Ex-William Shatner car (1992 500E) for sale on ebay

[choe420]

*** ADMIN UPDATE *** This car is listed for sale again on eBay as of March 2013. See post #41 below for details.

I know this car came up in conversation, looks like it's for sale, pretty spendy too...thought it looks pretty clean
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1992...3773657?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item4cfab66bd9

VIN = WDBEA36E1NB724121

 

[gerryvz]

Wow ... for sale yet again? This car was (at one time) owned by 500Ecstasy member Warren Huddleston.

IIRC this may well be the third time in the past 6-7 years that this car has been up for sale. I will post my records on it here. I know that GSXR has records on it from a 2003 eBay auction because he sent them to be back then.

And they want $35K for it ?!? The car sold via Buy It Now back then for what, $26K and that was 8 years ago !! Someone put some serious (40K) miles on it.

My notes:
Brembo brakes, Evo II wheels, stainless steel brake linesBergwerks keyless entry, former William Shatner car from eBay; signed by Shatner under front armrest. UPDATE 11-15-04: GSXR sent eBay auction from July 2003 with lots of photos

Cheers,
Gerry

 

[gsxr]

The seller claims to be the second owner (after Bill), so perhaps Warren Huddleston is the current owner asking $35k? Price seems awfully high, IMO...

 

[gerryvz]

Different eBay ID though. I should research current seller ID to see if it references back to the 2003 eBay ID.....whelp, seller is a fairly new ID March 2010. Old seller powerseller44 no longer a registered user. Car's previous history in Florida and California, now Dallas? Seller talks like he's second owner, and says he put some serious cash into the car. Wonder why it needed new paint if it had been taken care of and has relatively low miles.

The car was listed in 500Ecstasy's database as belonging to Warren Huddleston. Evidently he is indeed a PGA professional golfer in northern Texas/Dallas/Tennesee area.

If he put all of that cash into the car for repaint and cosmetics, I can see asking what he is .... trying to recoup some of the cash he put into it, combined with the perceived provenance.

 

[gerryvz]

I think the Dr. No car with same color combo (interior/exterior), documented Houston car all its life with 50-odd K miles & same wheels for low $20K range is a much better deal.

The wood on this car tells me it's seen a bit of sun, but it does look a very clean car overall.

 

[h228]

It seems to me that asking prices for all E500E's have gone up in the last 6 months. Did somebody with a pristine car make a big sale in the last year?

Often one big sale in any kind of market will get every owner's confidence up. Then the market will go through a period of unrealistic asking prices. With respect to cars, this is especially obvious with Ferraris. A seller with exactly the right car connects with exactly the right buyer at auction. Then, BOOM! Everybody with the same model starts asking way more than what his own car is worth.

 

[gerryvz]

I think with this economy prices are still coming down. But the best cars are continuing to command over $20K, even up to $30K in a few cases. But overall, it's a buyer's market and cars that would have been in the high teens a few years ago, are now in the low to mid teens.

The E500Es still haven't bottomed out yet from a collectability standpoint, and likely won't for another 10 years or so. Most cars will continue to rack up miles and become "drivers" and only a few cars will be maintained as low-miles cars and/or well-maintained cars with documented ownership and records. It's going to be a while before the E500E hits the appreciation curve. Most owners won't have the patience to wait that long and will have moved onto other cars by then.

 

[fudgitive]

Have certainly noticed an upward shift in the price of E500E in the UAE for decent cars over the past 6 months, the good ones are getting snapped up quickly now.

 

[500 DXB]

Have certainly noticed an upward shift in the price of E500E in the UAE for decent cars over the past 6 months, the good ones are getting snapped up quickly now.

That's true and they go for good money in Oman too apparently as rarer down there.

 

[dallastexas]

My comment is in connection with the repaint of the car at Stuarts Paint and Body (www.stuartspnb.com).

In the Spring of 2007, I had a friend wreck one of my Mercedes (paint code 040). It was a hit-and-run during a down pour.

Anyways, Stuarts repaired it using a Celette frame jig and did a fantastic job.

