Mercedes-Benz 190 (1983 - 1993)
190D 2.0
Greek taxi drivers can't be wrong
Yes it's slow, and you need to rev it like an old Transit to get it going.
But no-one buys a 190D for speed.
Open the bonnet and marvel at the space, and the fact the most complicated electrical component is the box of tricks which fires up the glow plugs.
My 190 is softly sprung and wafts along once you've coaxed it up to speed.
The service booklet reveals it had been owed by a low mileage driver for years. But after a few thousand miles of revving it hard, it has cleared its throat - I've even seen the other side of 90mph...
Cheap to run (50mpg), super-low parts prices at GSF etc, built like a bank vault, easy to work on. It screams quality, even after 19 years.
Best bits: wind-up windows, plush carpets, manual gearbox and a dashboard rocker switch which turns on a light over the back seat. Great for helping your mates find their cash when you drive them home after a night out.
And it sounds great once warmed up and idling - a proper, in-your-face old-school diesel.
Taxi!!