94 E500 thoughts?
what do you think of this 94 E500 w/ 142k miles for $15k?
similar miles E420 for that year clean would be around $7k and have lower prices for repairs/parts...and i just paid less than $20k for a 2001 E55 w/ 87k miles...just curious everyone's thoughts.
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/car/243976810.html
p.s. i think those BBS wheels were very "in" during the late 80's and early 90's than today, and i'd prefer the stock AMGs.
The 500E (W124) is also heavier than our E55's (W211) and the old torque converter sucked alot of the engines 326 BHP.
Try offering $8- 10K if its really clean and has service records for the items mentioned above.
These cars do drive very very nice though, they have a heavy-rich feeling to them.
That said, I would look for a lower mileage example for the reasons listed above related to the m119
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had both - which 2?
...all 3 models referenced in the initial thread w/ w124, w210, and aalso w211.
still very much enjoying my w210 E55
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Mark
i think part of the charm of the 500E is the nostalgia...probably for the same reason why i still have a soft spot for my old porsche 928. i can' remember the name, but i recall when AMG first made a custom 300E w/ a V8 and upgraded suspension/brakes/wheels, it was about $200k USD back in the late 80's/early 90's. so when the 500E came out in 1992 for about $80k, it was almost the same performance for less than 1/2 the price. in addition, the power was very similar to what porsches and ferrari's did in the late 80's.
when i test drove the 500E, it felt like a nice car but unless it was pushed, it probably drove very similar to a 400 or 420E, imho. in fact, i think it started in 2nd gear also. therefore, i'm not surprised to hear comments like that.
btw, i still think it's a great car and will be a classic. who wouldn't mind having a parked in the garage in pristine condition? as a daily driver, however, i think i'm still very happy that i have my 01 E55
M
Last edited by Germancar1; Dec 12, 2006 at 08:09 AM.
as an example, i once looked at an sl600 that was owned by larry ellison - piece of sh_t. i couldn't believe how thrashed it was...seemed like everyone was allowed to drive it and now it was just being disposed. obviously it'll be different w/ 8k miles for the unser's E500, but the point is i try not to be swayed by the fact it's owned by someone famous.
M
as an example, i once looked at an sl600 that was owned by larry ellison - piece of sh_t. i couldn't believe how thrashed it was...seemed like everyone was allowed to drive it and now it was just being disposed. obviously it'll be different w/ 8k miles for the unser's E500, but the point is i try not to be swayed by the fact it's owned by someone famous.
M
There is no comparison between the E500E and the E55 AMG other than it's genes. If you prefer the old body style with questionable Porsche heritage (built in the same plant)then the E500 is for you. If you prefer a car that is better equiped, better balanced, and more reliable, get the E55.
The AMG has every feature/option you could want from ventilated seats, sun shade. dimming lights,dual chrome exhaus, etc. The E500E is spartan in comparison.
Each AMG is a very unique and special car, each engine is hand built and tested to perform prior to leaving the factory. The E500E is an ordinary 300E with flares and a very inefficient engine at todays gas prices. The AMG is averaging 21 MPG with 25 more HP. The E500E averaged 15 MPG a 30% decrease in mileage. Lastly the E55 AMG is faster than the E500E.
Just my two cents. I don't want to start a war, I'm just speaking from experience.
Last edited by fireice; Dec 12, 2006 at 07:09 PM.
did you already own the 01 E55, or did you buy it after the acciden?
either way, thanks for sharing.
Also, I didn't mean to say that I didn't desire it at the time but it just wasn't worth $40k more than a similarly equipped 400E.
They were very rare and we never had one at our dealership, I just happened to be at Cherry Hills NJ dealership that was begging someone to buy it.
BTW it did start in 2nd and would shift to first if you knew how to nudge it into gear.
There is no comparison between the E500E and the E55 AMG other than it's genes. If you prefer the old body style with questionable Porsche heritage (built in the same plant)then the E500 is for you. If you prefer a car that is better equiped, better balanced, and more reliable, get the E55.
