Nik Fisher

Got the opportunity to buy a 190 2.5 16 which ive always fancied..

been stood without starting for 10 years, no oil in bores, just left inside rodent free garage, zero humidity climate.

owner has started her up for the first time after some prep work & sent me this video and it sounds incredibly tappety to me, what are peoples thoughts on here, maybe its just the recording?

I have no reference point as ive never heard one running with the bonnet up, can anyone post a similar video of theirs running?

any opinions appreciated. Nik

https://youtube.com/shorts/CuVVv8WwDP0?feature=share

190Efan

I actually don't think it sounds too bad. It's pretty common to hear valves tapping on a W201 engine as long as it's not to excess. I can hear some minimal valve tapping with my more ordinary W201 engine. This one doesn't sound to excess with the valve tapping. I would get that layer of crud cleaned off the top of that engine. Doing that will help. Also make sure all of the engine electrical connections are clean as that amount of dirt can get into those connections and cause all kinds of trouble. Make sure all of the fluids have been changed and be sure to only use MB coolant if the car still has its original radiator as non-MB coolants can damage the plastic radiator interior. The W201 2.5-16v is one of the rarest ones that were built with only 5.700 having been built. They only varieties that are rarer are the EVOs. That makes this car worth saving.

Nik Fisher

thank you, i was also thinking a recording will often amplify things beyond what they are as phones tend to pick up on the higher frequencies (i wasnt pressent but asked owner to record the first start up)

noted on all the other stuff, i would be going through it with a fine tooth comb anyway, i’m budgeting on €10k worth of recommissioning, including paintwork.

this is a manual car with 55k miles to, up to the point of storage (last 10 years) it had full mercedes service history so a good car to bring back to life i think.

considering a concourse car is about £30,000 ($40,000) and im looking at £10k worth of repairs, do you think a £15k offer is reasonable as a starting point?

dolucasi

Agreed on the engine sound being very different than real life noises, so I would not be worried about that. I would be worried about the amount of dirt and crud on a 55K mile engine like that. Are we sure about the mileage? Maybe the car was on motor cross rallies in the past?
It is worth saving that is for sure.

Nik Fisher

seen a fair few 11 year untouched stored cars and that engine bay is about right imo, pedal rubbers, seats condition & interior in general reflect 55k miles, tyre date stamp ties in with being taken off road at that point as well, collapsed rear springs seem right but elevated front ride height i dont understand??



Rear is on bump stops, spring not broken but very corroded, front though? Seems elevated but maybe not?

dolucasi

The rear springs can easily be replaced but I would be concerned about the corrosion. I replaced mine about 4 years ago just because I did a sportline suspension conversion.
My originals looked very good, no sign of any rust whatsoever. So the car must have seen some road salt in the past. Take the covers off the jacking points and make sure there is no hint of any rust in there.

I assume nothing was in the trunk when the photo was taken as even a 220lbs/100Kg of weight will make the spring sag quite a bit, an make the fronts sit up higher.

It is also evident that the rims were exposed to a lot of sun for repeated years as the they are showing the age. That is an easy fix can be refinished as those rims are very hard to come buy.

190Efan

Given the car's low mileage and not wanting to totally turn off the seller, I think your initial offer is a little low. I think I would start at 20. There likely aren't many left with the low mileage of this particular car. The low mileage and the service records really increase this car's value. I think the low mileage and the service records makes it an even better candidate for saving. I think your restoration budget is a good one. I did a major refurbishing on my low mileage, one owner W201 last year and that's about what it cost me. Only because of my car's pristine condition did I even think about spending that kind of money on it. These are the W201s that are now going up in value. I think you're right to buy one of these now.
I think Dolucassi's rust advise is excellent advise. While the exterior looks pretty decent, rust on the interior of the car in any significant amount could be a big and expensive problem. I would put the car up on a lift and go over the under carriage with a fine tooth comb. I have to say that a few years ago, I did see an MB 300Sl convertible at a local cruise night that had been left to rot in a hot climate garage by the original owner that had alot of crud built up on it that I think with a good detailing would look pretty good. It was in remarkably good shape given the hot climate it had been exposed to and the car ran and drove well for the new owner.
Hopefully, you'll be able to buy this car and save it. Keep us posted on your progress and don't hesitate to ask if you have any more questions.

Nik Fisher

Thanks very much, too both of you, great detailed advise of which i will heed.

i am going to visit again and check further underneath and remove the jacking point blanks and see what i find. I did get in the boot (no dead bodies ) lift carpets etc and everything was a s clean as a whistle, checked round all door frames and peeled back rubbers, again, nothing.

spain is different to hot humid climates as its a dry heat and this has helped for the last 20 years i think, but it is very dusty, the caked on debris looks far more like a dusty environment build up, as does underneath, the corrosion on the springs i’m talking of might well just be the same tbh as normally corroded springs would snap and these have not snapped.

i will keep you posted, at the moment it has been transported to sort a depressed clutch pedal that wont return, so we can verify gearbox operation until that is remedied, i’ll try to get to it whilst its on the ramps

190Efan

I agree that the dryer climate should be in the car's favor but you still want to check every nook and cranny to try as best as you can to determine that there are no serious rust issues. BTW, I've owned my car since it was new and I never had to replace any rubber other than tires in 31 years so it was due to have all of the rubber replaced. The rubber on your car should be good to go for years too once it's been replaced. A good detailing should take care of getting all of the layers of crud off of the car. From your pictures and sans crud build-up your car looks to be in pretty remarkable condition and with low mileage, the equivalent of finding a needle in a haystack. If this car checks out, this one would be a keeper because this is such a rare variety and it's in such great condition. There aren't many like this one left. Also, not a car to be driven on salted roads either, inmho. Keep us posted on your purchase.

Dave Kost

Very rare car- just buy it.

You will be sorry if you don't !

190Efan

Just curious, have you purchased the car yet?

Nik Fisher

Update

yes, took a year of him and his woes to get there but saw it again yesterday, this time running, serviced, new fuel, clutch slave cylinder sorted so i could actually drive it and test brakes, gearbox, engine etc

drove very well, easily felt like all 180 horses there, no smoke on start up, fired on all 4 from cold, didnt overheat, fan kicked in ok, brakes were strong and didnt pull in any direction, gearbox was smooth as silk through all gears.

Only things, rear suspension having zero damping so the hydraulics need looking at, there’s a diff warning light to.. drivers elec window defunct but all others operative so maybe a motor, wing mirrors worked, sunroof works, A/c bloody worked!

Very Good price achieved. Chuffed that i’ll get my hands on it to bring it back to former glory and there’s plenty in there i dont have to worry about what i spend.

thanks chaps, any other help along the way will be much appreciated