190E vs. 300E
 

How does the 190E stand-up to the 300E? Like durability, maintenance wise, pocket-book drain? Can you expect to get down the road milage 200K-300K with the 190E Benz? Cost of parts pretty comparable to the 300E or maybe somewhat cheaper? Kind of curious about it on making some decisions.

I personally would not even touch a 190E...

My 1992 190E 2.6 is approaching 220K and running nicely.

I think both 190E and 300E have the M103 engine.

I can only add . . .

The two share major components, like steering, suspension, brakes, transmissions, and a few engines. The 300E is longer, wider and has more interior room. However it is also heavier and a bit less sporty around turn.

The 190E has less interior space, particularly in the rear seat and not much adjustment for drivers in the 72" or more range.

As with any used Mercedes, whether it's a good purchase at this date will depend on the previous owners maintenance. Parts for both are readily available and both are probably one of the last series that home mechanics feel comfortable with.

Got both, had the 190 over 10 years before getting a W124 then never looked back. I really prefer the W124 series (see sig :D). Have been driving the 190D again as its for sale. Its a great car but after getting out of that and into a W124 this evening I'm at peace with the decision to sell it.Same maint. cost, same known issues, but I'd rather have a W124.

My sister has a 190E 2.3, it is a fun little car. I have a 300E....the M103 engine has way more shove than the M102, but it also uses a lot more fuel. It'd be a tough choice between them for me. The 190 is small for sure, but is also very sporty. I'd say if I came across a 190E manual vs a 300E auto, I'd take the 190. Otherwise I'd go 300E. Ideally I'd like a 400E though. :D

I'd take it as either a 2.6 190E, or a 300E w/ the M104.

Since they share so many parts you may already have. They're basically the same only one is 90% the size of the other. It's beyond pointless to take a snobby attitude towards what was a very important car for Mercedes.

I love my 190E despite the fuel inefficiency, which for the day was decent but for today is horrible, especially for a small car. I keep it around for the handling and relative reliability.

How well does the 2.6 190E do for economy? My sister seems to get pretty amazing mileage from the M102/2.3 engine. Even with all city driving. It takes my 300E about 40-50 miles to be off of full from a full tank, her 190 2.3 takes about 75ish miles.

My 300SD takes about 115 miles though. :D

You can't really use the fuel bar as it is highly inaccurate...
On both my cars, I can do ~190-240 miles when it dips over the half way point. I refill at ~300mi. Do the math...its inaccurate.

Sadly, the bad fuel economy is the one thing I dislike about the 190E's, especially when the car exceeds 3K RPM :(

I looked at both 190e and 300e before buying my 1993 190e 2.3. They are essentially the same car except for interior room. If you don't need the back seat every day, get the 190e. If the 230e (4 cyl w124) was available in the US i might consider the W124. But 190e 2.3 with megasquirt gets amazing fuel economy and is extremely comfortable. Best of both worlds plus I don't have to deal with the stink, clatter and snail like performance of a diesel. I was going to swap in a 5 speed manual I bought I while back but the automatic hasn't given me any trouble so far. I'll save 5 speed just in case the right E320 with a broken automatic comes along.
With MS I'm doing 25 city and 32 highway on 87 octane in a 93 2.3 automatic. My all time best was 35mpg from the bay area to washington state and back.

What is this Megasquirt I see people posting about? I'm intrigued; how difficult is it to retrofit?

the actual deal is a 2.3 4 cylinder versus a 3.0 6 cylinder...big difference

Megasquirt is a DIY electronic fuel injection system that I used to replaced the stock Kjet. The installation isn't difficult but it takes a lot homework to get yourself up to speed beforehand.
http://www.msruns.com/viewtopic.php?f=106&t=22864