"...but we wouldn't consider this a daily-driver anyways."
I don't see why not - it's got four doors, a trunk, seating for five, wood, leather, legible instruments and even a radio. Maybe you'd need an engine rebuild first but I can see it being driven to work with care and caution everyday.

Then again I'm certifiably insane to begin with, so don't listen to me.

I had cosworth work on my slant six dart.the dart broke cosworths dyno.

Wow, he really detailed every aspect of the car, even a colon-cam view into the top end. If I had two pennies to rub together (and that's a phrase you don't want to have a typo in) I'd give it consideration. It's beautifully maintained (annal much?) and a very desirable ride. In the end, that scratch below the mirror really turned me off to the whole thing.

If I lived anywhere close, I think I'd pay the seller a visit.

This and the 500E. My '80s Autobahn cruising, kraftwerk listening, sauerkraut eating uberflugmaschine. Or possibly a 560SEC

Benz just seem a bit....limp, these days.

Wha, no LEDs for the radio buttons!?

I guess that was a German only option. I remember riding in a relatives Benz over in Europe when I was a kid, and was mezmerized by the LEDs. Don't remember what year the car was, sometime in 82-83.

Also, is "I have a $40 deposit in my pocket" the latest euphemism for "nursing a semi"? Because it definitely sounds like one, and it applies here in multiple ways.

The only thing it needs is a piece of black duct tape on top of the rear seat!

@deskman: Stand by, the Memecops are on their way.

Mmm...And it's a Cali car to boot. Too bad I'm in no position to bid on her.
These are definitely on my "Cars I Must Own Before I Die" list.

@bzr: I pushed a W123 300D for a while and though it was hard to kill I'm not 100% sure if I'd have a Benz from that era as my only driver.@bzr: It's the new bruce, let's hope it catches on.

In the post it says "late 70's" it should be late 80's considering the "2.3-16" was made in 1986 and 1987.

The 190E "2.3" was made from 1984 to 1993.

DOTS: Renault Alpine V6 Turbo. And all I have is a stupid camera phone.

I've always liked the 190E. I thought it was about the right Merc for the times, still wouldn't mind one but.... they get older and older and I still can't afford one. Not to mention the agonizing Mercedes trait of being slower than an old lady following a walker when taking off.

Whoa, a Benz with a manual! Maybe they should go back in time and learn a thing or two or five!

@bsteimel: Actually, the car was developed and created in the late 1970s and was eventually sold in the 1980s. The lead times on cars of that era were insane!

I've been looking for one these for months. Theres just something about it that tickles my fancy. I usually hate MB. And I mean hate with a capital H. But this car for some reason makes me want to find a winding uphill climb and go ape$h!t on it's @$$. I think it has to do with Cosworth...

@Uberdude328i: If you do buy it, you must share pictures with us.

Where else can you get teutonic LSD and RWD at $5K? The motor's got a snap-happy chain though. At 153K miles I'd low-ball this one.

I saw this one a while ago, and its a fantastic looking car. Id go ahead and put the Merc-Cossie on my Wish-List.

Those seats look like they are in premium condition. I can almost smell the car from here.

that wierd 80's German car smell....mmmmm

If you want to live out your '80s DTM fantasies, and the Ur-Quattro and E30 M3 are just too obvious, this is your car. The only Benz of the era that can rival it in Bruciness (Brucetasticness? Bruceticity?) is the 500E which was more of an Autobahn bruiser and less of a sports car. I was never fond of Mercedes-Benz's "champagne" paint--it seems like it should be on an old lady's S-class, rather than a DTM brawler-- but this car rocks.

My co-worker would really like one of these, and we're in San Diego where the car is located. However, despite the really clean appearance of the car, he said he wouldn't buy it.

Why?

The radio is tuned to 90.3 - Z90, the local ghetto hip-hop and rap station, haha.

For some reason, I have two (two more than I've seen of the real thing) of these in 1:64 Majorette form (you'd think one would be enough, right?). It's appropriate, I guess, because despite their French background, Majorette spoke Bruce.

It failed then passed the smog test in February, so it may not be that good of a deal. . .

SMOG TESTS ONLY /
SAN DIEGO MERCE 190E 2.3-16 1987 02/01/2008 05:54 p.m. P VN463378C
SMOG TESTS ONLY /
SAN DIEGO MERCE 190E 2.3-16 1987 02/01/2008 04:40 p.m. F

I saw one of these the other day, exact same color. They're pretty hot, not quite the raging boner E30M3s give me, but my dad was still confused by my profuse cooing when we saw it.

@LTDScott, Porcubimmer pilot: Yeah, but it looks like it's parked in Del Mar Heights. The numbers on the curb are well-painted and the hearthscaping doesn't appear to double as an ashtray. I'd be more concerned if it were tuned to 99.7 La Invasora.

Now, if it were tuned to Nickety-902, "The Sturge," that would be cool.

@Skydiver: Numbitty, not nickety.