One year later, an area on the driver door that was repainted started to show some rippling.

I took it back there and Stuarts worked some magic and got it right.

Its been good since.

Stuarts' prices are high, but the quality is great.

I'd go back.

 

[gerryvz]

 

[need2speed]

??

 

[gerryvz]

Photo link works fine for me. I just now took a screen shot of it.

 

[Jelmer]

Same here.

Funny that he already had those lovely 18" rims, though

 

[gerryvz]

Funny that he already had those lovely 18" rims, though

Look like the stock 16-Zolls to me. Look at the tire sidewalls !

Perhaps someone is suffering from Rial-envy ?!?

 

[need2speed]

Weird, I can see your screen grab but not the original picture. Hmmm....looks like Shatner is about to pop an Alien!

 

[bing]

Same here.

Funny that he already had those lovely 18" rims, though

what?!!

Look like the stock 16-Zolls to me. Look at the tire sidewalls !

Perhaps someone is suffering from Rial-envy ?!?

Either that or a Trekkie syndrome

 

[Jelmer]

heh, silly me, then. Guess I think about those too often Sorry!

Which reminds me... Time to bug Arkady again about those Rials ... *sigh* I wantsss them!

 

[gerryvz]

You are still first in line for mine ... and I have another person in the US who wants them. So let me know what you want to do.

 

[570TE]

Looks like it's for sale again... What do you know about Shatner's car?

 

[gsxr]

Looks like it's for sale again... What do you know about Shatner's car?

For sale where? Got a link?

Current AutoCheck report attached. Seems the car is somewhere in Texas now.

 

[rol607]

Mecum Auto Auction in April in Houston.

To be sold at the Houston, TX Auction auction, Houston, TX, April 4-6, 2013. To consign a car or to register to bid, visit the Mecum web site: www.Mecum.com or call (262) 275-5050 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting

(262) 275-5050 FREE end_of_the_skype_highlighting Auction

 

[570TE]

Gents,

Have been looking for a '94 low-mile keeper for some time without much luck. Every time I locate a candidate, it's not for sale...

I may end up looking closer at this car... With all the intel available among you guys, and the number of times GVZ says it's been available, there must be an opinion out there... Care to share your thoughts?

 

[gsxr]

If you're going to expand your search to include 92 and 93 models, you'll have a lot more options. I don't think this particular car is anything special unless you're a Star Trek fan.

 

[gerryvz]

Indeed, this is at least the third time I can remember this car coming up for sale in the past 9 years. One thing is for sure -- the provenance is pretty much bullet-proof, if that is important. Heck, I think the fact that Capt. Kirk even OWNED an 036 is cool ... he has had good taste

That said, indeed if a specific 94 is desired with low miles and in a particular color, it's going to likely be a 6-12 month wait for a 199 car (common color) and even longer for the right car in another color combo if desired. Agree with our Mycologist friend that expanding to 92 and 93 models can speed this process up considerably. There are still plenty of low-mileage examples out there (<60K is what I consider "low mileage" given these cars are now 20+ years old) with only modest backlogs of deferred maintenance, but $20K is the bare-bones starting point and $25K is about what one will pay.

Cheers,
Gerry

 

[gerryvz]

Mecum Auto Auction in April in Houston.

To be sold at the Houston, TX Auction auction, Houston, TX, April 4-6, 2013. To consign a car or to register to bid, visit the Mecum web site: www.Mecum.com or call (262) 275-5050 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting

(262) 275-5050 FREE end_of_the_skype_highlighting Auction

The car is still owned by Warren and it's hitting the block on Friday morning, April 5th. I am going to try to go to the auction.

 

[570TE]

Thanks Guys,

Appreciate the opinions. So if car is still owned by a devout E500E fan, apparently it's been offered numerous times but never reached an acceptable price. Proposed offering at Mecum is with reserve. Could a private sale be negotiated?

Given the provenance and condition, this could meet my (collectable) objective and hold me over while I locate the perfect '94 keeper... Just a thought...

Thanks again.

