1990 Mercedes-benz 190e 2.6 Sedan 4-door W201 Immaculate, Nearly Perfect on 2040-cars

1990 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.6
Smoke Silver with Tan MB Tex Interior
Nearly Perfect Condition

One Owner (prior to me), Always Dealer Maintained and Serviced
Garaged for the First 20 Years
ABSOLUTELY RUST FREE!

Clean, Non-Smoker
201 Chassis, 103 Engine, 722 Transmission

Location:  Barrington, RI

An extensive collection of images may be reviewed at sherwoodsri.imgur.com.

You may contact me via eBay message or on my cell at 972.523.1743.  I am glad to provide additional pics, answer any questions, and even provide a video tour of the car via FaceTime if you have an iPhone.

OWNERSHIP HISTORY

This 1990 190E 2.6 is the quintessential "little old lady" automobile. It was purchased new in April of 1990 from Viti Mercedes in Tiverton, RI for $29,520. The woman who owned it (a neighbor of mine) drove it until 2000. Then, when she was no longer able to drive at the age of 90, she kept the car and had others serve as her driver until 2013 when she was 104 years old! Her son, noticing my obvious enthusiasm for older Mercedes, approached me one day about the possibility of purchasing the car, which I did this past summer.

As you would expect from a car owned by an elderly woman, the car is immaculate and in pristine condition. For the most part, it looks brand new. To the extent that there are any cosmetic flaws, they are minor and barely noticeable (one minor thing to note is that it is missing the tow hold cover below the front bumper). For most of its life it was garaged and rarely if ever driven in the snow.

For the last 23 years the car has been serviced and maintained by the dealer. Most recent major service (every 30,000 miles) was performed at 86,000 miles. 

PERFORMANCE

The vehicle is performing to extremely high standards: acceleration, shifting, handling, braking, etc. are all as they should be. 

Some are of the opinion that the M103 is one of the best engines Mercedes ever made. Especially in the smaller 201 chassis, it makes for a very quick and responsive and powerful engine. . ..which translates into a fun car to drive! The 722 transmission is extremely reliable. When well taken care of (which this one has), it can easily go 300,000 miles without service other than fluid and filter changes every 30,000 miles.

Everything works except for the following: (1) The power to the left rear window was disconnected by the dealer because it kept blowing the fuse; the new owner may want to investigate or simply leave as is. I had no interest in pursuing it. (2) While the original Alpine stereo works, sound only comes out of the front right speaker, and the quality is not great. The audio system is, by today's standards, of inferior quality; so I thought it best to leave it to the new owner decide what kind of audio system to install. And the antenna mast needs to be replaced (the antenna itself is fine. . .it needs to be removed and have the broken antenna mast cable removed from it and have a new mast installed. . .I decided not to deal with it). 

MAINTENANCE HISTORY

Very significantly, the new owner will be provided with the COMPLETE SET OF MERCEDES-BENZ DEALER SERVICE RECORDS. I cannot stress enough the importance of having maintenance records in buying an older Mercedes. Usually best-case scenario is having access to the most recent few years. In this case, you get EVERYTHING, and this clearly adds great value to the car. 

I have a table of maintenance highlights that I can send via email. By way of a quick summary, all fluids and filters are up-to-date and all periodic maintenance has been recently performed. Over the last 10,000 miles, the following have been replaced: fan clutch, belt and tensioner, radiator, head gasket, front brake rotors and pads, rear brake rotors and pads, windshield, spark plugs, exhaust, fuel filter, and fuel pressure regulator. In short, you have the confidence that there has not been deferred maintenance. Whenever this car needed ANYTHING, it was addressed.

I want to call particular attention to the fact that the head gasket and all related seals were replaced at 89,000 miles. This is an expensive repair; the fact that this car has already had the head gasket replaced adds to its value and gives the new owner confidence that it will be a very long time before it needs to be done again.

REASON FOR SELLING

When I purchased this 190E from my neighbor, I knew I was acquiring an exceptional automobile in near-perfect condition; it's difficult to imagine finding one of these in better condition with so few miles. But I also knew that my period of ownership would not be long. I have a 91 300D and a 92 300D that I hope to keep forever. From time to time I acquire an extra Mercedes to live with and learn about and then pass on to a more permanent owner; the 190E was my latest additional car, an unusual opportunity, and something of an investment vehicle. But, as I have no pressing need to sell it, I'm perfectly content to enjoy driving until the right buyer comes along. Ideally, I hope to find someone who can enjoy it and care for it as much as its first owner did, perhaps for another 20+ years.

Comes with three keys and all original documentation and service records.