1992 Mercedes-Benz 190 E from North America - Comments

Backseat passenger door lock failed.

Three of the four automatic windows failed.

The oil leaks and needs refilling every month or so.

The A/C only works for 6 months before needing a refill.

Loose/broken A/C vents.

Car cuts off randomly when coming to or starting from a stop, sometimes not restarting for several minutes.

The leather interior on the door panel ripped from normal wear. I am not hard on my car.

The idle speed fluctuates often.

Brake lights need replacing often.

Several fuses have needed replacing.

Motor mounts broke at 120,000. This cost over 1,000 to fix.

The rear defrost failed at 125,000.

I never want to own another Mercedes again.

The car is far too expensive to maintain and still remain on a practical budget.

The mechanics have replaced several things on the car trying to fix the cutting-off problem, but to no avail. I have had to put more money into this car than it is worth in order to keep it running. I haven't even fixed everything on my list because it is too expensive.

The car is a real money pit. If you have the cash to spare, go for it. I'd almost pay you to take mine.

If you want a Mercedes, get one relatively recent. It's not worth it to put all the money into fixing one of these up.

You bought a 9 year old (13 year old now in 2005) used European car with 92.000 miles and probably in bad shape, aware that it would be expensive to maintain, and now you are complaining, because you can't afford a different car?

Come on... you knew what you were getting into when you bought this car. Like you said: A good used Mercedes is a dream on wheels, but in you case, sounds like you've got a serious lemon (and you knew it!) and that can be a motorized nightmare.

I Own the same car as you do: Mine is a dark blue 1992 190E 2.6 Automatic. Very Beautiful car, with full service history, 120K on the clock and I take very, very good care of her. Reliable as a Swiss Rolex. Starts every time and no signs of rust. Quite simply, the best car ever.

That Car is a Bomb Shelter.

I got an '88 190e, and you simply can't destroy these cars.

There's folks who sold their 190'Benz only to buy it back 4 years later in a worse shape, fix it up good, and va va vroom.

You don't beleive me? Go buy an Audi.

I agree with the above comments. I have a 1992 190 E 2.6 with 88,000 miles, and it's been the most reliable car I've ever owned. If you treat these vehicles right they will outlive you. Preventative maintence is the key (that goes for any car). If you buy a used one that has been abused it will be problamatic, of course. But in general, Mercedes of this era are bullet-proof.

Wow i"m shocked, I have only the baby of the range a 1991 1.8 auto with 74,000 miles and have owned it for 2yrs and it has only cost me £175 in parts in all that time, these are incredible cars and are easily worth the small amount of money the fetch.

I"m sorry that you bought such a bad one, if it had been anything like mine then you would have sung nothin but praise.

Spent £500 and get a dog or spent £1,500 - £2,000 and get a diamond. simple.

If you chose to repair the AC on an old car be prepared to spend a lot of money and there are no guaranties that it will work in the end. Just leave it broken is my advice.

The Idle problems / electrics problems sound like a broken over-voltage protection relay. Does your ABS light come on while starting? If not then replace the fuse on top of the OVR, or if that doesn't help replace the OVR completely. It can be found behind the battery.

Best regards.

Tjep Feenstra.

I have to agree with the original reviewer. These cars are obnoxiously expensive to fix, and much fixing they need! They are a real spoiled brat if you don't stick to maintenance to the letter. Very anal cars. My near mint 1987 300E was a money pit. Within 108k miles, pretty much everything electrical related failed (windows, stereo, cruise, switches, lights, etc.) The transmission needed to be rebuilt, transmission mounts and motor mounts went bad, and on and on. Quite simply a rolling money pit. I've owned far cheaper American cars that were less problematic and definitely cheaper to maintain. It's pretty sad when an American car that retailed for about $12k new in '92 is more dependable than a Benz. Also, my experience with Volvos is that they are FAR cheaper to keep up. I've had much better reliability experience from them. The thought of owning a Mercedes now scares me. Headaches and a thin wallet are not my idea of an enjoyable ownership experience.

I agree with the earlier posts on reliability. I have a 1991 2.6 190E and it just gets up and starts perfect every day, even with 160,000 miles on the clock. The doors still 'clonk' like a merc should, and the engine is very smooth and quiet with a suprrising amount of power. The only interior thing to go bad in the 3 years I have owned it is the rear electric window, although this was shot when I bought the car and I have never bothered fixing it.

I have also owned a similar era SAAB 9000, in which the whole interior almost disintegrated, with loose panels all over, electrical nightmares and 3 gearboxes. If Mercedes still made cars in the 'over engineered' way I would buy another in a heart beat. My independent mechanic has told me to steer clear of anything post 1996 (Chrysler integration period). Sadly I need to sell the 190, and I know that given her mileage she will only fetch a few hundred quid, but I can guarantee she will still be cruising along long after my friends new shape C180 is on the scrap heap.

I own a 1990 Mercedes 300e 3.0. It has 229,852 miles on it. No engine knocking, no transmission problems or anything. I have kept the maintenance up, but have neglected to EVER change my timing belt. My timing belt has over 200,000 miles on it, and has not broken down on me yet. The only problems with my car is that it needs two motor mounts and a transmission mount, ($458) and a valve job ($1,400) top that for reliability.

I was with the man who purchased in 1991 a 190e.. I told him that if he ever wanted to sell it down the road I would buy it.. he kept it 10 years and had 100,000 mile on it when he bought another new one.. He gave me the car in 2001. It is now 2007 and I have 380,000 on it.. I have spent money on repairs.. Upkeep has cost about $150.00 per month.. cannot buy anything that can take it like this car... it can truly take it.. just got the second badge,, gonna go for the 500,000 usa miles.. it uses no oil... and of course it is wearing out.. but still going.. never seen anything like it.. My friend spent 30.000 for the car new... it still get 30mpg on the road.. I sell insurance in two states.. nc and tn... going back and forth over the mountain... its not for everyone, but I am convinced that I will never find another car that will come close to it..