SOLD 1992 500E, Nautical Blue/Blue, 169kkm, BaT auction (Naples, FL)

[gsxr]

UPDATE: Sold for ~$53k plus fees, see post #16 below.


No affiliation. This car was owned by @Eno and @Eagle01 previously (link).

VIN = WDB1240361B702014

Datacard: https://www.lastvin.com/vin/r1M9WdwOn1XdqgNvD

Euro 1992 Mercedes-Benz 500E

Bid for the chance to own a Euro 1992 Mercedes-Benz 500E at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #259,997.

bringatrailer.com

This 1992 Mercedes-Benz 500E was initially delivered to Oman and is said to have spent time in Japan, Qatar, and Albania prior to the seller’s 2022 purchase and importation into the US. Finished in Nautical Blue Metallic over blue leather and cloth upholstery, the car is powered by a 5.0-liter V8 paired with a four-speed automatic transmission. Equipment includes 17″ EVO-II-design alloy wheels, lowered suspension, headlight wipers, heated power-adjustable Recaro front seats, a leather-wrapped airbag steering wheel, power windows, automatic climate control, and a CD stereo. Showing 169k kilometers (~105k miles), this 500E is offered with a data card, a service manual and records, a clean Carfax report, and a clean Florida title in the seller’s name.

The 500E was assembled by Porsche and features wheel arch flares, revised bodywork, and a lower ride height when compared to other W124 models. This no-sunroof example is finished in Nautical Blue Metallic (929) and features headlight wipers, fog lights, tinted windows, a power antenna, and a single eccentric-sweep windshield wiper. Close-up photos of the finish are provided in the gallery below.

Silver-finished 17″ EVO-II-design alloy wheels were mounted with 245/45 Continental PremiumContact 6 tires in 2022. The car is equipped with Automatic Slip Control (ASR), aftermarket suspension components have been fitted, and braking is handled by four-wheel discs with ABS.

The replacement heated and power-adjustable Recaro front seats are upholstered in blue leather, and the individual rear seats are trimmed in matching leather with patterned cloth inserts. Wood trim accents the cabin, which is further appointed with automatic climate control, power windows, a shift-mode selector switch, and a CD stereo.

The leather-wrapped airbag steering wheel frames VDO instrumentation consisting of a 300-km/h speedometer, a 7k-rpm tachometer, an analog clock, and gauges for fuel level, coolant temperature, and oil pressure. The six-digit odometer shows 169k kilometers (~105k miles), approximately 7k of which were added under current ownership.

The 5.0-liter M119 V8 was factory equipped with Bosch LH-Jetronic fuel injection and was rated at 326 322 horsepower [HP and PS are not the same. 322hp = 326 metric horsepower (PS) - Ed.] and 354 lb-ft of torque when new. Service in 2021 included replacing the water pump, thermostat, and timing-chain guides along with the cylinder-head gaskets and various hoses. The seller reports an oil change and air-filter replacement in April 2026. Power is routed to the rear wheels through a four-speed automatic transmission.

The chassis plate carries the following information:

• 124036 – 500E model
• 12 – Left-hand drive, automatic transmission
• 929 – Nautical Blue Metallic paint
• 072 – Blue fabric upholstery
• 581 – Automatic climate control
• 620 – Vehicles with catalytic converters
• 810 – Sound system

The Carfax report is free of accident or damage entries.

 

[gsxr]

More pics.

 

[thebrinksman]

 

[FD.]

Great color combo.
Why not have the front seat leather refurbished before the auction?

 

[TerryA]

@FD,
What’s wrong with the front seats? Those are top of the line Recaro’s. Personally I would change the back seats to leather.

 

[FD.]

@FD,
What’s wrong with the front seats? Those are top of the line Recaro’s. Personally I would change the back seats to leather.

A brief gentle leather restoration will make these seats look hotter and the car $5k more expensive.

 

[r44raven]

A question from someone this side of the pond, and thus somewhat ill-informed about emissions requirements in the States. The car appears to have no cats? Does that work in Florida?

 

[gsxr]

A question from someone this side of the pond, and thus somewhat ill-informed about emissions requirements in the States. The car appears to have no cats? Does that work in Florida?

Each state has different emissions laws. In some states, the laws may vary by county or city. Many have no requirement for emissions testing at all, so although technically illegal, nobody will ever know - or check - to find out the cats are missing. Florida must not require testing, either the entire state, or some locations.

Buyers who live in states with testing will need to install catalysts. California buyers will either need to get the car Federalised ($10k+) to register in CA, or register it out of state and hope they don't get caught.

 

[r44raven]

Each state has different emissions laws. In some states, the laws may vary by county or city. Many have no requirement for emissions testing at all, so although technically illegal, nobody will ever know - or check - to find out the cats are missing. Florida must not require testing, either the entire state, or some locations.

Buyers who live in states with testing will need to install catalysts. California buyers will either need to get the car Federalised ($10k+) to register in CA, or register it out of state and hope they don't get caught.

