Quote:
Originally Posted by bgd73
the 190e is 2.6 six cyl, but not a racing one, that may be a decent candidate for fuel...except 4 valves a cyl. I passed on it. inline bouncing up and down all around..as if I want four openings in a slob already.  |
The M103 engine in the 2.6 inline 6 you looked at is a 2 valve/cyl engine. If you want efficient, get the newest 190e 2.3 M102 4 cyl you can find and megasquirt it. Thats what I did to mine.
190 Revolution
From the factory all gasoline Benzes up to 1993 had Kjet mechanical fuel injection. Its horribly in efficient and a real pain in the ass to maintain. With Megasquirt, it consistently gets 30mpg everywhere with a 4 speed auto. You can even find these with 5 speed manual transmissions if you're lucky. I'm planning to swap a 5 speed into mine this summer.
The other options are a 1997 C230 (naturally aspirated) with a 5 speed auto or a 2001+ C230 with a 6 speed manual. All of the old diesels are painfully slow, over priced or completely worn out. You can find a clean 190e 2.3 for less than $1500 with 120k miles or less. I paid $1000 for my 93 with 105k miles on the odometer.
190 Revolution
The W201 (190e) and W124 (300e) were both way ahead of their time in terms of aerodynamics. The 190e had a CD of .32 which could be brought down to .29 with a factory body kit. The base model 300e with skinny tires had a CD of .28.
Unfortunately the 300e was never offered in the US with a 4 cylinder engine. The mecedes models produced between about 1980 and 1995 are some of the highest quality cars ever produced. Soon after Mercedes was forced to cut cost in order to compete with Lexus and Acura. They never recovered.
All mercedes models sold in the US after 1985 have at least 1 airbag and ABS brakes. Some even have traction control starting in the late 80s.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gasoline Fumes
If you want MPG, look for a W123 1977-83 240D diesel with the 4-speed manual. I believe they're good for at least 30 MPG. But they are slow. 68 HP in a 3000 lb sedan kind of slow.  |
I like the W123 but it has the aerodynamics of my house. You'll be lucky to ever see 30mpg out of the diesel. Mercedes started using a wind tunnel with the W126. It looks similar to the W123 but its aerodynamically much cleaner.