Faults:

Wipers stopped working.

Radiator was weak - overheated in heavy traffic.

When in the rain, the car wanted to die... but would hang on. Barely.

General Comments:

I loved this car. It was my first car, but I have owned/driven dozens of cars since, and I stand by my Mercedes. If you are looking for a low cost up front, expensive to maintain car... this is your dream.

The handling is tight... and the engine would not die. I was a young woman, driving the car hard. It was not well maintained and the thing would not die. Non-essential things would become problematic - and were not cheap to fix, but the engine always started up.

This car feels like an extension of the driver. So if you have a "cushion" in savings for misc repairs, that can wait if needed, this car is perfect. MPG was 20-25 in the city.

Faults:

Injector lines went bad and snapped out in the middle of no place, but still got me there.

Injection system O-rings leaked when I first bought it, but fixed for 50 bucks.

Flex disc went bad, but the car warned me so no damage.

Ball joints went bad and is a common problem.

There have been a few other problems, but all were fixed easily. And this is after 13 years of ownership!

General Comments:

This is really an amazing car. Now it's not fast and it's not fancy, but it IS the best car I have ever owned. It's stone cold reliable, it gets amazingly good mileage for a 1985 car, it's comfortable, and still looks modern, even though I can put historical plates on it next year.

I do my own wrenching, and have taken a lot of this car apart over the years, and it's built right! From what I hear, I could probably drive it another 30 years.

Slow to be sure, but it will get you there and back!

Great car.

Faults:

Belt tensioner was replaced. Flex disc on drive axle replaced. Power steering unit leaks, but still works well. Electrical system sometimes acts up. (wipers and radio turn on by them selves with the car off) Seems to shift harder than other models.

General Comments:

Lack of power.

Very comfortable for a tall person.

Handles well.

Hard to find parts.

The southern sun has worn out the paint on the hood, roof and trunk only.

Faults:

The car is a very solid ride. However, it needs to be babied (hence the nickname Baby Benz.)

My timing chain blew at 230,000 km.

Upper strut mounts blew at 232,000 km.

Window motor (4) regulators went at 200,000km.

General Comments:

The 1985 190e is a very reliable and do it your self maintenance vehicle.

A great car and a pleasure to work on.

A excellent everyday car, even though it is old!

Not good for passengers in the rear, however makes a good two seater!

The best of the best from Mercedes in its class.