Hello all;
Time to replce the wife's Taurus and I stumbled across a 190E with a
2.6L 6 cylinder. The only thing wrong is the fact it has a blown head gasket. The owner has a spare head, machined and ready to go. I am a mechanic and am capable of doing the work myself. My question is this- with 140k miles on it, should I even consider it? Beautiful green with the factory chrome wheels...$800The S class (model designation W126) is much more complicate than 190E (W201, the precedessor of the current C class). I know because I have both. Since this sounds like your first Mercedes, I would suggest the simpler one, 190E. Once you get familiar with MB, you can 'upgrade' to others. Most MB in the same vintage are similar in design (even across the W model #) so it should not be a problem for a mechanic (like you).
I learn a lesson many years ago from this newsgroup: "The most expensive Mercedes is the cheapest one". The reason why it is cheap is because of the overdue repairs it requires. You will be amazed by how many extra luxury items on the S class that are not needed to drive but can annoy you when they are not working.
Also, there are less used W126 parts than W201. Most W201 parts are common for the entire line (1984-1993). W126 had major change from 1986.
I do understand W126 is a true Mercedes while W201 is just a basic. Consider your resource (money and time) before acquiring the S class. Good luck.
Steve R wrote:
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