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13,000 Original Miles: 1987 Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16V

This 1987 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16 Cosworth is an impressive specimen, with just 13,000 original miles. These limited production sedans have been catching fire lately, especially as enthusiasts realize the E30 BMW M3 is never coming down in price and that the Cosworth-modified Mercedes have been cheap classics for far too long. This car is certainly a stunner with the mileage you’d associate on a car coming off of its lease, but it does have the automatic transmission that may kill some of the excitement for potential buyers. Still, the four-speed is said to be well suited to the 16-valve engine, so it’s not a total buzzkill. Find the Mercedes here on Facebook Marketplace in Riverside, California for $75,000.

The Cosworth conversion took a generic 190E sedan, otherwise known as a W201, and equipped it with a full bodykit encompassing front and rear aprons, side skirts, and a rear spoiler. In addition to the Cosworth DOHC head, the Mercedes could be ordered with a close-ratio “dogleg” manual gearbox, and came standard with a limited-slip differential and self-leveling rear suspension. Inside, drivers enjoyed full Recaro leather seating, as did the backseat passengers who settled into contoured rear buckets at the expense of a usable middle seat. The seller’s car remains in completely stock condition, down to wearing the original 16-inch wheels.

As you might expect for such low mileage, the interior is in outstanding condition. The Recaro buckets are in fantastic shape, as is the wood trim that surrounds the shifter and the HVAC controls. Some of you may recall I own a fairly rough Cosworth and I can tell you that in neglected cars, the wood trim is almost always perished, along with the leather-wrap on the steering wheel. The wheel itself was another Cosworth-specific improvement, as it was smaller than the standard wheel. The door panels were specific to the Cosworth and hard to find today in good shape; these appear to be in mint condition. The seats are powered and the motors can fail, but I doubt there are any issues with their operation in a near-new specimen like this.

In general, the Cosworth powertrain is fairly robust, with known issues including failing tensioners and timing chain issues, but those tend to occur in severely neglected cars. Still, there are some owners who maintain that these components should be proactively replaced, and with lots of records supposedly accompanying this example, there may be evidence of that type of work already being done (but I doubt the car would actually need it if there’s no evidence of this labor-intensive job.) The Mercedes retains its U.S.-spec sealed beams, and a smart upgrade is to find the Bosch European-market headlights with H4 bulbs. The asking price is quite high and likely outpacing the market by a bit, as enthusiast buyers still prefer to find a manual gearbox example – even at the expense of higher miles.

Comments

  1. Avatar alphasud Member

    When I started reading the write-up I had sweet music playing in my head until I spotted the gaited shifter and I then heard the record needle being drug off of the vinyl! Of all the 16 valve Cossie’s I’ve seen over the years this is the first automatic. People the dogleg is what makes the car and the same thing could be said of it’s rival the e30 M3. Yea it’s a beautiful example as many of these have well north of 100K miles but I don’t think it’s worth 75K. It definitely would be and more if it was a dogleg. My dream car would be a eurospec. with the houndstooth interior big plus if it’s the evo2 however I would have to win it big for that to happen. I can imagine the response from the if I hit the lottery. That man has all that money and he drives old cars!

    Like 10
  2. Avatar Doug from MD.

    Mercedes BMW and Jags are a terrible investment as automobiles go when it comes to resale value. I’d run from that price of 75k with no stick. If you got money to burn go for it. If you got money to burn I’d like to help you out with a really nice bridge I have for sale.

    Like 8
    • Avatar GuernseyPagoda

      Hi Doug. Blanket statements are probably not fair, you may mean the newer models. I bought and sold 2 M-B Pagodas within the last couple of years, and made profit on both of them. Also have bought a M-B 560SL for a profit as well. Select models though, you are correct.

      Like 5
    • Avatar Bick Banter

      They used to be available all day long for under 10,000 up until a few years ago. Then they started getting recognition. But not 75k kind of recognition.

