Questions about my 1993 500E

[jtrani]

My 1993 500E has been sitting in my garage for almost 13 years. I wanted to know if she's worth bringing back to life for should I sell off for parts. Interior is very good condition and the exterior has some issues on the driver side. What am I looking at cost wise to bring her back? 172K original miles.

 

[ArauzMotoring]

Welcome to the forum!

It seems the general consensus is that even running, good condition condition 500E has between 10 to 15k $$$ in deferred maintenance…

Add to having it sitting around for so long and I don’t want to imagine all the hoses and bushings and seals that would need to be replaced..



If you do sell it for parts, I’ll take the battery floor penel, and the passenger side head light )

Provided that you’ll take it apart and go thru the trouble of cutting stuff out..
Thanks for posting the pictures!

 

[TerryA]

@jtrani,
After setting that long I would drain the tank check all the fluid levels put in a new battery and try to start it. If it starts drive it around the block a few times and see where it stands.

172K miles is not much for a 500E to have on the clock. One of our members has 600K+ miles on the clock and is still very dependable and looks great.

If at all possible I wouldn’t part it out. Good drivers still sell for $25K to $30K. Take it out and giver it a wash and take another look at it.

BTW, Welcome to the Forum

 

[nocfn]

once you put in new gas, battery, oil you may also want to remove the CPS cable from the ezl and just turn over the engine for a few cranks after the gas pressurizes from the pumps. This will get oil flowing without starting the car. Just turn your key to to the on position and let the buzzing run until it shuts off then turn to crank it up a few times. replace CPS on the ezl and try a start and let it idle - do not force the pedal until you get to temp. for giggles perhaps take a shop vac to the exhaust and remove any rodents that may have died up the exhaust.

 

[gsxr]

My 1993 500E has been sitting in my garage for almost 13 years. I wanted to know if she's worth bringing back to life for should I sell off for parts.

Based on the few photos, that looks like a very good candidate for resurrection at least, if not restoration. That's not a parts car, IMO. The odometer reading is irrelevant, what's important is the overall condition - especially the body & interior.

Interior is very good condition and the exterior has some issues on the driver side.

All I'm seeing is some damage to the driver door... what else is there? Any rust? Accident history?

What am I looking at cost wise to bring her back? 172K original miles.

Need a LOT more information. Starting with, can you turn a wrench and plan on doing the work yourself, or are you at the mercy of local shops? Paying shops will end up 2x-4x the cost vs DIY. As DIY with sourcing parts from discount dealers and aftermarket vendors like FCP/RME/AHAZ, a few thousand dollar budget should be plenty to get it roadworthy again. That's assuming it likely needs a bunch of fuel system parts (pumps, hoses) and various seals to eliminate leaks, plus some assorted suspension/steering bits if needed, and of course new tires. DIY time? Dozens of hours over many weekends.

 

[e500.org]

@jtrani if you’re interested in parting with the 500E pls drop me a line via email Bilal @ e500.org

 

[jtrani]

once you put in new gas, battery, oil you may also want to remove the CPS cable from the ezl and just turn over the engine for a few cranks after the gas pressurizes from the pumps. This will get oil flowing without starting the car. Just turn your key to to the on position and let the buzzing run until it shuts off then turn to crank it up a few times. replace CPS on the ezl and try a start and let it idle - do not force the pedal until you get to temp. for giggles perhaps take a shop vac to the exhaust and remove any rodents that may have died up the exhaust.

thank you, Im a bit of a novice. may have to watch a YouTube video on this. I also remember that the real accumulator needs replacing and I gave a chip to a friend but I can't remember which one.

 

[jtrani]

Based on the few photos, that looks like a very good candidate for resurrection at least, if not restoration. That's not a parts car, IMO. The odometer reading is irrelevant, what's important is the overall condition - especially the body & interior.



All I'm seeing is some damage to the driver door... what else is there? Any rust? Accident history?




Need a LOT more information. Starting with, can you turn a wrench and plan on doing the work yourself, or are you at the mercy of local shops? Paying shops will end up 2x-4x the cost vs DIY. As DIY with sourcing parts from discount dealers and aftermarket vendors like FCP/RME/AHAZ, a few thousand dollar budget should be plenty to get it roadworthy again. That's assuming it likely needs a bunch of fuel system parts (pumps, hoses) and various seals to eliminate leaks, plus some assorted suspension/steering bits if needed, and of course new tires. DIY time? Dozens of hours over many weekends.

No rust and the paint is in good condition. The car was hit on the passenger side and the insurance company had me put a salvage title on it. The repair work was top notch. Also the car was side swiped when on the street and the driver side front fender is messed up.

Im missing a chip that I gave to a friend can't remember which one and I know it needs a rear accumulator.

Im good with a wrench but fear my tool collection is not vast enough to do significant repairs. What do I need?

 

[gsxr]

Start by putting in a battery, some fresh gas, and see if it fires up. Then figure out what it needs.