Heres a few. I had a 86 190 2.3 5 speed with 105,000miles sold it
with 175,000 not one major repair(blower motor) great car!!
also had a 86 300e 5 spd with 260,000 but this car looked liked
it never left the garage.Sold it with almost 300K and still very peppy.Now I just found a 190e 16v 5spd 156,000. I love this car!!
Its everything you could want in a car.MB recaro interior,AMG body style,cosworth head etc...
I'll tell you this ,the turn down the street from my house with the 300e I could have took it about 40 mph before the car went
into a drift ,the 16v goes through 70 80 mph no problem, u really
need to go fast to make the 16v drift.Both cars had new Vrated tires to. Well im glad to see other Manuel shifting MB drivers out there
Happy Shifting,

2.3 16v
911 5 spd

16V 5 Speed here!
 

I have an 87 16V with the 5-Speed getrag. Stuttgart is completely right about the grip that these cars have. I've owned this car for a year and a half and have yet to squeak the tires on curves. It sure does take a lot to break them loose. I wonder what mine would pull on a skidpad, now that I've lowered it and upgraded the rubber?? Well, there's only one way to find out!! Hehe

Very happy to hear the appreciation for the manual Benz models. Got a 300E-24 Sportline with unique Sportline manual shift, like the one in the 190E 2.3-16 (first gear down). Very fun to drive, makes full use of the engine, and has a nice high-pitched sound to it.

How can I tell if my clutch hydraulics need help? I thought that
the synchromesh might be weak, but the mechanic thinks
maybe the master or slave cylinder. It is hard to get into gear
and will clunk unless it is shifted slowly.

Keep on shifting.

I have a 1988 300E 5 speed...I LOVE that car. And, I will never sell it. It is babied and will continue to be babied. I'm at about 167,000miles and still going strong.

I have a 1980 Euro 280se (W126) with a 4 speed manual Trany. I like it and it also keeps my wife out of the car! My car is not fast but it is nice and much better i imagine than an automatic. I really hated the way it shifted. Just replaced the clutch, the disk was in three pieces. It shifts much better now but still not great. I have a Miata and it shifts much much better. Of course the Miata is known as having one of the best there is. Funny my Miata's clutch has been slipping for the last 2 years (it has over 165,000) and still goes. The Mercedes only had about 16 shifts after it started making noise. My parts guy said this is normal for European clutches they do not give much warning. I do prefer it to an automatic.

Vaughn,

If the problem is consistent throughout all gears, I would suggest that it's probably a good bet that the problem lies with your clutch.

It could still be the synchros, but there will be an underlying problem. All synchros being worn is usually a symptom of another problem since synchros usually wear out on the most commonly used gear. in the case of my 16v, 3rd gear.

I would try bleeding the system first. If that gives you temporary relief then you know it is hydraulics otherwise it could be the clutch itself. Could of course be the transmission but that is not likely. (IMHO) The system is easy to bleed. One method that works well is to get a hose (not sure but an auto counter guy should be able to help you choose one tell him it is for bleeding brakes/clutch) that reaches from the front right caliper to the slave cylinder. You run the line between the 2 valves, open the brake and clutch bleed valve and have some one push down on the brake and then you close the brake valve then have the person release the brake pedal. open the valve and have the assistant push on the pedal then close the valve and they can release. Keep this up for several cycles. close both valves and remove the hose and see if you have improved the clutch action.

Results so far:

This is not an indication of rarity of the models nor is it complete
since I know there other others who frequent this forum.
I did not count references to cars that were sold.

Here's another one... :D a 1992 W124 230E 5-Speed stick. It's more like a 4-speed with an overdrive though. The first gear goes all the way to 40mph and the second gear hits 60.

Might not seem like anything compared to Ferraris.. but before that I was used to driving Toyota manuals and the gears are shorter.

Weird thing is.. in Jakarta, Indonesia... most 300E, CE, sportlines, etc have the 5-speed manual transmission.

When I was there they were still selling W210 E230's with the 5-speed manual box.

1986 Mercedes 190 2.3 with 5 speed manual. I love my car, and like some people on this post, I wouldn't have bought it if it wasn't a manual. 185,000 miles and still going strong. I wish i had a 2.6 or 16v. Oh well, I love my car none-the-less.

Peter V.

One more here...I have a "85' 240D, 5 speed, tobacco brown with 93k on it now. I was lucky to find it and really like it. :D

My wife drives the 86 300e with nearly 200k on the clock. Its a fun car to drive compared to my 420's.

I have a 1986 300E 5-speed, and you'd have to pry the keys out of my hands. Eat you heart out, it ain't for sale. :D

Here is 1 more. 1985 230TE Euro model. 5 speed, 200,000 miles.

Chuck