      Now, this Will carry a premium because of the mileage. But then it will carry a big negative because of the automatic. So I don’t know how to value this. Personally I would not buy one of these with an automatic. This is the kind of car you buy for the driving experience.

      Like 8
  3. Avatar jwzg

    California car, California price. Nice but no dice.

    Like 5
  4. Avatar Don Diego

    “These limited production sedans have been catching fire lately”…another reason to avoid, or interpret.

    Like 5
  5. Avatar YankeeTR5

    This engine is not well matched to an automatic. Its a bit high strung and the auto doesn’t take advantage of that. Lugging around at low RPM is neither fun nor good for the engine…..

    Like 4
    • Avatar nlpnt

      And if that’s your thing a “base” 190E should be one-tenth the price for one in this condition.

      Like 2
  6. Avatar Ronald Whitcomb

    Whats with the burnt firewall? Was it in a fire??

    Like 0
    • Avatar Dale S

      Ronald, the firewall isn’t black. Mice probably used the material to build a nest in the engine bay. I bought a used car once with that same problem. It had been parked outside the first half of it’s life, which would definitely increase the chances of that happening.

      Like 0
  7. Avatar Mountainwoodie

    Gott in Himmel! Ein Slushbox! Nein nein nein!

    Like 3
  8. Avatar SG

    When I was in my 20s I bought a 190e 2.6 in the same exterior color but with oxblood interior. It needed head work and I rebuilt the car as a Christmas present for Mom – that was my “I’ve made it moment” LOL. Obviously it wasn’t the desirable Cossie but I loved that car and always wished it had a 5 speed. The auto trans was so bland.

    Electrics were fine except for AC blower issues. That era of MB engines also had a weird distributor cap corrosion problem. Or maybe it was that the caps cost over $100 and no one ever replaced them!

    Like 1
  9. Avatar matt grant

    I have literally driven dozens of these as I worked for Mercedes-Benz during that period. I bought a new 2.6 back then and the car was a nice driving car, but lacked the power. the problem I always had with the 2.3-16 was the massive vibrations coming from the engine. a trait the 2.6 did not have. I seem to recall it was either smoke silver (as this one is) or diamond black (or was the the name of the bmw metallic black?). so the color is nice, but the transmission is not. way, way over priced. pity it isn’t the 5 speed stick.

    Like 2
    • Avatar fordor

      Matt: the 2 colors offered were the “smoke silver” and “black pearl” (the dark color). I have an ’87 in the latter color.

      Like 0
  10. Avatar joe

    I drove one exactly like this around 1990. A run down I-4, out of Orlando. Now I’m a manual guy. Have 4 right now, but the car was surprisingly turbine-smooth and quick. I wanted it.

    Like 1
  11. Avatar Dave Peterson

    When I drove one it impressed me, but not $75,000 worth. Is this the new normal?

    Like 1
  12. Avatar Winesmith

    Uh, and it’s not a “Classic”, cheap or otherwise……..

    Like 0
  13. Avatar Scotty Gilbertson Staff

    That’s as nice of an example as I’ve ever seen, but I’m holding out for the Jeff Lavery post-restoration version!

    Like 0
  14. Avatar PRA4SNW

    Probably not a fair comparison, but this car as an auto reminds me of test driving a Merkur Xr4Ti auto after driving the manual. The experience was like night and day and could not believe it was the same car.

    Like 0
  15. Avatar Frank D Member

    $75K get real! Who owned it, Betty White?

    Like 0
  16. Avatar Cordobatim

    $75K for a 35 year old car? Try finding parts for it + forget about going to a MB dealer for parts. A single drive belt will cost $40. Why would anyone want this type of car with an automatic trans? Turn on the a/c and you have a nice gutless car that accelerates like a VW Bug.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Joe

      CORDOBATIM: Why comment when you quite onviously have not driven one of them? While the asking price is probably high, the car itself is a rip to drive. Fact: All current AMG Mercedes are automatics.

      Like 0

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