Used Car of the Day: 1986 Mercedes-Benz 190E Cosworth Manual

by Tim Healey

Published: April 1st, 2025

used car of the day 1986 mercedes benz 190e cosworth manual

Today we have a weird one, one I didn't know existed -- a 1986 Mercedes-Benz 190E Cosworth with a manual transmission.

This one runs but apparently needs some work -- and it's been repainted.

It's had issues passing California smog tests, as the seller explains. It looks like a bunch of work has been done to the engine -- but there are still issues to be addressed by anyone who wants to make this a car that can be driven often.

The full listing of the pros and cons can be seen by clicking here. As for me, I am just intrigued that this one has three pedals. Find it in California for $19,000.

[Images: Seller]

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Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

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2 of 22 comments

Bryan on Apr 06, 2025

How can you write for a car magazine and not know of the 190E Cosworth? Do you not know of the '89 GTA or the GNX as well?

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Tog169002061 on Sep 12, 2025

I took one out with a manual for a test drive many years ago. Should have bought it. This one is worth about $5,000 with so many unknown issues. Fixing it up will cost many times more. Parts are difficult for these rare cars.

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