BMW 535is or Mercedes 190E 2.3 16V Your Thoughts (SAC)

[Dave.Eaton]

i've owned a '88 190 2.3-16.  beautiful build (better than audis of the same
vintage), but otherwise disappointing.  handling was not a strong point with
a lot of early understeer, and then late understeer.  gearbox (getrag
5-speed) was very difficult to finese, and the engine had a lot of throttle
snatch which defied a number of attempts to remove.  however, the engine is
nice (smooth and powerful), but watch for problems with the exhaust
manifold.  rear subframe bushes also give problems on high mileage cars, and
are expensive to fix.  ditto a/c compressors, and radiator fan switches.

the good news was that i bought for about $8.5k usd, and sold for $8k usd 18
months later.

also, the '84 would be the 1st year or so of production, so i'm not sure
that that would be a good idea...

i sold the car with few regrets.  still looking for a pristine '88-89 m3...

hth,
dave
'95 rs2
'90 ur-q
-----Original Message-----
From: "Tim C. Meritzis" <>
To: <Quattro at audifans.com>
Subject: BMW 535is or Mercedes 190E 2.3 16V Your Thoughts  (SAC)
Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2001 20:35:39 -0500

I am looking to purchase one of the two cars listed in =
the subject line.  One of them is a 1984 Mercedes 190E 2.3 16 and the =
other is a 1988 BMW 535is.  Both cars are 5 speed with about 150,000mi =
average between the two.
[snip]
    What should I look for in these cars?  Both are selling for around =
$4000.  Is there anything special I should know before I buy one of =
them?  ISV on the mercedes... Rear Subframe on the BMW.. These are =
couple things I know.  Is that 4 cylinder mercedes engine any good??  =
Any help is appreciated.