all 190Ds were available with MT except the 1987 190D 2.5 turbo which was AT only.

The W124 300D returned as the 300D 2.5 turbo from 1990-1993, then as the E300 with normally aspirated OM606 in 1995.

Sixto
87 300D

I recently purchased an '85 190D 2.2 automatic with 157K miles. This is the 1st MB I've owned but I've been interested in going diesel and stumbled across this one. Changed the fluids, filters, and delivery valve seals to stop the fuel leaks and the little diesel now runs like a top. Trans shifts pretty good except I can't get it to drop down into 1st gear if I'm going slowly and want to down shift. Hopefully this is just an adjustment issue. I really like how the car handles and it smooths bumps in the road like a much larger car. If it had an overdrive gear it would be great. Overall I'd say drivability is 8.5 out of 10 going to 10 out of 10 if it was a manual with overdrive.

Down side is it seems like all the creature comforts and other luxury car items for its day need attention.

Fixed so far:
both rear windows
blinkers from bad hazard switch
rear door stops repaired
front seat bottoms switched
saggy magazine holders repaired
aftermarket radio installed with new speakers bypassing fader switch
rear deck recovered and new first aid custom trim
re-seal front windshield

Currently working on antilock brakes. Cleaned front sensors but light still on.

Need to repair:
squeaking rear brake - all brakes looked good but one is squeaking
climate control is crazy - I don't even know how it supposed to work but surely not the way it is presently. Been doing alot of reading and I still don't fully understand the system nor how to logically diagnose. Any way to simply make it manual maybe getting something shipped from Europe?
clock is dead
outside temp guage is sporatic
rust around jack points

It seems like the drive train is robust but everything else wears out much faster. I could be very happy with the car if all the little stuff doesn't drive me crazy to the point I tire of it.

Good luck!

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You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometime you just might find you get what you need.

If it's like other MBs of that vintage, the upgrade AC system uses vacuum actuators which need replacing by now. The base AC system is different from end-to-end so you'll need the cable actuated airbox, control panel and any separate temperature controllers. Pulling the dash to replace the vacuum actuators is a small job by comparison.

I don't suppose it has electric seats

Sixto
87 300D

sixto - is there a good overall thread to read on the climate control for the 124 and 201 models as I've not found it yet? I'm not afraid to jump into most anything if I got an idea where I'm heading and how to get there.

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You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometime you just might find you get what you need.

Not on peachparts. Try this - Troubleshooting Mercedes-Benz 190 E/D 201 Tempmatic Climate Control System - Benzworld.org - Mercedes-Benz Discussion Forum . There's also 190rev.net.

Sixto
87 300D

great starting point...thanks!

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You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometime you just might find you get what you need.

This one is an '87 so it must be automatic. What transmission does it use? How well do these older W201s hold up compared to the W124?

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1989 300CE

Only the 1987 turbo had no MT option. I'm pretty sure you could get a normally aspirated 190D 2.5 with either transmission.

I don't know which specific variation of the 722 AT came in the 190D 2.5. 722.3s and .4s are pretty robust. The 5-speed 722.5 can be flaky but it was never used in the W201.

I imagine the 190D holds up as well as the 300D. Lots of common components and engineering.

Sixto
87 300D