In the famous words of Austin Powers alllow myself to introduce... myself.
Here is pictorial summary of my introduction:
When I first saw this Zuffenhausen photo on this board it made a very deep impression on me. The Porsche 911 (964 type) debuted in the late 80s when I was a teenager and it remained one of my favorite cars for the rest of my life. In 2007 the 964 depreciation curve and my income curve of this car finally intersected and I purchased a beautiful 1990 Porsche Carrera 4 made in May of 1990. Picture of me and the car below the day I left Chicago to relocate to California in June of 2008.
I think it's time I get the Zuffenhausen big brother of this car and find an early 90s 500E. I grew up in a Mercedes Diesel household with 123s, 124s, and a gas powered W201 baby benz. Recently, I purchased a 1972 Mercedes 280SE 4.5 that I fixed up to be a nice cruiser (anybody interested?, time to sell) and it has amazing all mechanical build quality and that classic front end grill and head light design. This car is the short wheelbase version with the 4.5L v8, and not the huge motor of the larger 6.3L with the funky air suspension (the predecessor of the 500E, where you cram the biggest motor you have into a sedan). Picture my W108 below:
I am starting to get very serious about doing my own repair work as I finally have a home with a large enough garage to have its own dedicated automotive workspace. This year I added a nice compressor and air tools and just installed a MaxJax home consumer lift in July. BTW, I don't know why I waited this long to get a lift it is the most amazing new tool I have ever purchased for car work. I advise all you gear heads to only eat ramen noodles for a year to save up for this thing. My mercedes on the lift is pictured below:
I wish I could tell you I am some kind of master mechanic but I am just a dedicated auto enthusiast who finds wrenching on cars the most peaceful activity and I am looking to go deeper and deeper into the maintenance of my project cars. I find real satisfaction in that right now, and my next target is to get a 500E and rejuvenate it.
So I joined this board to educate myself and perhaps in the next year get a 500E. I am not ready to do so now but I am ready to learn more and more about the car, so that when I know how to evaluate them properly, and when ready, strike when a great one become available. Its exactly what I did on my Porsche and things worked out great. Hopefully, I can add to this thread to help other new prospective buyers of a 500E learn what to look out for.
All the best,
Ricardo
1990 Porsche Carrera 4
2006 Toyota Tundra
2006 Mercedes E350 Wagon (wife & kids mobile)
1972 Mercedes 280SE 4.5 (for sale!, just ask!)
Here is pictorial summary of my introduction:
When I first saw this Zuffenhausen photo on this board it made a very deep impression on me. The Porsche 911 (964 type) debuted in the late 80s when I was a teenager and it remained one of my favorite cars for the rest of my life. In 2007 the 964 depreciation curve and my income curve of this car finally intersected and I purchased a beautiful 1990 Porsche Carrera 4 made in May of 1990. Picture of me and the car below the day I left Chicago to relocate to California in June of 2008.
I think it's time I get the Zuffenhausen big brother of this car and find an early 90s 500E. I grew up in a Mercedes Diesel household with 123s, 124s, and a gas powered W201 baby benz. Recently, I purchased a 1972 Mercedes 280SE 4.5 that I fixed up to be a nice cruiser (anybody interested?, time to sell) and it has amazing all mechanical build quality and that classic front end grill and head light design. This car is the short wheelbase version with the 4.5L v8, and not the huge motor of the larger 6.3L with the funky air suspension (the predecessor of the 500E, where you cram the biggest motor you have into a sedan). Picture my W108 below:
I am starting to get very serious about doing my own repair work as I finally have a home with a large enough garage to have its own dedicated automotive workspace. This year I added a nice compressor and air tools and just installed a MaxJax home consumer lift in July. BTW, I don't know why I waited this long to get a lift it is the most amazing new tool I have ever purchased for car work. I advise all you gear heads to only eat ramen noodles for a year to save up for this thing. My mercedes on the lift is pictured below:
I wish I could tell you I am some kind of master mechanic but I am just a dedicated auto enthusiast who finds wrenching on cars the most peaceful activity and I am looking to go deeper and deeper into the maintenance of my project cars. I find real satisfaction in that right now, and my next target is to get a 500E and rejuvenate it.
So I joined this board to educate myself and perhaps in the next year get a 500E. I am not ready to do so now but I am ready to learn more and more about the car, so that when I know how to evaluate them properly, and when ready, strike when a great one become available. Its exactly what I did on my Porsche and things worked out great. Hopefully, I can add to this thread to help other new prospective buyers of a 500E learn what to look out for.
All the best,
Ricardo
1990 Porsche Carrera 4
2006 Toyota Tundra
2006 Mercedes E350 Wagon (wife & kids mobile)
1972 Mercedes 280SE 4.5 (for sale!, just ask!)
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