Hi, I am considering buying an 84' 190D 2.2 Benz with 152K miles. Its a 5 spd tranny and from the numerous pictures Ive seen, looks to be in marvelous condition. The price is justunder $4K.
A little history. I have never owned a Benz but I am familiar with the diesel engine. I own a VW TDi and love it. Do 95% of my own work on it. I would consider myself a good mechanic with plenty of tools.
What I would like to know is some of the issues that I should look for. I have not seen the car in person so obviously have not driven it. I also understand that the standard tranny is a better tranny than the automatics. True?
I belong to the VW TDiclub.com and have found it to be an invaluable resource. So if and when I do buy a Benz diesel, I look forward to learning and asking questions on this forum.
Thanks in advance for all your opinions, expertise, and advice.

 

Manual tranny is much more reliable. The auto's vaccuum to shift will wear out and jerk in first and second gears.

Drive the car for a bit. Ensure there's nothing wrong with the cooling system. I found out after I bought mine that the previous owner let it overheat, then tried to fix the problem with rubber sealant. That cost me a new radiator, thermostat, fan clutch, and now a new engine at 93k because of the damage. [:@]

The car is great though, it's fun to drive and is predictable. Expect fuel mileage to be in the mid 30's to 40's on average with the manual. Also what I think is cool is that the 190D's really have kept their value too with the fuel crissis and reliability