Faults:

Automatic transmission died at around 150,000 miles, car wouldn't shift properly from 2nd to D. Replaced with second hand unit at sellers cost

Idle regulator, which meant car would stall at idle, or idle would be erratic. Relatively cheap to fix, but hard to diagnose

Rear electric window mechanism (not fixed, common fault)

Radiator hose (cheap fix, inconvenient in the middle of summer though!)

Sway arm bushes.

General Comments:

Overall I used to not like the 190E, as I didn't think it was a 'real' mercedes, however I was looking for the perfect London car - i.e. relatively small, but big on the inside, classy and nice to drive, but not too expensive if dented and powerful enough for the motorway. I think I have truly found it in the straight-six Mercedes 190E. It is black on grey in colour, and looks quite good when polished. Paint has withstood weather and time very well with no signs of rust (unlike newer Mercedes with paint chipping and rust!). Interior is very solid, basically a smaller version of the 'S Class' of the era, aside from the rear window everything works, which is amazing considering the age of the car. Mercedes has replaced simple, solid, reliable design and build quality with fancy doo-dads in their new cars, most of which owners don't even know how to use.

The gearbox packing up was a surprise, especially as this is the same unit they use in the larger E320/S320 models of the time, and the diff is whining a fair bit, but I have been told this is common for mercs of this age and shouldn't be a problem. The idle problem was a nightmare to fix, as originally though it could be down to dirty/faulty leads/distributor or vacuum hose problem, however was located down to one small valve which cost a few quid to replace. I have never used MB franchised dealers to repair the car, instead I have very well trained independent mechanics which keep the cost very reasonable (less than £300 per year for regular servicing).

The engine seems to be leaking a bit of oil between the block and head, which I have been told spells impending doom for the head/gasket, however will have to watch out. All up this is a very solid, durable car which cruises very smoothly and surprises many at the lights (most think it is the puny 1.8 model, which is way too underpowered for the weight). I wish they still did make cars of this simple, quality design and build, the later model C-Class simply didn't seem to have the quality or reliability of these cars.

Faults:

Fuel pump failed causing hesitation, 140 Pounds to fix.

Temperature sender failed causing cooling fan not to come on, 15 Pounds to fix

Thermostat failed, 6 Pounds to fix

Some wear to the rear diff causing slight whine and slightly clunky low speed maneuvering.

General Comments:

The 2 litre car is the one to go for however this 1.8 has enough performance if you use the whole rev range. There isn't a lot of torque low down however. Things get a bit noisy if you go above 3000 revs.

The gearbox is a wide ratio type which takes some getting used to. First gear is very low which is good for hills etc, but the gaps between gears are quite large. At 30mph neither 3rd or 4th is quite correct. I now find that I tend to use the lower gears more as there isn't much more noise, but you can accelerate fast if needed.

Handling is fantastic, the rear wheel drive and sophisticated rear suspension means you can balance the car nicely through corners.

Motorway driving is also great, its possible to drive at 80-90mph for hours on end without discomfort.

Practicality is OK, great in the front seat. Both seats can lower down to give lots of headroom (I'm 6'3"). And the seats can go a long way back. Back seat space is terrible behind me however. Fine behind an average sized person.

The boot is a reasonable size, but does not fold.

The car is 14 years old and all the mechanical components are still very solid. It doesn't roll on corners for example. The car is easy to service and the component quality is very high. The wheel bearings for example are about 3 times the size of those on my VW Jetta.

Fuel consumption is about right for the size of car. I get about 30-32mpg on general driving, driving the shortish journey to work. This doesn't seem to change on long journeys.

Parts are quite easy to get at places like Eur Car Parts and German & Swedish. Prices are fairly reasonable. Not that much more than VW.

I've only used the main dealer once and they were very helpful. I wanted a wheel-bolt. They sent me one in the post for free the next day. Although it was slightly too long and I had to shorten it!

If I were to buy another 190 I would go for the auto gearbox as the manual doesn't really suit the car. I would also try to find one with leather and air conditioning. Although rare these don't really push the price up. I would also go for the 2.0 or even the 2.6 straight six. The 2.6 has about 168bhp and the auto does 0-60 in about 8 seconds compared to about 11 seconds for my car.

All in all this is a very good value car, very very solid and you can pick up a nice one for less than 2000 pounds.