We bought this in 2009 with 162kmi, and it was used often (in nice weather) through about 2015, and it's been in storage since then. I finally got a RoundTuit™ and have it mostly ready for sale. For the past ~6 years it's been sitting inside under a cover with a battery maintainer, coming out annually for some exercise and emissions testing. Why are we selling? Well, we have several other E500E's plus a number of 034's and other 124's, and are trying to thin the fleet. This one is ready for sale, nothing else is. Owner thread located here.
THIS CAR IS NOT FULLY RESTORED, IS NOT MINT, NOR A CREAM PUFF.
With that out of the way: The previous owner invested ~$14k in a major refresh of the engine & suspension, and I'd estimate the car is >90% mechanically excellent. See the list below with the major work done. I have an additional ~$8k in repairs & upgrades, not including a few hundred hours labor over the past 12 years. I need to clean up the service record spreadsheet, convert to PDF, and get that uploaded. Paper records are included from roughly 2000-up.
The Bad Stuff:
The Good Stuff:
The interior is very good, I'd say above average for the miles, but it is also not mint. There is moderate wear on the driver seat bolster. The console woods all have cracks in the clearcoat. The instrument cluster is in excellent shape with orange needles (not repainted) and no visible fade or DDD. Everything works, including all power windows, sunroof, etc. The rear roller blind has the infamous clicking and I never used it, and I removed the switch and installed the ASR defeat switch in that position. The roller blind switch/wiring is in place behind the panel and can be re-installed if an extra hole is cut in the wood. Headliner is not sagging. There is no rust anywhere on the body, but there is some surface corrosion on a few fasteners or brackets underneath. All fluids/filters/maintenance is up to date. In the past few weeks it received Red Line engine oil change, fresh Zerex G-05 antifreeze, and a new fuel filter. Brake fluid will be flushed prior to sale.
Photos below are quick pics. It's been below freezing here in Spudville and I can't wash the car in these temps. When it warms up (late Feb, early March) I can wash it and get a full batch of pictures, along with walkaround and driving videos. Edit - no extra charge if you want the rubber buildup left behind the rear tires, for street cred / interesting discussions at the local Cars & Coffee. Otherwise I can clean it off prior to delivery, result would be similar to pics in the Owner thread.
It currently has Silver Arrow (SA) brakes installed which require 17" or larger wheels, and a Quaife 2.65 limited-slip differential. I'd prefer to sell the car with these upgrades installed, at a slightly higher price. Y'all know what it costs to do the SA or LSD upgrades, my price will be less than it would cost to add those to a different 500E.
Also, I have new-in-box front seat leathers available from G.A.T. if you would like to have the seats recovered. Send me a PM if you are interested in the car with SA brakes, Quaife, leathers, or different wheels/tires and we can discuss pricing for your desired combination. I don't want to figure out a price for every permutation possible.
Recent AutoCheck report attached. PPI's welcomed at any shop in the Boise area, at buyer's expense.
Edit: $24k with stock brakes, stock diff, 18" wheels. ~$29.5k "fully loaded" with SA brakes, Quaife LSD, Maxilite Evo replicas, and new seat leather covers.
*** SOLD ***
Note: If you want to spend <$20k for a 500E, this isn't the car for you. Yes, I know it needs paint and transmission work, but it doesn't need much else. Wrecked salvage cars have been recently documented as selling for upper teens with no history and easily >$10k in needs. This car runs & drives like a 500E should. <$20k cars will not.
THIS CAR IS NOT FULLY RESTORED, IS NOT MINT, NOR A CREAM PUFF.
With that out of the way: The previous owner invested ~$14k in a major refresh of the engine & suspension, and I'd estimate the car is >90% mechanically excellent. See the list below with the major work done. I have an additional ~$8k in repairs & upgrades, not including a few hundred hours labor over the past 12 years. I need to clean up the service record spreadsheet, convert to PDF, and get that uploaded. Paper records are included from roughly 2000-up.
The Bad Stuff:
- The clearcoat is failing on several panels. The roof is the worst, with two areas about 4" square that have visible clearcoat fade, plus one long scratch that I can't remember how it happened. The left rear door has clearcoat fading on the top edge. The hood has some clearcoat anomalies as well but isn't as bad as the roof or door. The rest of the paint is ok, but has quite a few small chips all over. I'm sure it had paint work in the past but have no records or details as to when or why. Looks great from 10 feet or more. Edit - I'll try to add photos of the clearcoat issues. Please, if you want a car with perfect paint, buy one from Dean for $50k. This is not the car for you.
- The transmission has a ~1.5 second delay engaging reverse. It shifts beautifully and has been running Red Line High Temp ATF. There is a minor leak somewhere at the rear which I haven't been able to pinpoint. When parked for a week it doesn't drip, but the rear mount area is visibly damp. I would recommend having the transmission rebuilt, or at least re-sealed along with the reverse clutches replaced (advanced DIY'able if you have the time). Why don't I do it? Several reasons: First, I don't have time right now. Second, if I reseal/repair and there are issues post-sale, I'm on the hook for whatever I screwed up. Third, if I install a rebuilt from Sun Valley, the 2-year warranty clock starts when I receive the transmission, not when the buyer receives the car... and I'm on the hook for whatever I screw up with the installation. I'd prefer the new owner take care of the transmission so the warranty is in their name without me in the middle. If I had more time, I'd have done it, and racked up some miles to verify it was all kosher. Again, the transmission is not shot, it just has a small leak and the moderate reverse engagement delay indicates it will be due for work relatively soon. This is more of a full-disclosure item and I don't want to gloss over the issue, as it's the second-largest expected repair cost after the paint. Edit: The transmission is the original, numbers-matching serial number as shown on the datacard. I do not know if it has been rebuilt in the past. Many 036's get exchange transmissions and the serials no longer match the datacard. Not a big deal, just useless trivia, but kinda neat that it has the original. Several of my other cars have replacement transmissions and the serials no longer match the datacard.
