I don't think I ever made an "OWNER" thread on the old board, so this is a good opportunity.
My story: I grew up on V8 cars. Learned to drive in the early '80s on a '72 Pontiac Grand Safari station wagon with a 455. My first car was a '64 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 with a 429 rocket engine. In 1998 I was driving a low mileage '86 Camaro Z28 but with a 2nd child on the way I needed something with 4 doors. I saw an '86 190E 2.3-16 for sale and took it for a drive. I had driven one owned by a co-worker in 1987, so I knew something about what it was. Of course after the Z28, which was quick but squirrelly, the 16V was an epiphany of handling and control. I bought the 16V, which turned out to be the 1st US spec 16V, brought to the states before the initial US launch (thus the screen name Prime), and drove it daily for 9 years, doing as much of the wrenching as I could myself, and being active in some online forums (one of which I'm still a moderator on). I loved the car, but my kids were getting bigger, and the back seat wasn't exactly spacious - especially with my driver's seat back far enough for me to clutch. And as great as it was, something was missing - that V8 grunt and power.
So while I was mulling over a change, and thinking about how I'd live without the 16V, I happened across a 500E sitting by the side of the road for sale. It was meant to be! I took it for a drive and didn't get the grin off my face for a week. Power! On the 190E forum someone asked me about the difference between the two cars. I came up with this, which I still hold as true: Driving the 16V is like being a great athlete - skill and effort are rewarded with very high levels of performance. Driving the 500E is like being a god. Everything is effortless. Power is available on a whim. You scoff at lesser mortals on the road.
I drive my 500E to work every day, but I work very hard to keep it young, still doing as much of the mechanical work as I can myself, although I tend to avoid suspension and transmission work. I hope to be able to buy a junker before next winter so I can keep the 500E in the garage when the snow flies, but job situations and economies will dictate that.
Oh yeah - almost forgot to talk about the car!
1993 500E
VIN WDBEA36E7PB884023
(Euro VIN WDB1240361B884023)
Engine # 119974 12 006897
Transmission # 722 365 03 804415
Build date 11/92
Paint code: 199 metallic blue-black
Interior: 271 anthracite black leather
Renntech chip
ASR defeat
Remote start
De-Badged
Color-matched lower cladding
Custom body-color grill w/ gloss black insert
Smoked Tails
Winter Wheels ? Momo ?Status? 17x8.5
Summer Wheels ? RH Alurad 17x8.5 front, 17x10 rear
The 16V went away to buy the 500E, but I still snapped a few pics of the two together before they parted company.
Bill
My story: I grew up on V8 cars. Learned to drive in the early '80s on a '72 Pontiac Grand Safari station wagon with a 455. My first car was a '64 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 with a 429 rocket engine. In 1998 I was driving a low mileage '86 Camaro Z28 but with a 2nd child on the way I needed something with 4 doors. I saw an '86 190E 2.3-16 for sale and took it for a drive. I had driven one owned by a co-worker in 1987, so I knew something about what it was. Of course after the Z28, which was quick but squirrelly, the 16V was an epiphany of handling and control. I bought the 16V, which turned out to be the 1st US spec 16V, brought to the states before the initial US launch (thus the screen name Prime), and drove it daily for 9 years, doing as much of the wrenching as I could myself, and being active in some online forums (one of which I'm still a moderator on). I loved the car, but my kids were getting bigger, and the back seat wasn't exactly spacious - especially with my driver's seat back far enough for me to clutch. And as great as it was, something was missing - that V8 grunt and power.
So while I was mulling over a change, and thinking about how I'd live without the 16V, I happened across a 500E sitting by the side of the road for sale. It was meant to be! I took it for a drive and didn't get the grin off my face for a week. Power! On the 190E forum someone asked me about the difference between the two cars. I came up with this, which I still hold as true: Driving the 16V is like being a great athlete - skill and effort are rewarded with very high levels of performance. Driving the 500E is like being a god. Everything is effortless. Power is available on a whim. You scoff at lesser mortals on the road.
I drive my 500E to work every day, but I work very hard to keep it young, still doing as much of the mechanical work as I can myself, although I tend to avoid suspension and transmission work. I hope to be able to buy a junker before next winter so I can keep the 500E in the garage when the snow flies, but job situations and economies will dictate that.
Oh yeah - almost forgot to talk about the car!
1993 500E
VIN WDBEA36E7PB884023
(Euro VIN WDB1240361B884023)
Engine # 119974 12 006897
Transmission # 722 365 03 804415
Build date 11/92
Paint code: 199 metallic blue-black
Interior: 271 anthracite black leather
Renntech chip
ASR defeat
Remote start
De-Badged
Color-matched lower cladding
Custom body-color grill w/ gloss black insert
Smoked Tails
Winter Wheels ? Momo ?Status? 17x8.5
Summer Wheels ? RH Alurad 17x8.5 front, 17x10 rear
The 16V went away to buy the 500E, but I still snapped a few pics of the two together before they parted company.
Bill
