1992 Mercedes-Benz 190 190D review from UK and Ireland
"Very reliable and good for alternative fuels, just slower than dial up internet"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
The differential was worn - they all go after about 120,000 miles on these, so I had to get it reconditioned.
The prop shaft & rear sub frame bushes were gone, so it made a noise like driving over a dead body when you changed gear.
There was a oil leak onto the alternator, so that had to be replaced.
The interior fan made a noise like a coffee grinder, and eventually ground its last bean.
One of the glow plugs had failed, so the glow plug light would glow inanely at you after you'd started the car. It would still start on the button in -6 temperatures though.
General comments?
Being a 92bhp 2.5 five cylinder, you'd think it'd have a bit of poke, but you'd be disappointed. It's definitely faster than any of the W123 Mercs, but it'll have you screaming the slogan from Vauxhall Corsa commercials on motorway inclines ("Come on!").
The fastest mine would go was indicated 115mph, which was probably about 104mph in real life.
Due to its, revolutionary at the time, 5 link rear suspension, it did handle pretty well for a big car. If you popped the clutch halfway around a round-a-bout in 2nd, it would merely gently under steer, which was very safe for such a large rwd car. Just boring. It was a bit boaty around the corners, but the ride quality was good.
The engines on these cars are faultless, aside from the glow plugs they run with out fail. There is an unofficial world record for a W123 Mercedes 240D engine that has done 2,300,000 miles.
An added bonus is that you can run these diesels on various other oils. Peanut oil is the 'optimax' of the alternative fuel world, but I generally ran mine on rapeseed as that is cheapest in this country.
You can also run them on WVO (waste vegetable oil) without doing much other than filter the burnt chips from it.
Fuel economy wasn't great, I found I had to clog it to get anywhere, thus it would return around 27mpg. If you don't mind having a funeral procession of at least 10 cars flashing, beeping and gesturing at you, then I think 40 mpg is possible.
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| I hope to keep this car for another 100000 miles |
|
| A high quality, high performance work-horse |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Model year | 1992 |
| Year of manufacture | 1992 |
| First year of ownership | 2007 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2008 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.5 non-turbo diesel Manual |
| Performance marks | 3 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 10 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 3 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 140000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 156000 miles |
| Previous car | Porsche 944 |
| Date of Entry | 6th August, 2008 |