do you think a 1986 190E would be safe to take on a 4-hour car ride? how about a 8-hour car ride? i don't know, i just got the car. the car runs great and it has no problems, but i am afraid the car will break down if i try to drive it for 4 hours straight because it is so old. i am afraid it will be to much for the car to handle. anyone had any experience with taking old cars on long road trips? what are the odds of it breaking down if it otherwise runs well?

 

I know someone who bought a brand new car and the transmission broke on the way home after picking the car up at the dealership.

 

wow, talk about bad luck!

 

it can happen anytime anywhere.

it should be okay driving it.

 

I would trust this car more so than a newer one. Older cars generally do not go for catastropic failures. Things generally wear out giving notice of impending doom. Even failures on old cars are usually simple as things like hoses and belts are most likely and easily fixed.
I have lots of experience with old cars.

 

I recently drove my '91 190E 500km to a hill resort. Tha's about 6 hours, including breaks in between.

Two things went wrong with the car. First, the speedometer cable broke 10 minutes into the trip. I had no idea what my speed was after that. Nor the distance as the odometer also did not work. Bt it was ok, as I just tried to keep pace with the other cars along the way.

Four hours into the trip, the engine died suddently while I was slowing down to make a turn. The engine stopped a couple of times more along way, whenever the speed get too low. Now this was scary because I had to manouver at low speeds up the hill. And down.

Later, the workshop found the problem to be due to a leaking air intake tube. It sort of cracked because of age.

I guess I am confident that my 190E will not fail catastrophically (I baby it!). But you should get it looked over if you are going on a long trip, especially if it is to some hard to reach places. Wear and tear must be taken into consideration, and it depend on how often you maintain yor car.

BTW, I really enjoyed my vacation at the hill resort. I will not hesitate to take my 190E on another road trip again.

 

i imagine that a 4-hour car ride on hilly roads is very hard on the car. i will not be doing anything like that (we don't have hilly roads anyway in the New York area). my road trips will be 4 to 8 hours of straight driving on flat highways. thanks everyone for your replies. i'll start with a 2 or 3 hour trip and see how that goes...

 

Where I live I also look out for engine overheating. Perhaps it is not necessary in NYC. Enjoy your trip!

 

Oh, crikey! Take your cell phone and a parachute and go on your trip. Quit being a worry wort. The car will be fine.

How do you think it got 160K miles on it? Sitting at home while the previous owner worried whether it would make it down the road and back?

 

Wow I just have to responed. We have and old 1984 BMW 528E 192,000 same trans same 6 cyl's motor. I would drive that tug any wear. Mercedes is famous for it's long life. Not a big fan of there 4 bingers. Hey if the engine and trans are tight. Then what could go wrong, lets see, water pump, alternator. starter. Flat tire. Go for it just don't burn the motor[:@]