1988 Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3 review from North America

Note that this car was owned by a single 20-something male for seven years and was horribly abused when I bought it. Issues with the car when I purchased it:

The a/c operates occasionally, I have not looked into this problem.

The rear windows no longer go up and down, I assume they need regulators.

Drivers seat cushioning is worn, however the MB-TEX seats are not torn.

Nearly all of the dash illumination lights were out, bulbs were only $10, but this was a real hassle to fix, and took me nearly all weekend.

The zebrano wood on the console is cracked and chipping.

Engine had a severe miss, remidied with properly gapped spark plugs and premium fuel only $10.

Front left strut was damaged, and strut mount was needed, this was repaired for $145.

Problems since my ownership (last 20k)

Thermostat started to stick @ 230,000 miles, causing the temp. gauge to act strangely. Only took 30 minutes and $30 to repair.

Valve cover gasket is leaking, not a serious problem though.

Blower switch for the climate control failed, took appx. 3 hours to rebuild...cost $0

I have grown up with German cars for most of my life, but this was our first M-B. I purchased it from my father's neighbor in 9/02 with appx. 220,000 miles. This guy, as the second owner, had literally driven the car into the ground, and the car was very dirty and running quite poorly when I acquired it. However all the repairs have been very straightforward and amounted to only maintainence items.

This car is my highway crusier to complement my E21 BMW 3-series around town. Overall this has been an excellent car, I routinely take it on 1000+ mile trips with no issues whatsoever. She still cruises at 100 mph just fine, and I feel that this would be an extremely safe car in any collision.

This car is built like a tank, meaning that, compared to say a BMW, it is sort of unrefined. Like most other german autos that I have been around, this car is quite easy to work on, and the mechanicals are laid out in, quite possibly the most logical fashion I have ever seen.

The size of this car, compared with my E28 5-series is perfect. I love the turning radius, as well as the smallish dimensions on the outside; this car is a joy in urban driving, as well as for 18 hour stretches on the interstate. The interior, while sort of small in the rear, is extremely ergonomic, and the Mercedes "tex" seat material seems to never wear, and cleans up easially.

The truth about this car, and in all honesty most other old german cars is, they require a dedicated, enthusiast owner when they reach this age/mileage to be reliable. It seems that there is always some minor "quirk" with this car, and she does need pretty frequent maintainence. However, parts are reasonable, and there is very little on this car that is not user serviceable, in addition some parts (e.g. switches) can be rebuilt in a pinch, try this on a Japanese car.

I've heard it said that German cars are built to last forever, if given proper and timely maintenance , and are cared for properly, and this car sums up that idiom perfectly.