Yesterday after doing some work with Colin on his wagon (the exhaust) we took a ride to autozone in his ultra low mile 190E. When we got back he asked if I wanted to take if for a spin, which I could not turn down.

Compared to the SDL the handling seems to be a lot more nimble and I could probably dart in and out of traffic without a problem, plus the turning radius is incredible.

The funny thing about the 190E is there is no rear legroom at all if I want to have legroom up front and I can touch the verticle part of the rear seat with ease in the w201, compared to still having a good 6" before I could even consider touching the bottom of the rear seat in the SDL with the drivers seat all the way back.

I let Colin drive the SDL since he has never driven one and I think he is hooked, it felt kind of weird to sit in the passenger seat, I should have sat in the back and pretended to have a private driver lol.

In the end, I don't know if I could actually own a 190E(maybe.. maybe a 16 valve). It was odd driving the SDL after the 190E since there was soo much more car.. lol

I am 6' 4". When I drive my car it's a 3 passenger. No one can sit behind me. I might be able to put 2 fingers between the seat back and the bottom rear cushion.

I have a similar experience when I drive my wifes 124. Lots of room and just a bigger feeling car. Her car just seems to glide over the road in comparison to mine. Mine, is to a degree, very haring to drive especially on the crappy roads here in TX. I feel every bump and crack in the road but I can toss it around with out a thought. The 124 is not nearly as nimble or tied down in the turns.

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2014 C250 21,XXX my new DD ** 2013 GLK 350 18,000 Wife's new DD**

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I had a 124 with a black interior, and the back seat seemed TINY. My kids swore that there was more room in the back of the Kia Rio my daughter drives. I suspect a 201 has NO back seat room. I like 190e's, they really are solid little cars, and they're not worth much around here, so you get get a decent one for cheap.

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2002 Ford ZX2
2 x 2013 Honda Civics

Had a '89 190E 2.6 5 Spd. One of my all time favorite cars. Other than subtle vibration that I couldn't cure I loved that car.

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MBlovr
'59 180 Dad's original
'59 180 Dad's 2nd one
'67 250SE Dad's last one
'59 220 SE My first one
'62 220SE Coupe second one
'89 190E 2.6 5spd third one
'06 E350 4matic (sold)
'10 E350 4matic

I have both a 190E 2.6 and a SDL I appreciate both cars. For a big car the SDL is pretty nimble compared to say a big american car. The 190E which I took out today to see how it ran ands pretty nimble and comfy, smooth ride and has a solid feel on the road just like the SDL.

I just wish the 190E was less troublesome, always doing something other than maintance on it. I have already fixed issues with the fuel injection, replaced the waterpump and the transmission.

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1986 300SDL, 211K,Dealership serviced its whole life
1991 190E 2.6(120k)
1983 300D(300k)
1977 300D(211k)

I'd drive a 190D 2.5 turbo or valve.. But would settle for I think the North American 2.6

Glad you liked it Joe! It is a fun little car to have, fast enough to have fun with and slow enough to keep me out of trouble.

Mine is a 2.3 by the way.

I really liked the SDL, a lot actually. It felt like something I would drive every day, I'm totally hooked.

I think I might have to go with something with a 603 in it if I buy another diesel.

ya, speaking from experience,

i have both a 16 valve and an SDL. both are great to drive, but for different reasons.

the SDL is for long drives and chauffeuring around your friends. and it gets great gas mileage even though mine runs a little rough.

the 190 on the other hand, is the sports car. tossing that little car around is great fun. and has excellent road holding for its type of car. i wan't to get it tested to see how many lateral G's i can pull

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Current
2006 E320 CDI, 57K bought at 67K "Liesl"
1986 190E 2.3-16, 198K bought at 56K "Brigitta"
1987 300TD (Chuggin Along), 292K "Friedrich"
1995 E320 Wagon, 200K "Louisa"

Past
1987 300SDL, (sold) 125K, bought for 1$ "Kurt"

its for sale, its always for sale.

I've never actually been in a 190 but this picture does illustrate just how small they are....

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1982 300GD Carmine Red (DB3535) Cabriolet Parting Out
1990 300SEL Smoke Silver (Parting out)
1991 350SDL Blackberry Metallic (481)

"The thing is Bob, its not that I'm lazy...its that I just don't care."

wow... the w126 looks gigantic.

I'm likely biased, but the W201 is one of those "milestone" cars for Mercedes despite it's small size and relatively low price tag. Being the smallest 4 door sedan chassis that the company ever made, the engineering and design work still showed that Mercedes could build smaller without sacrificing much in build or performance, with the exception of the rear passenger leg room.

yep, dont get me wrong.. I'd probably drive one. I am just blown away at how much legroom the SDL has.

Well, what do you think they did with the extra wheelbase?

I have no idea what your statement is referring to..