1989 190E 2.6L Engine Dies Suddenly
 

I recently bought 1989 190E 2.6 Automatic, my first Mercedes. The car has 125K miles and from the CarFax appeared to be driven very little since 2000. All the accessories seem to work well (sun-roof, windows, A/C, etc) and is cosmetically excellent.

The only annoying problem is that the engine will die as if the ignition switch was just turned off. If I am moving 30 - 60 mph all I need do is turn the ignition off and on, the engine starts and runs normally. This has happened about 10 times in the last 2 months. Occasionally, when I stop at a store for a few minutes, the car will require two to five tries of cranking for 10-20 seconds and then it fires right up. Perhaps related to this problem is finicky starting, I have to tap the gas just right to keep the motor running, the motor will die if I don't catch it just right. Once it's running it idles smoothly and runs well.
I drive the car about 400 miles a week with gas mileage of 20-23 MPG depending on short trips/freeway ratio which is I believe normal for this car.

I have yet to go to a mechanic and am looking for possible causes of the problem. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Dave