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How rare are these sportlines?

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1992 190E 2.3
150,000 Miles

Wow, that really is a nice 190!

2.6 5-speed with the Sportline seats, suspension, etc.

Nice!

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2008 BMW 335i Coupe

In my search for 5 speed 190E 2.6's I've seen just one. If it were closer I'd consider it

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5 speed '91 190E 2.6 320,000 mi. (new car, fast, smooth as silk six, couldn't find any more Peugeots)
5 speed '85 Peugeot 505 2.5l Turbo Diesel 266,000 mi. (old car, fast for a diesel, had 2 others)
5 speed '01 Jetta V6 (new wifes car, pretty quick)
5 speed '85 Peugeot 505 2.2l Turbo Gas 197,000 mi. (wifes car, faster, sadly gone just short of 200k )
5 speed '83 Yamaha 750 Maxim 14,000 mi. (fastest)
0 speed 4' x 8' 1800 lb Harbor Freight utility trailer (only as fast as what's pulling it)

The Sportlines were limited production. They had a lower suspension and better seats. Basically like a 16V without the engine. They also had a quicker steering ratio as well.

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~Jamie
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2003 Pewter C230K SC C1, C4, C5, C7, heated seats, CD Changer, and 6 Speed. ContiExtremes on the C7's.

1986 190E 2.3 Black, Auto, Mods to come soon.....

i guess that one is not a sportline model.

A 5-speed 2.6 would be a great alternative to a 2.3-16 with more useable power for daily driving. The Sportline and the 2.3-16 shared the same front suspension, ride height, steering box and sport seating, but the M103 engine is the same smooth I-6.

While my experience with the 124 is limited, I've always looked at it just the opposite: That the 201 is actually a better value because it's equal in quality of build (in fact they share a remarkable number of parts) but available at a cheaper price.

When I bought my 201, I drove a couple of 124s first. I thought the 201 fealt much more capable and nimble -- the 124 fealt kinda "boaty" in comparison.

Another selling feature for me is the manual climate control -- simple, effective, durable.

Just my 2 cents... arguably worth that.

Jeff Pierce

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Jeff Pierce

Current Vehicles:
'92 Mercedes 190E/2.3 (247K miles/my daily driver)
'93 Volvo 940 Turbo Wagon (263K miles/a family truckster with spunk)
'99 Kawasaki Concours
Gravely 8120
Previous Vehicles:
'85 Jeep CJ-7 w/ Fisher plow (226K miles)'93 Volvo 940 Turbo Wagon
'53 Willys-Overland Pickup
'85 Honda 750F Interceptor
'93 Nissan Quest
'89 Toyota Camry Wagon
'89 Dodge Raider
'81 Honda CB 750F Super Sport
'88 Toyota Celica
'95 Toyota Tacoma
'74 Honda CB 550F

Dependilng on your perspective the 124 is either a 1 1/8 scale verison of the 201 or the 201 is a 7/8 scale version of the 124. I prefer the former analogy, since the 201 preceded the 124.

Both models use many of the same parts and systems, and I don't think there was a signficant difference in design or build quality. Most of the US model 124s have more base equipment, and they were also signficantly more expensive, which probably translated to higher profit margin.

In my own case I prefer the smaller size of the 201. Both the 201 and 124 have about the same SAE front seat room, but the 124 has a larger back seat and truck, neither of which were important to me. Both also have similar driving qualities, which are very much like the S-class. It always amazed me that the 201 fells like a big Mercedes cruising down the interstate, but has the nimbleness and responsiveness that one would expect from a smaller car when the going gets twisty.

My former '84 190E 2.3 actually handled better than the 2.6 because the 2.3 is better balanced - in fact, once I installed decent tires the 2.3 probaby had the best ride/handling tradeoff of any car I've ever owned - but the additional power and silky smooth operation of the inline six is worth the trade. I only wish they had installed the 3.0 in the 190 with closer spaced gearing, but that car would have blown the 16V into the weeds, which would not have been a good marketing plan.

This appears to be a very nice car. I noticed that the firewall insulation is disintegrating. I replaced mine several years ago, and the replacement was a woven fiber material that should last longer. The photos didn't show the hood pad, but it's probably coming apart to if it's original. I replaced mine back circa 1997 about a year or two before I replaced the firewall insulation.

I'll be interested to see if this car makes the reserve and actually sells.

Duke

What tires were those?

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1992 190E 2.3
150,000 Miles

Tires do make a difference on a W201 2.3. I bought many tire sets for my car and every time I tried a different kind. The best by far were the Michelin Pilot. Even though the owner's manual says top speed is 197km/h, I had the car buried past the 220km/h mark with one passenger and full tank of gas.

*Edit - Forgot to mention the tires were 205 55 VR15 as opposed to the 185 65 HR15 stock.

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1989 300CE Astralsilber/Schwarz
1992 300CE Schwarz/Schwarz

The original 175/70SR-14 Michelin MXLs definitely limited the '84 2.3s maximum grip. At about 10-15K miles or so (mid-'85) I replaced them with a set of 195/60HR-14 Phoenix Stahlflex 3011s, which were probably the best street tire you could buy back then. They were commonly used in showroom stock racing and autocross, and I also ran them in size 205/60H(and V)R-13 on my Cosworth Vega. I had one set that was worn that I used for track events and another set mounted on another set of OE wheels for street driving. Once I worn out the track set I'd use the "broken in" set for track events and buy a new set for the street.

The Phoenix dramatically improved the 2.3's maximum grip. Its limits were about the same as the CV, but without the bone jarring ride. The Phoenix were just about worn out when I sold the car at about 50K miles in 1988, so I installed a new set of 195/65HR-14 Continential CH51s just before I sold it. The 195/60s were a little short and increased speedo error, but the 195/65 size had about the same revs per mile spec as the 175/70s.

I still have a set of Phoenix for the CV that never saw the track, but usually just keep the Toyo Proxes RA-1 DOT legal racing tires installed that I finally switched to in the mid-nineties when my supply of Phoenix dried up, and at that point the DOT legal racing tires had pushed grip well beyond what the Phoenix could supply, but their steel reinforced sidewalls make the CV ride like it has wooden wheels on anything less than fairly smooth pavement. That's the price you pay to have roller skate handling on a car with much less torsional stiffness and a much less sophisticated suspension.

Duke

It sold for $6600 - looks like the reserve was about $6000

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6328&item=4544355405&rd=1

Duke