1989 Mercedes-Benz 190-Series E
1989 Mercedes-Benz 190E with 6-Cylinder and 5-Speed Manual, 91k NOTE: this car is a rare configuration and is not a greymarket import. It’s a 190E with the 2.6 liter inline 6 gas engine and a 5-speed manual transmission.
A couple of years ago we resurrected this lovely 190E from five years of being parked. We’ve got it to where it starts and runs beautifully and I’ve been using it as a daily driver as we tinker with it, but it’s time to pass the project on to someone else.
I will document every darn thing I know about the car; I know buying a project on eBay can be daunting.
What’s Great:- Starts & runs smoothly. The engine has a top end knock that everybodyagrees should be left alone
- Brakes work great, rotors & pads are in good shape
- The body and paint are in pretty good shape. There are a few dings and scratches here and there but no rust or rot.
- MB-Tex upholstery is in excellent condition, with no tears or rips
- All interior and exterior lighting works
- Engine cooling system works great
- Airbag (yup, only one) is intact and will function as designed, as far as I can tell without setting it off.
- No oil or coolant leaks or drips
- Multiple keys included
- Power sunroof works great and does not leak
- Power locks (including trunk and gas flap) work great
- Power windows work great
- Transmission and clutch operate just fine; clutch isn’t slipping even under heavy load
- Battery is about a year old and not abused
- Trunk interior looks perfect; original jack/toolkit and donut spare are included
- Original first aid kit is in place in the rear deck. Don’t think I’d trust 28-year-old antibiotic cream, though.
- As far as I know, the odometer reading is right. It worked when I bought the car and it works now.
What’s Not Quite Great:- The ABS light is on and ABS doesn’t work (though the brakes work fine as normal brakes.) Not sure what’s required to get ABS working.
- The plastic trim pieces that cover the A-pillars broke and are missing. Apparently, this is A Thing with the 190E.
- Floor carpeting is coming loose in the driver’s side floor pan
- The trunk leaks water occasionally. The seals look good and there’s no holes/rot, so I haven’t been able to find the cause yet.
- Retractable radio antenna got bent in a car wash and now only retracts halfway unless manually assisted.
- It burns a bit of oil. Not enough to discolor the rear bumper or make visible smoke, but I add a liter every 2,000 miles or so.
- Right-most dash vent control is broken, and a switch panel in the dash is cracked (a replacement switch panel is included, but not installed)
- Under hard acceleration, hot air comes out the outermost dash vents. This suggests a vacuum leak
- The middle fell out of the hood ornament.
Two Sets of Wheels & Tires
Two sets of wheels & tires are included.Both sets of tires are in excellent condition with less than 5,000 miles on either set- Stock wheels are discolored and are mounted with non-studded winter tires (General Altimax Arctics).
- New replica alloy wheels are mounted with Cooper CS-5 Ultra Touring all-season tires.
More Info:- The heat works great - it’ll singe your eyebrows. The AC is a little more complicated. The compressor works, and with a new charge of refrigerant will blow cold air for a while, but the system has a leak I haven’t tracked down yet.
- The radio works, and there’s a 6-CD changer in the trunk that usually works. I think the cassette player is broken; I don’t have any cassettes to test it with, Also included but not installed are a modern (like, with USB!) car stereo and 4 new speakers.
Documented Work Performed:We are handy people so we’ve done many of the minor repairs and all the regular maintenance. We paid pros to fix the following:
- 03/11/2016 4 wheel alignment
- 04/01/2016 New wheels and snow tires
- 05/12/2016 New left tie rod, AC leak detected
- 10/04/2016 Replace clutch master cylinder
- 05/13/2016 2 wheel alignment (tie rod, dontcha know)
- 12/21/2016 Replace water pump & antifreeze
Undocumented Work Performed:- 4 rear subframe mounts replaced but I lost the receipt
| $100 deposit via PayPal due within 24 hours of auction close. Balance payable within 7 days via money order/cashier's check, or cash in person. |
_gsrx_vers_783 (GS 7.0.5 (783))
