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

my 1992 190E 2.6 gets consistent 24mpg on the highway at 75-80mph. I don't think that's too bad. I drive through central Ca. I5 a lot. I also have 2000 Hyundai that get 34mpg. I always take the Mercedes. Both run good.

If you don't have one yet...

I bet you it's easier to find a W124 in good condition over a W201. The W201's were the least expensive and second owners tended not to take care of them.

I think the W124 is a good comprise car- still retaining MB ride quality on long trips, but easy on the pocket book compared to W140's.

M

We managed to find a real nice W201....it is my sister's car. The previous owners dumped $$ into it then sold it for nearly nothing to us. :eek: It has not needed all that much. Soon I am going to replace a few steering components and the front struts...other than that, it has only needed a few things. The M102 motor still pulls strong and burns no oil with nearly 200k on it.

I still like the W124 more though, the ride is better and the car has a lot more room. When working on them the W201 and W124 are incredibly similar.

hmmmmm, many will probably disagree... but my old 190E feels stiffer and more solid, probably because of its smaller dimensions. Ride is tight and deliberate, no creaks and rattles...the doors also feel and close more solid.
i've had 3 w124s and 1 190E... out of the 4 the 190E felt more solidly built. :) i've sold it a few years back and i'm in the lookout for a good diesel one.
It's a misconception that 190Es are less of a car... they're just less in terms of size, they're every bit still a Merc.
DTM is based on the C Class platform which the 190E popularized.
Do not underestimate the little buggers. :)

I have a W124 and think of it as a small car. I can't imagine driving around in a smaller four door.
Than again, I am 6'3".

I've always gotten decent mileage with my 190E, especially considering how old it is. I found my 190E to be a very solid, reliable vehicle and it was my daily driver for 7 years. Now that I drive my S420 on a daily basis the fuel and maintenance costs of the 190E seem like pocket change.:)

Now that you can find W124's for so cheap, there is absolutely no reason to buy a 190E. Unless you just have to have one. The 300E is a superior car in almost every way. The 190 is a "C-Class" and the build quality difference shows. Yes, it's still a Mercedes. But interior quality/design of the 190 does not seem anywhere close to that of the 300. It just feels like a 300E with corners cut in almost every way to make it cheaper (which it is!). Yes, its a great chassis. But you couldn't pay me to own one.

Maybe on the earlier ones, but the later ones seem to be just as high of quality as the W124....just...shrunken down a bit.

I'd have to agree with this.

The 300E is an excellent car. The M103 is an absolutely fantastic motor.

I had to chuckle at the mileage comments...it's all perspective I suppose. My 300E had excellent highway mileage. After owning an E430 then the GL450, I've sort of given up on mileage. ;) (Though for its size/weight and engine power, the GL has decent highway mileage).

I have to disagree with this. The build quality in the 190e is every bit as good if not better than the 300e. The vast majority of the mechanical components including the engines, transmission, suspension, interior components are identical and interchangeable. Unless you carry passengers in the rear seat on a daily basis, the 190e will transport you with just as much comfort and reliability as the 300e, not to mention the superior fuel economy and easier to park. Late 190e cars in excellent condition are dirt cheap and plentiful because if you haven't noticed from this thread, most people don't consider them 'real' benzes. Their loss.

LOL that's funny. As has been repeatedly pointed out, the ONLY differences are the cheesy door cards and the dashboard! Same seats, same engine, same transmission, same suspension, same steering wheel, same, same, same.
Due to the weight distribution that's closer to 50/50 than the w124, its a better handling car. The cheesedick interior door panels and the somewhat cheap dashboard(not including the center console) are the only places I can see where they cheaped out. Everything else is literally THE SAME.
My philosophy is thus: if it's m103 powered, I'd rather a w201 since it's smaller, lighter, and handles better. I'd love a w124, but it needs to have an m104 for me to consider it, as that's the only thing that would make it a better choice over the w201 since they are basically THE SAME CAR.