 

[warp7]

Hello everyone,

I am the owner of the so called "Shatner Car" and yes indeed it will be sold at the April 5th Mecum auction in Houston. I have owned the car since 2003 when it was purchased from Shatner. I have not offered the car car for sale numerous times but have listed it on Ebay to test the market when it was offered at a buy it now price of 35k. I received offers from all over the world which was pretty neat. I never thought I would sell it as I have kept it up and have spent money on her to keep the car looking and performing as new. It is a fine example of a very well cared for Ca and Tx car that since I have owned it has always been stored in a climate controlled garage. I just had the trany rebuilt by MB as the reverse clicking noise was bugging me for example. I have a binder of all work performed along with copies of the TX annual emission testing reports. My daughter looked at the binder and thinks I have issues which I probably do! I have had a turn of events in my life and was able to purchase a car I have always wanted...a light weight powerful sports car without all the frills of most cars. That car being a Rossion Q1. The deal with the wife was; MB goes if a Q1 shows up.
I have a very low reserve as the percent Mecum takes is 7% and without reserve is 5%. It looks like the car will go first thing Friday morning which is the only reason I'm keeping the reserve in place. I have already sent the title to Mecum and there is no turning back on the deal. I picked Mecum as I know the car will most likely go to a like minded owner who will treat her as she deserves. I am a purist but have installed some different things such as MB Evo wheels, Hella euro head lamps, drilled rotors f&r, Lamin-X on head lamps, rear view mirror MB with homelink. Three years ago I had it professionally repainted with solvent based Glasurite as there was talk of Glasurite going to water based paints. The windshield was replaced, all rubber bits and faded moulding pieces were also replaced with all oem parts at a total cost exceding 10K. She is ding free and looks fantastic.
I hope I can get together with Gerry and other E500E owners in Houston. I will be driving my car down from Dallas early on April 3rd Wednesday and will go back on Sunday. Lets see if we can get together. Warren

 

[E500W124]

Welcome!
Thanks for clearing this up and good luck in April.

 

[emerydc8]

The car looks beautiful and I'm sure you will find a buyer to meet your expectations. I am surprised that the B3 clutches were clicking as I thought this was something that did not rear its ugly head until well past the 100,000 mile point. On both my 722.36x transmissions, it didn't show up until past 175,000 miles.

 

[Maddic]

Please upload some images of your beauty!

 

[warp7]

Car currently has 108,500 miles and had the transmission done at around 106,000 mi. It wasn't bad but I have a fairly long driveway to the garage and maybe the backing up for 10 years took an early toll on the B3? The trans rebuild got rid of the noise and trany feels tighter like a new one should. I think if you don't back up over a distance you might not notice the B3 clicking noise as it was not noticeable to me backing out of a parking spot for example.

 

[gerryvz]

My car has the B3 clicking noise, and has had it for the past 2-3 years. I am very careful with it, pending a rebuild. I find that generally it's at its worst when the transmission is cold, like at a first start-up. Once i have driven the car, say to a store, and then back out of a parking space, I don't have the noise nearly as bad.

I also try to minimize how much I use reverse. For example, I ALWAYS back the car into my garage (I do this with all of my cars though) so I don't have to use Reverse gear when the car is started cold.

In any case, it's only a matter of time until this problem will have to be addressed. I could probably limp along with it for another 5+ years as I don't drive the car a ton, but I'm going to plan to repair & re-seal the transmission probably this coming fall/winter.

Cheers,
Gerry

P.S. I also have a very long driveway from the street and I don't think that is what takes a toll on these B3s. My 560SEC and E320 wagon have 207K and 196K on their original 722.3 transmissions, respectively, and there are absolutely no issues with the B3 with either of them. Though....the SEC transmission is pretty "loose" feeling. My (former) 51K mile 560SL and my current 82K 560SEL's transmissions, which are both extremely tight and crisp, provide a good benchmark as to how a proper 722.3 should act and "feel."