That's really interesting - if not complicated! So I assume one is allowed to drive a non-emissions-tested car (from a state that doesn't require this), on a visit into a state that would require a test had you lived there? But you would be in trouble if you were subjected to a random check which showed the car would fail an emissions check?

I am sure you will know that here in the UK we have a standard national emissions test, carried out each year at the same time as the car's annual safety check.

 

[gsxr]

That's really interesting - if not complicated! So I assume one is allowed to drive a non-emissions-tested car (from a state that doesn't require this), on a visit into a state that would require a test had you lived there?

Yes. No problem driving the car across borders into another state, like California, without catalysts... as long as the car is legally registered in another state.

But you would be in trouble if you were subjected to a random check which showed the car would fail an emissions check?

Nope, there are no random checks. States will only check/test vehicles which are registered in that state. So, CA only checks/tests vehicles registered in CA with CA license plates. Cars registered elsewhere can drive around with no cats and nobody would ever know.

I am sure you will know that here in the UK we have a standard national emissions test, carried out each year at the same time as the car's annual safety check.

Ah, interesting. I did not know the UK had a national test. When I lived in Idaho there was a bi-annual (every 2 years) emissions test. Only 2 counties in the entire state had this. Of course, shortly after I moved out of Idaho, they eliminated the testing and now Idaho has zero testing anywhere. I'm now in Montana, which has no emission testing. The Idaho test was a bit of a nuisance but the limits were high enough that cars running reasonably well could pass, unlike some areas of CA which require absurdly low emissions levels that even new cars may struggle to pass.

 

[r44raven]

Just to clarify - the annual emissions/safety check kicks in once the car is 3 years old. Prior to that, there are no checks.

 

[steve h]

A question from someone this side of the pond, and thus somewhat ill-informed about emissions requirements in the States. The car appears to have no cats? Does that work in Florida?

Anything works in Florida. We don't have any inspection, so you see some strange stuff on cars/trucks

 

[sheward]

Expanding on GSXR's comments, in Georgia, owners over 65 years old driving cars less than 5000 miles per year are exempt from emissions testing. There are also counties within Georgia that require no emissions testing at all.

 

[MK500]

Does anyone have an option on this cars value? Sitting on $25,000 on BAT now.

 

[sheward]

$25,000 seems to me to be a steal for a car documented here on the forum. The Recaros with W124 sliders/mounts and Evos are worth $4 to $5000 alone.

 

[gsxr]

I was going to wild-guess around $50k due to the rare (and, attractive) color, plus low miles. Not being CA compliant may have hurt the hammer price, but it just closed at $52,666 which is ~$55.5k with vig, plus T/T/T/T. Top bidders below. Winner and first loser pushed it to a 20% premium over #3.

$52,666 bid placed by AZRYAN
$52,000 bid placed by MattHowell
$42,500 bid placed by Doost
$36,800 bid placed by zraphael
$35,750 bid placed by rushmore
$33,000 bid placed by dah2112
$28,500 bid placed by GATTONE
$28,000 bid placed by b16gsr
$27,500 bid placed by alfaromeo

 

[doost]

I was number 3! I really liked this one, but it crossed my spending threshold for purchasing sight unseen across the country. I’ll find another opportunity soon.

 

[sheward]

I would have expected it to be in that range. I don't watch the auctions often and it didn't register the big bidding would take place so close to the end.




Sorry you missed that one. It is a unique color and interior. There will be others. What part of Detroit are you in? I'm from Farmington Hills.

 

[Eagle01]

Hello everyone!! The car has been awesome and loved every minute of it. Being part of this forum is the special part and I’ll miss having skin in the game but I’ll certainly plan on staying active. Unfortunately I can only keep two cars in my garage and I felt was time to experience something different after 4 years of ownership. I do feel that I will miss my 500E and who knows, maybe I’ll own another one at some point. I did make contact with the seller and he is very excited to own it. You all are great and it always felt like a small community!! Thank You!!

 

[doost]

I would have expected it to be in that range. I don't watch the auctions often and it didn't register the big bidding would take place so close to the end.




Sorry you missed that one. It is a unique color and interior. There will be others. What part of Detroit are you in? I'm from Farmington Hills.

Hi neighbor! I’m looking forward to purchasing the right one eventually. In the meantime, I will continue to learn more about the platform from the smart folks here. I’m right down 696 from you in Ferndale.

 

[sheward]

I'm no longer in Michigan. I moved to Atlanta in the late 80s. Enjoy your search! This is the place to find everything one needs to know about the E500E.

 

[Eno]

The best things about this car, rare color, zero rust, and ALL the preventive maintenance on all engine parts were done with original Mercedes Benz parts and at the official Mercedes Benz dealership.
All gaskets, valve seals, other seals, hoses, rubber parts, plastic and all chain rail guides exactly what is always discussed in this forum. Lucky new owner, enjoy it and congrats.