The AMG has every feature/option you could want from ventilated seats, sun shade. dimming lights,dual chrome exhaus, etc. The E500E is spartan in comparison.
Each AMG is a very unique and special car, each engine is hand built and tested to perform prior to leaving the factory. The E500E is an ordinary 300E with flares and a very inefficient engine at todays gas prices. The AMG is averaging 21 MPG with 25 more HP. The E500E averaged 15 MPG a 30% decrease in mileage. Lastly the E55 AMG is faster than the E500E.
Just my two cents. I don't want to start a war, I'm just speaking from experience.
Oh I don't doubt for a min that the E55 is the better car especially by today's standards. Porsche/MB went through a lot of trouble to get that 300E to 500E status that car having been modified in many ways, but yes it pales in ability next to today's cars. Sports Car International did a piece comparing today's E500 (pre-E550 FL) to the old W124 E500 and the W211 E500 buried the old E500 on the track and in most other performance measurements so of course a W210 E55 will do the same. My thing with the W124 is that it had a unique body, interior pieces and was extremely rare relative to today's AMG cars which are everywhere and share their body panels with the regular models. The 500E was a more "bespoke" car by far.
M
Only buy 1992 and early 1993 production cars as those were the ones truely built by Porsche. These cars also have the "closed deck" motor which is much stronger than the open deck version. This is more important if you want to bore the motor out but why not go with the stronger design in the first place.
Porsche built 1992 and early 1993 cars because MB had production capacity issues and need to out source production to Porsche (who had excess capacity). After MB fixed their issues with production capacity, they quietly moved production back over to MB and ended the joint venture aspect of the vehicle.
For a collector, the 1992 cars are the most impressive and valuable even though the 1994 looks more modern. I personally like the older style as it was more "old school MB"
Fantastic car. Will likely always be the best 4 door sports MB made.
There is no comparison between the E500E and the E55 AMG other than it's genes. If you prefer the old body style with questionable Porsche heritage (built in the same plant)then the E500 is for you. If you prefer a car that is better equiped, better balanced, and more reliable, get the E55.
The AMG has every feature/option you could want from ventilated seats, sun shade. dimming lights,dual chrome exhaus, etc. The E500E is spartan in comparison.
Each AMG is a very unique and special car, each engine is hand built and tested to perform prior to leaving the factory. The E500E is an ordinary 300E with flares and a very inefficient engine at todays gas prices. The AMG is averaging 21 MPG with 25 more HP. The E500E averaged 15 MPG a 30% decrease in mileage. Lastly the E55 AMG is faster than the E500E.
Just my two cents. I don't want to start a war, I'm just speaking from experience.
Only buy 1992 and early 1993 production cars as those were the ones truely built by Porsche. These cars also have the "closed deck" motor which is much stronger than the open deck version. This is more important if you want to bore the motor out but why not go with the stronger design in the first place.
Porsche built 1992 and early 1993 cars because MB had production capacity issues and need to out source production to Porsche (who had excess capacity). After MB fixed their issues with production capacity, they quietly moved production back over to MB and ended the joint venture aspect of the vehicle.
For a collector, the 1992 cars are the most impressive and valuable even though the 1994 looks more modern. I personally like the older style as it was more "old school MB"
Fantastic car. Will likely always be the best 4 door sports MB made.
as for who assembled what in which years, CynCarvin's probably got a better idea than I do; still, it's more a design/engineering question than one of assembly, since at the time, MB was still top-flight in their quality (except for those awful 124 HVAC units that seemed to fail once per 20k miles or so...).
what i wouldn't do for a nice, lo-mile e500 in the gun-metal grey color on black, though... love is a many-splendored thing!
Last edited by vixapphire; Dec 13, 2006 at 11:32 AM.
Yes, the car was ultimately totalled. My Insurance Co. heeded my warnings that my local Mercedes dealership would love to repair the car. However, it would cost a small fortune and chances are it would never be correct.