 

[warp7]

Here is the link to the Mecum listing that has some recent pictures.
http://www.mecum.com/auctions/lot_detail.cfm?LOT_ID=HA0413-149421&entryRow=1&lottype=&startRow=1

 

[KarlC]

The seller claims to be the second owner (after Bill), so perhaps Warren Huddleston is the current owner asking $35k? Price seems awfully high, IMO...

So they want $20K + extra for this car because William Shatner owned it ?

Am I reading that right ???

 

[Jelmer]

Here is the link to the Mecum listing that has some recent pictures.
http://www.mecum.com/auctions/lot_detail.cfm?LOT_ID=HA0413-149421&entryRow=1&lottype=&startRow=1

I took the liberty of adding these pictures to the start post.

 

[garnachavino]

So they want $20K + extra for this car because William Shatner owned it ?

Am I reading that right ???

It's a strange world we live in. Auctions draw an international crowd, and for some a $10-20k premium is not that big a deal to their wallets. It's not much of a stretch of imagination to believe there is some Star Trek fanatic somewhere who would be happy to have and pay that.


Heck, for that matter, if there was a particular car that I was looking for and it happened to have been owned, driven, and signed by someone like Alexandra Daddario.. I would gladly pay a $10-20k premium

 

[warp7]

No that is not correct. For some reason this thread starts with an old thread from 2011 when the car was listed on Ebay for a buy it now price of $35,000 and that is a bit confusing. That $35,000 number was to make sure the car did not sell but was to test the market place and did generate a lot of serious interest. The Mecum auction is now in 2013 and the car has a reserve but a very low one considering the quality of the vehicle. I personally think the car will sell for a price based on its condition and maintenance history. It is however interesting to note that a casino purchased Shatner's kidney stone for $75,000 a few years ago! Now that is weird.

So they want $20K + extra for this car because William Shatner owned it ?

Am I reading that right ???

 

[gsxr]

Thanks for clarifying, Warren! Maybe you could find a casino that would pay a premium for the car... I mean, $75k for a kidney stone? You'd think Bill's 500E would command at least 10x that much! LOL!

 

[warp7]

I'm looking under the seat now to see if there is anything there that looks like a kidney stone.

Thanks for clarifying, Warren! Maybe you could find a casino that would pay a premium for the car... I mean, $75k for a kidney stone? You'd think Bill's 500E would command at least 10x that much! LOL!

 

[gsxr]

On eBay again.

Current AutoCheck report is attached in post #21 (scroll up).


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/330894583931 <-- Auction ends March 28, 2013. Reserve not met.

1992 Mercedes-Benz 500E Base Sedan 4-Door 5.0L Shatner

Here is a opportunity for a Mercedes-Benz lover to purchase a very nice specimen of the Porsche built 500E. This car has been proudly owned by only two people and has has the best of service and has been for the last 10 years always stored in a climate controlled garage. The car has spent its life in Southern California and Texas. I'm fairly sure that the first owner also kept it well. After 10 years of ownership I have decided to auction her at the upcoming Mecum Houston. The car will be auctioned on Friday morning April 5th Lot F20. Please check the Mecum site for information. The car has a very low reserve and will sell. Mecum has my signed title in hand and I am listing it here in hopes that a fellow enthusiast looking for a nice 500E might check out this car as there are not very many 500E's left in this condition.

I purchased this 1992 Mercedes 500E car from William Shatner of Los Angeles in 2003. Mr. Shatner purchased the car new in 1992 and he personally owned it until the time I bought it. At the time of my purchase it had 66,000 miles and was in very good condition. Mr Shatner was kind enough to sign the underside of the front arm rest and took a final picture of himself with the car in front of his L.A. home. Me being both a Porsche nut and a car nut had always wanted to own one of these incredible machines and bought the best example I could find at the time. My intent was to keep the car for as long as I was able to drive and spared no expense to maintain and repair anything that needed repair. I have always insisted that only oem Mercedes parts be used for repairs, for example even the battery in the trunk is the correct oem Mercedes one. Recent repairs of late, performed by Park Place Mercedes of Dallas, include a transmission rebuild and new ARS/ABS pump. The brake rotors, pads, and Michelin tires are near new. The wheels are oem Mercedes Evo II 17" that were used on the 500E limited models. The car functions very well and is a beast, uses no oil, has no leaks, all electric items work, the wood has no cracks, the leather interior with the exception of light wear on the driver's seat looks new.