- The P-Zero tires have good tread depth (~8/32 front, ~6/32 rear) but are old (date codes
20142008 front,20102012 rear), and the 18" staggered wheels have paint imperfections. I assume most owners will want to install their favorite wheels/tyres anyway. I have new Maxilite Evo replicas available with new BFG tires, and AMG 19" staggered wheels with new Pilot Sport 4S, either set is available at extra cost.
The Good Stuff:
Restoration work (mostly within past 30kmi):
• New upper engine wiring harness, ETA rebuilt by BBA Reman
• New timing chain, guide rails, water pump, belt
• New head gaskets, cylinder head rebuild, engine mounts (photos available of engine work)
• New steering components: drag link, tie rods, idler arm kit
• New front suspension components: LCA's, struts, mounts, buffers, boots, hardware
• New rear suspension: complete subframe rebuild, all new mounts/links/bushings
• New dealer-installed AC compressor, drier, expansion valve, blows ice cold
• New HVAC vacuum pods (dash removed, all replaced & working)
• New coolant hoses, coolant tank, sensors, windshield washer bottle
• New fuel pumps & hoses, fuel pressure regulator (FPR), oxygen (O2) sensor
• New Genuine Mercedes door mirror boots
• New power steering hoses, re-sealed steering box
• New ignition coils, caps, rotors, insulators, F8DC4 plugs, Beru/Kingsborne wire set
• New air intake ZoomTubes™
• New NSS (neutral safety switch, now NLA)
• New fog lights with Lamin-X film
• New headlight plastic "doors" on the USA headlights
• New 500E trunk badge (Genuine Mercedes, now NLA)
• OE Sachs fan clutch calibrated & working correctly
Interior & Body Modifications:
•Factory pedal covers from newer Mercedes AMG models
•S600 style grille (aftermarket, stock grille available)
•Becker Traffic Pro head unit, Boston Acoustics rear speakers
•Alpine PDX-5 power amplifier
•150A Mercedes/Bosch alternator
•Dynamat Xtreme in doors, trunk, and under rear seat
Chassis & Powertrain Modifications:
•Brake upgrade front & rear (stock brakes available)
•Quaife ATB limited-slip differential with 2.65 gears (stock diff available)
•Deerfield Precision stainless braided brake hoses (formerly known as WRXtra)
•RDM TEK rear camber correction kit
•OE tie rod eccentrics for rear toe correction
•Modified EPROM to increase rev limit & eliminate top speed governor
•JetHot coated exhaust manifolds
•ASR (traction control) defeat switch
•AMG 18" staggered 5-spoke wheels (also have Maxilite Evo replicas and 19" AMG staggered wheels, both available at extra cost)
The interior is very good, I'd say above average for the miles, but it is also not mint. There is moderate wear on the driver seat bolster. The console woods all have cracks in the clearcoat. The instrument cluster is in excellent shape with orange needles (not repainted) and no visible fade or DDD. Everything works, including all power windows, sunroof, etc. The rear roller blind has the infamous clicking and I never used it, and I removed the switch and installed the ASR defeat switch in that position. The roller blind switch/wiring is in place behind the panel and can be re-installed if an extra hole is cut in the wood. Headliner is not sagging. There is no rust anywhere on the body, but there is some surface corrosion on a few fasteners or brackets underneath. All fluids/filters/maintenance is up to date. In the past few weeks it received Red Line engine oil change, fresh Zerex G-05 antifreeze, and a new fuel filter. Brake fluid will be flushed prior to sale.
Photos below are quick pics. It's been below freezing here in Spudville and I can't wash the car in these temps. When it warms up (late Feb, early March) I can wash it and get a full batch of pictures, along with walkaround and driving videos. Edit - no extra charge if you want the rubber buildup left behind the rear tires, for street cred / interesting discussions at the local Cars & Coffee. Otherwise I can clean it off prior to delivery, result would be similar to pics in the Owner thread.
It currently has Silver Arrow (SA) brakes installed which require 17" or larger wheels, and a Quaife 2.65 limited-slip differential. I'd prefer to sell the car with these upgrades installed, at a slightly higher price. Y'all know what it costs to do the SA or LSD upgrades, my price will be less than it would cost to add those to a different 500E.
Also, I have new-in-box front seat leathers available from G.A.T. if you would like to have the seats recovered. Send me a PM if you are interested in the car with SA brakes, Quaife, leathers, or different wheels/tires and we can discuss pricing for your desired combination. I don't want to figure out a price for every permutation possible.Recent AutoCheck report attached. PPI's welcomed at any shop in the Boise area, at buyer's expense.
Edit: $24k with stock brakes, stock diff, 18" wheels. ~$29.5k "fully loaded" with SA brakes, Quaife LSD, Maxilite Evo replicas, and new seat leather covers.
*** SOLD ***
Note: If you want to spend <$20k for a 500E, this isn't the car for you. Yes, I know it needs paint and transmission work, but it doesn't need much else. Wrecked salvage cars have been recently documented as selling for upper teens with no history and easily >$10k in needs. This car runs & drives like a 500E should. <$20k cars will not.
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Last edited:
, Very Nice, A home waiting for a battery!
