Faults:

Small oil leaks.

KE-Jetronic Injection System: This is the Achilles' heel. The electronic and mechanical components are complex, expensive, and difficult to repair, often resulting in an irregular idle, hard cold starts, and some minor jerking.

The two electric fuel pumps can fail, and clogged filters cause a lack of power.

The brake booster sometimes fails, and the ABS sensors often cause minor, non-serious problems that are easy to fix.

Spare parts are very expensive and difficult to obtain.

No other problems that I can recall; it's an extremely durable and reliable car.

General Comments:

The Sportline 2.6 wasn't seen too often, but it still has the same characteristics as its 190 and W124 counterparts. The car is incredibly reliable, with top-quality accessories and a timeless design that even today makes it feel like it was made yesterday.

Externally, the Sportline models remain as understated as their siblings, revealing their qualities the moment we sit behind the wheel and start driving.

The interior is the same as the classic 190, and the seats are inherited from the 190 16v, with the springs replaced by stiffer and shorter ones.

The steering is taken from the 190 16 valve, making it quicker than the standard one, which contributes positively when practicing sporty driving.

Since aerodynamic noise is quite low and the engine is barely audible, you can travel at high speeds without noticing any signs of fatigue.

As for the braking system, despite the drawback of the automatic transmission, which offers less engine braking than a manual, the ventilated front discs and solid rear discs, both of a good diameter, perform their function perfectly.

The car has sufficient braking power, and resistance to fade is excellent. Add to this the presence of ABS, and you have a system that is difficult to fault, something that is quite challenging to find fault with in all the components of a brand like Mercedes, whose level of design and quality could be considered an example for any car manufacturer.

The engine, as I said, is extremely reliable, as durable as Mercedes diesels of that era. In my opinion, it's a bit underpowered, mainly due to the automatic transmission (it would perform a bit better with a manual). Even so, the car is sporty and lightweight, easy to drive, and, believe it or not, it's not very fuel-efficient.

I miss it more and more each day. If it were up to me, I'd turn back time. Selling it was a very bad decision on my part.

Faults:

Suspension wear and tear - shocks, springs, bushes.

Front wing replaced as corroded.

Leaking rear window, needed replacing (seal).

ABS sensors on the way out.

Some of the exhaust rotted, replaced.

Engine mounts replaced.

Minor engine parts, pulley damper, gearbox cooling pipe, radiator replaced.

General Comments:

This is an auto. I wanted a manual, but a RHD manual 2.5D is incredibly rare.

This engine (and even auto box) will go well past 500,000 miles. They are not indestructible, and do need regular maintenance, but you are rewarded with solid engineering and simplicity.

Easily as comfortable as modern cars, and handles very well. Put winter tyres on and snow/ice is no problem. Most RWD owners fail to do this.

The pinnacle of Mercedes engineering in build quality, while keeping electronics minimal.

Many reports of these 190s having engine problems in the US and Canada is down to poor quality fuel and poor quality repairs. European fuel quality is different, especially diesel fuel.

While SVO (veg oil) can be used in these diesel engines, they do need extra filtration, extra heat exchangers, different injectors, and dino-diesel to flush for the end of day run, except much further south where temperatures stay above 15C overnight. The fuel pump will cope fine. Some fuel line O-ring seals may need replacing with SVO, and SVO will clean out dino-diesel sludge, so best replace the fuel filter and tank filter (hard to get to) after first two tanks of SVO.

These cars can corrode. Early treatment/repairs is essential to stop the rot taking hold. Any 190 forum will tell you where the common rot points are, but these cars are easily the best built. The G-Wagen of the same era also.

I have two colleagues in Germany who have sent photos of their odometers, one at 333,333km and the other at 555,555km.

Body work and gearbox issues can seem to make continued use of the car uneconomic. However, even a recon auto box for £1,500 will still be a better bet than another second hand car for £1,500.

All cars are potential money-pits. At least the 190 responds to cash input, and is a better investment than almost any other car, short of vintage classics.