1990 Mercedes-Benz 190E

This is a five-owner-from new example finished in a discreet metallic silver. It comes with a remarkable service history and evidence of ongoing care throughout its 27-year life, which means it’ll probably be good for another quarter century with nothing more than rudimentary maintenance.

The vendor is in the process of working his way through his Bucket List cars, and has enjoyed a happy year with the vehicle maintaining it in the style to which it has become accustomed. He’s ticked this one off his list now, and the car is consigned with us in order to help it reach its next lucky owner.

The paintwork is in really good overall condition which must be tantamount to the care it has had previously. We will however note a couple of minor issues: there is a a small patch of rust on the front offside wing near the headlight and one small parking ding on the offside rear quarter. Both will need ideally attention in the near future, as will the peeling paint on the door mirrors. All are closely photographed in the Records section for your analysis. 

The rest of the car seems tight with good panel gaps, consistent paint, sharp alloy wheels, etc - to have lasted this long when most of its peers have disappeared suggests a careful past.

The interior is finished in grey leather, which the owner tells us was a special order colour at the time. The leather seats are in terrific condition with only gentle creasing on the driver’s side seat bolster and absolutely no rips, tears or holes. In fact looking through the many photos, the whole interior seems to follow this excellent pattern.

The tilt-and-slide electric metal sunroof works perfectly and is watertight, and a new gear knob and gaiter have been fitted in the last year.

Problems are minor and limited to the sort of thing you’ll spend a happy weekend in the garage fettling. The first is the passenger’s electric window; it works but the switch has been pushed through its mounting hole. Similarly, the switch for the rear offside electric window isn’t sitting in the recess properly and the centre trim panel that houses the radio and heater controls is wonky, which detracts slightly from its appearance. We're sure you'll agree that this is trivial list for a car of this value and age. Please look through the plentiful pictures and assure yourself of the quality and fit and finish. 

The central locking works except on the driver’s door; presumably this isn’t anything too serious as it can still be locked with the key.

Wonderfully, this Mercedes still has its original Blaupunkt radio/cassette player but while the radio works fine the cassette player doesn’t - these can often be overhauled. Finally, the rear Sony speakers aren’t working and the aerial doesn’t retract automatically as it should, although it can be pushed down manually .

The cylinder head was replaced shortly after the current owner bought the car; it was pressure tested before fitting it and the engine is now in good health.

The car was serviced by Prestige Performance in St. Albans 400 miles ago, and the Bosch battery is brand new, as is the MOT. The wheel alignment was checked and adjusted two months ago too, and new engine mounts have been fitted.

The underbonnet area is clean and original and an hour or so with a rattle can of black paint would smarten up the air cleaner housing no end!

The car comes with lots of old invoices, having been serviced at the same garage for 10 years. It also has a wonderful 21 stamps in the service history book, which is a very reassuring thing to see. It also comes with two keys and the original Mercedes leather key fob. Ticking lots of boxes...!

The car comes with a brand new MOT and hasn't even recorded an advisory for two years. The online MOT history shows a few fails and advisory points in the further past, all of which have been resolved. There is nothing on there of any real concern and absolutely no evidence of structural rot or similar, which would be our main concern with any 190.

Please visit the Records section of this listing where you will find over 100 photos of both the car and the service history.

Same as any car, there are old Mercedes 190s, and there are genuine old Mercedes 190s, and the example we’re offering here is clearly one of the latter. It’s not concours, but it’s got heart and soul, has not been messed about with, has been continuously cared for, and is still mostly held together with fixings that haven't been touched since it left Stuttgart. It is crying out for someone who would appreciate a very genuine example of the model to snap it up. It is also in a high spec and has clearly been left like that since, no dreadful personalisation or modifications, this car has been spared a future of dodgy body kit, phat (sic) alloys, lowered suspension and alternative in-car entertainment... there aren't many left like this.

The guide price is £2,200-2,300. And yes, we know that eBay throws up sub-£1,000 cars all the time, but they’re likely to be old dogs fit for nothing other than limping from one MOT test to another, shedding clumps of iron oxide with monotonous regularity. Yes, you might strike lucky in the small ads and snag one but then Kylie might pop round to my place for a candlelight supper - and I’m guessing my odds are broadly similar to yours…

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen in St Albans; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.