I have a two inch binder for examination of all the repairs on the car including what I believe are all or most all of the records from Mr. Shatner. Three years ago I had the car repainted and had all of the trim and rubber bits replaced. I repainted the car as it has some dings and scratches and there was talk of the EPA banning solvent car paints such as the original Glasurit product that was used. The paint used is exactly the same paint originally used. This work was performed by Stewart's Body Shop of Dallas and to this day the car looks like it did when it rolled out the factory in 1992. I added Hella euro headlamps that are film protected. These model correct headlamps use a leaded glass lens and the lighting power at night is just amazing.

I could go on and on but I think you get the idea of the caliber of this car. I'm hoping that she will end up in good hands and I know she will is going to make someone a very happy person for years to come!
​

 

[JordiC]

Posted on Mr. Shatner's 82nd birthday.

 

[Jelmer]

Holy cow. 82?! He's still pretty active for such an old man

 

[Trae]

"It was...fun..."
-James Kirk, on life, Star Trek: Generations

 

[Trae]

"Excuse me… Excuse me. I’d just like to ask a question… What does God need with a starship?"
-James Kirk, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

 

[2phast]

Ah quotes. My favorite;

"Scotty, I need warp speed in three minutes or we're all dead!"

James Kirk, Star Trek II; The Wrath of Khan

 

[redred]

Now listed on Autotrader and the ad states the car will go to Mecum Auctions soon


http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?endYear=1995&zip=91506&listingTypes=all&sellerTypes=b&mmt=%5BMB%5B500E%5B%5DE500%5B%5D%5D%5B%5D%5D&modifySearchId=59095180&lastExec=1362605636000&modelCode1=500E&makeCode2=MB&modelCode2=E500&makeCode1=MB&startYear=1991&showcaseOwnerId=0&searchRadius=0&incremental=last_searched-1362605636000&listingId=342805657&listingIndex=4&Log=0

 

[JordiC]

Now listed on Autotrader and the ad states the car will go to Mecum Auctions soon

Mecum is likely the best place for this car right now. We can sit back and see how much more money star provenance will bring.

 

[gerryvz]

Unfortunately, due to a business trip to Austin, TX that has come up, I won't be able to attend the Mecum event this Friday to see the Shatner car cross the auction block. My regrets about this, as I was really looking forward to going to the auction to see how this car does. It does look to be a very nice example.

Cheers,
Gerry

 

[warp7]

Shatner Car at Mecum

Whew! I drove the 500E down from Dallas to Houston bright and early today. The plan was to come down on Wednesday but a big cold front with large storms are forecast tonight and tomorrow morning in Dallas so I thought I should get out while it was dry. Texas thunder/rain storms can be something else.

Mecum check in was pretty fast. I had already sent them the title and they previously requested copies of all my records as well as documentation that Shatner really owned the car. It's pretty clear as it's on my title listing him as the previous owner as well as I have a copy of his original Cal title. Reminds me of when I first registered the car at the Texas tax office and the gal said "look the previous owner has the same name as that famous star trek actor and he lives in L.A.!".

The Reliant Center is HUGE! over 700,000 sq ft. Mecum auction is like a rolling rock show. I've been watching them set up the stage. I think Sat and Sun will be live TV. There are some incredible cars here. Car nut heaven.

I have removed the reserve that I had on the car and it will be sold to the highest bidder Friday morning. I had a low reserve and with a reserve you pay Mecum 7%, no reserve is 5%. I figure it is time to move on and I'm excited about the Rossion Q1 so it won't be to bad but still sad to sell her. Hopefully there are some bidders here that appreciate German Muscle Cars.

I have not driven the 500E on the interstate in a while. What a rock steady Beast it is! It is a 4 hour drive and I tried to behave myself but there are not too many cars that accelerate from 70 to 100 like these do!