Numbitty = Homestar
Nickety = Grandpa Simpson

@Matt Hardigree: Just wondering, but where did the whole term "Bruce" come from. I gave a kurt check of the internet, then another of the site and concluded that somewhere, in the annals of the Jalopnik archives it rests. However, having read all of the jalopnik archives at least once through, I couldn't find it. I turn to you, Mr. Man-Who-Actually-Works-Here, what's the story?

I've always liked these, to the point where i've checked ebay for them occasionally. A kid I know had one a few years back when I was in high school but he totaled the damn thing, unfortunately. It was pretty quick, and it was refreshing to see a benz with a manual for once. The shift pattern was interesting, with reverse on the top left and first on the bottom right.

On the subject of appreciated German muscle however, if you're in the SFVm there's an e39 M5 parked for sale on the LA River bridge on Laurel Canyon Blvd - $8800!

Mercedes needs to build dowdy but well-engineered crap like this again, as opposed to the flashy breakable crap they make today.

"The time was the late 1970's and Benz wanted a high performance entry-level sedan to establish its cred in the DTM scene."

I could be mistaken, but I believe that MB was actually developing the 16V initially as a rally competitor. However, they quickly shifted the development and effort to DTM after Audi introduced Quattro and changed the game.

My Dad was living in Germany when these were being produced. I lobbied as hard as I could for him to get one. He ended up with a 325e. A nice enough car, but oh, what could have been.

I have a 1/24 scale model of this in a closet somewhere. Specialty performance cars in the post-malaise era were very cool.

I had a serious soft spot for these old squared off Benz babies--before they got all rounded off and jelly beaned. I'm kind of holding out for a wagon, though. They had a nice old warm slatey blue that was really sharp with pale leather seats.

Bonus points for a working LCD stop watch. In most of the 190E 2.3-16s I've seen, the stop watch LCD is broken.

I'd buy it after I get an ur-quattro, e30 m3 and 944 turbo.

@voodoojoo: [jalopnik.com]

@Novaload: "Modern cars - they all look like electric shavers."

@Novaload: This past summer, my mother traded her '90 300TE wagon for a brand-new E350 wagon. I doubt I'll ever forgive her. Ours was charcoal gray with gray MB Tex interior, and it was a wonderful car. Mom's new wagon has 100 more horsepower, air conditioning that isn't broken, and an iPod jack for the stereo, but I find it less appealing than the old one. Most of that's probably just from fond memories, but there's nothing as solid as an old Mercedes.

@Maymar: I THOUGHT so. Well I'll be. I'll just chalk up another significant portion of my life to Davey G. and move on.

A few months back I uploaded a 2.3-16 ad from '86 to youtube.

+ Watch video

this car just makes me think of the 500e by porsche with the tell-tale vented fender.

What road-going car do you most closely associate with Ayrton Senna?

[www.mb190.de]

Did your answer just change?

Sweet, if only there was a current C-class this cool.

@Armand4: My daily driver is a white on grey '90 300TE. It has a few kinks to work out but it still feels like a Mercedes, I like it.

With the 190's and the 300's, the first thing that needs to go are the US spec headlights. They look pretty good/modern with the one piece replacements.

There's now ANOTHER one on ebay--[cgi.ebay.com] It's only at $1225 right now, and it looks pretty nice. Also, the seller says it has "NEW EXHAUST, BREAKS TIRES." Of course, if the exhaust is breaking the tires it's probably not installed properly.

Naw, I'm still holding out for a 2.5-16 Evo II

8)

That's my car!.....way too cool, I did a search on google only asking for results from the last week.

As for it being on Z90...big deal some good songs on there, but I do see what can be assumed! Next time I throwing a tape in there instead. I also have 95.7 on there too. Anyway I appreciate the good and bad comments. If I was going to keep it I would repair the small scrape and the back seat seam, but I have a lot of projects and I am always working on something different.

Cheers!

Man, that is so tempting... I would love to have one of these.

I just worry a little... it's a high mileage Mercedes sports car with a Cosworth engine. Sure, it might need a little tuning... maybe a few parts here and there... but...

Hey, what is that...? Can anyone else hear that? It sounds... kind of like the Project Car Hell theme song...

Mmh... Mercedes 190... I still have a Bburago 1/24 scale model.

The idea of racing a 190 was the brainchild of Dany Snobeck. The great French tuner/driver/team manager made his own Groupe A version, that he drove in both WRC and touring championship. His idea was used by Mercedes, who made a DTM version of the 190, that Snobeck also drove.

By the way, the first Sauber/Mercedes in Le Mans used a 190 2,3l engine.

I saw Senna's cosworth 190e at the nurburging museum--he's the man. He drove that thing so hard (against lauda and prost? I forget) so he could make his name. If you look at the pics, he was using ALL the track. what a legent.

@The Kid: While I still love this car, I associate the NSX with him more. The "legend" has it that he developed the suspension tuning for Honda.

+ Watch video

@7Seven: I went over and looked at the M5 for sale on Laurel Canyon based on your comment (I live close by in Burbank). I was pretty excited until I peaked in the window and saw an automatic transmission.

It does have an M5 badge though, so no way you could have known.

It's a poser. Disgusting.