Hi all I have found a 1989 190E with the 2.6L inline 6 in it, I am wondering how good are these motors? as far as longevity and fuel economy go? This one has 152,000 on it and seems to have been well cared for. Any help you can give would be great thanks!

The M103 engine is tough terrific. It tends to leak oil at the front top cover (under the distributor. It needs periodic valve stem seal replacements. It runs forever.

We bought our 1989 190E 2.6 six years ago, with 270,000 kilometers (168,750 miles) on it. Now it has 360,000 km (225,000). I did valve stem seals twice, once right away and once recently. It has poor compression on 5 and 6, but has no problem at all passing the emission check. The valves clatter a bit on startup, but soon settle down.

It gets decent fuel economy: better than 25 mpg (U.S.) on the highway.

The air conditioner will be R12, if it has not yet been converted. This can be expensive if the compressor has to be changed.

My spring mounts on the front rotted out, and had to be welded back.

I rebuilt the the transmission last winter, when I lost reverse. Other than the broken bits (a spring mount and the springs, and the resulting worn out reverse clutches) it was like new inside.

Over the years I have replaced bits as they wore out:
belt tensioner (and belt)
alternator (before that, voltage regulator)
motor mounts
emission hoses and the rubber bit under the throttle valve
oxygen sensor
mufflers, rear (twice) and center
auxiliary water pump (the electric one that pumps to the heater core)
steering linkage bits
brake rotors, pads, e-brake shoes and cables
plugs, wires (this enabled it to pass emissions)
climate control vacuum pistons (behind the dash, a real pain)

And the usual fiddly bits:
clean all window switches and the 4-way flasher switch
rebuild driver's side window motor and replace the wheel that runs in the channel
re-solder the cruise control amplifier
lubricate the heater motor (several times)
rebuild the heater blower switch (it breaks inside)

I put European headlights in, and now it has decent lighting. Replaced the stereo, to get a CD player in the dash. Installed a Clifford alarm linked to the power door locks.

I consider that it has been a reliable, relatively economical car. If I had others do the work, I don't think that I would still think so. But, then, it is a 19-year old car and things are bound to go wrong ocasionally. It is my wife's car, and she loves it.

It is a sporty little car, with lots of jam. It turns on a dime. If you floor it, it ignores the starting-in-2nd-gear thing, and goes nicely. The only thing I don't like is the footwell. There is not much room for my size 12's, and it is sometimes a little awkward getting from the accelerator to the brake pedal.

Andrew
1989 190e 2.6
1990 Jaguar xj6