Rear shock absorber,£150 each.
Hydraulic pipes for the suspension corroded.
Front spring.
Two engine mounts £80.
Front and rear discs.
Exhaust £850 for full system.
LSD & ABS sensors renewed £80.
Timing chain (my choice, but needed) £250.
Full handbrake system £150
Two tyres £130 each.
I'm sure to have left something out.
Although this seems like a lot of money to spend maintaining my car you've got to remember that this car has been around for 14 years and had 130,000 hard driven miles, things are bound to go wrong.
It's not the quickest car off the lights, certainly not as fast as my 5 Turbo I had, but get past 60mph and it goes and goes hitting 145+MPH(so I'm told officer).It definitely gives you smiles per miles.
They can be a bit of a handful in wet, (as I found out the first day I bought it) a little bit too much acceleration on a roundabout or bend and you'll be going sideways.
The engines on the 2.3 and 2.5 both sound noisy, a rattle hear and there, so don't let this put you off buying one.
The body work on mine is in excellent condition, no rust, dents or scratches the paint work still has a deep shine and I think its original. To the untrained eye this car could be mistaken for being quarter its age.
They are a well built car made to last and bomb proof. Buy one now before they become a classic, you can't loose.
Is the Merc good for fast motorway cruising say 120mph-ish or is this asking too much given the age rather than the car?. I've got 35miles of (windy, hilly) motorway to work and I'm torn between getting a 1989 ish Merc 190 2.5 16v (are all 2.3 16v Cosworths? What about the 2.5?) or a 1990 BMW 325i/525. Love the look of the Merc, but the Beamer seems to be a better motor really. (also like to get an M5 but...still, but that's just asking for trouble on the costs front). I'm in North Spain where you can go as fast as you like more or less, but the prices of 2nd hand cars are horrendous (as is the chance of finding a decent independent garage) so it's a difficult decision here)
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