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27k Mile Cosworth: 1986 Mercedes 190E 2.3-16V

If you enjoy Automotive investigatory work, or otherwise pursuing treasure hunts, perhaps today's listing is one for you. Listed on Facebook marketplace, is a factory Getrag Dogleg 5-speed 1986 Mercedes 190E 2.3-16V finished in Smoke Silver (DB 702) with just over 27,000 miles shown on the odometer - yes, wow!

As the seller states, "This is possibly the lowest mileage 190-E 2.3-16 valve car in the USA," and we would agree with the fact that it is "possibly" the lowest if not top 3, however, it more importantly looks to have lived a very well-maintained life during those few miles.

To make things even sweeter, the seller states this to be a one owner (although interestingly refers to the owner in the third party), garage kept, dealer maintained, with books and records and quite a few OEM parts which accompany the sale. This is surely adding up to be one of the best Cosworth's we've seen.

From what we can tell in the photos, the car certainly presents as well as it is described, with what looks to be well maintained original paint and bodywork, and a tidy interior. We suspect there may be some clear coat issues although with lighting it's very difficult to tell. If there are, it means this car may have spent some time outside. The wood trim, which encompass most of the dashboard and center console, appears to be excellently preserved, and the notoriously delicate interior door cards appear to be in excellent condition and free of separation and lifting. The only visible wear from what we can see is slight discoloration on the driver's side bolster. The antenna also appears to have been taped over, however this might very well be preventative as to keep water out during washing. The seller does note that the original Becker Radio is inoperable, and makes no mention of the VDO gauges which are also prone to failure. Not to worry as both items have period-looking modern replacements readily available.

We strongly believe that there is tremendous value in this 16V, even at the asking price of $34,950. The current market trend on these Cosworth's have been on the up, especially in Evo I or Evo II trim. So while this listing requires some additional investigation, it could be an incredible opportunity for someone to try and pursue a low mileage Cosworth. If you do end up tracking it down, please let us know how it went! Better yet, if you have a better example (or know of one), we would love to hear about it and feature it on The MB Market!




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