1992 Mercedes-Benz W124 500 E from Netherlands - Comments

Seats started to wear, leather is cracking on driver's site.

Electric Hirschmann antenna replaced 2x because it got stuck.

Windscreen wiper not very effective at high 200 km/h speeds.

This is THE ultimate Mercedes Benz you can buy. The 500E was developed in conjuction with Porsche back in 1991. It has only been built for 4 years, with the top line E 500 Limited at the end of 1994. These cars costed about 110000 euros when they were new. About 50000 euro more than an 400E W124.

I used to own a Mercedes R129 SL from 1989, but it had a lot on the odometer, so I traded it for this car. It has the same engine as my SL, although the fuel management system is different. The gearbox also comes from the SL.

The outside looks very plain. It has wide fenders, headlight washers, a sunroof, 16 inch alloy 8 hole Mercedes wheels and metallic paint. So it looks a like a normal Munich cab.

But on the inside it is luxury al the way. Power seats with memory, leather Recaro sport seats front and rear. Wood trim and boxes, armrest. Automatic Climate Control, Becker Mexico CD etc etc.

I bought this car in Germany in late 2002, because they are cheaper there, in Holland a 500E in good condition is impossible to find.

Driving a 500E is like nothing else, when pushing the throttle you won't get away, you will only have smoke and heavy vibrations throughout the car, so much torque does this car have. 90% of the torque is already below 1500 RPM, so that is a lot for a non-diesel.

At the motorway and Autobahns, this car is the absolute master. You can easily cruise 200 in utmost comfort. Soon after that you hit the limiter at 250, but I never drive that fast.

It uses a lot of premium unleaded, don't expect this 5.0 V8 to be economical. Service is also very expensive, as parts are very scarce.

Insurance is very very very expensive for such a car.

Still I really love this car, it looks very old and sedate, but only the true specialist will recognise an 500E.

I drove a E55 A M G w210 series, but those look to camp and you can really see that those cars can and go very fast, the 500E has the classic Mercedes look with Porsche adjustments.

Hello,

owner of a 1994 E500, I do agree with this opinion. The E500 is a great car, but as all great and performance car, it does need care and money, at least more than a diesel.

But the power is so addicting...

Alexis.

I have a late '92 500E and have just completed 40,000km this last 12 months. Only one fault - a heater hose cracked under the jubilee clip, but I replaced it for €15.

I don't agree that it's expensive to service, indeed most of the general service items are cheap - filters, plugs etc - and the most expensive part of the service is the oil, 8 litres of synthetic run to about €60 here.

Do agree that it is a great car however, indeed a Porsche Cayenne S recently had a bit of a shock when the old green taxi pulled away from him after some motorway roadworks...!

Fuel consumption around town is about 21mpg (imperial) and if motorway speed is kept reasonable, 25 is not out of the question.

I purchased my 1994 E500 from a friend. I paid $33,000 for it after a bit of dickering. It had around 40,000 miles on it at the time. The car was flawless and after driving it for a year, I find it is the best car I ever owned. I am troubled and somewhat mystified that the value of this great vehicle seems to be plunging. There is some real junk out there priced way above my machine. One would think that a coach built limited edition E500 would command a little respect. How many are actually left on this planet, by now many have expired by normal attrition. I don't plan on selling mine any time soon, but I figured that the cars rarity would make it a fine collectors item.

Meanwhile, I am still having fun, and the machine never gets boring!

Lance Cross.

Early this year I got a 1992 500E. The car (148 000kms) was in good condition with the gearbox changed at 125 000.Few oil leak, gearbox and steering has been since corrected with the change of the engine wiring which was cracked (few ignition flash cut) The car is now perfectly OK, except sometimes a noise (the car is so silent) on the hydraulic valve tappet.

Somebody ask how many remains from the 8 800 (approx) manufactured.. I have to say for the one I got that it was just the right time before decadence, as it has got three owners in two years, because some forgot that 13l/100 are minimum, that the insurance is costly, and that the Mercedes service is crazy high..

I recently complete the car with the original Becker 2330 with remote. Lucky those who have been able to run high speed.. This is quite risky here (in France)

Everybody to enjoy with..

A real E 500 limited! Bought new 26 October 1994 in CH now has only 67'000 kms!

Retrofitted 16", put AMG suspension kit, factory software upgrade power to 326 ps / 480 nm, modified rear bench to take 5 people without sacrificing cubby box, 12v 115 /760 gel battery, you said it , it got it!

It took a long time to get rid of all the gremlins and what I spent in parts & servicing was the same as the cost of the car when new!

I changed the rear diff twice, malfunctioning hydraulic valves replaced, dampers thriced replaced, bearings all worn out at 50'000 kms.

I only drive the car every couple of weeks just to keep it alive- only on the highway in order to keep it healthy.

Interesting to see other owners views on the W124 E500. There doesn't seem to be too much about them on the internet really.

Expensive to run? I own a 92 car with 194,000Km on the clock. I am the third owner, the first in Germany from 92 - 2002, the second a collector in the UK and now myself. I think that if you are sensible with the car then its not too expensive at all.

The car required a service when I bought it (Full MB Service History) and I live in Germany. The 190,000km service cost me about £300. Quite reasonable for a car with such incredible performance potential.

Of course - you do not have to drive at high speeds to appreciate the quality of this particular model. My car is brilliant silver with black leather interior and I ALWAYS look back over my shoulder when walking away from the car. It is absolutely spotless and as it left the factory. I also own a 2004 Audi A4 and my 14 yr old E500 has many of the features of this much younger car. It is quite simply a tremendous machine.

Fuel consumption? I almost want to say "Who cares?" Its OK is my answer. I use my E500 daily to potter about and do not really rack up the mileage, but around town its fine. Not quite super mini standards, but what do people expect from a 5Ltr V8?

I keep toying with the idea of keeping the car and in a few years really going to town and getting her up to immaculate standards. Originality is everything (Lots of RUINED cars out there) and the real attraction of the car is the performance on tap WITHOUT shouting about it. In Germany there are hundreds of W124 E-Class Mercedes on the roads - only those with an eye for detail know what they are looking at. Its understated and modestly wafts about the roads without shouting "here I am!"

The car is fantastic. Originally it would have cost well in excess of £60,000 with options fitted. Of course its not cheap to run - but then who would expect it to be.

Enjoy the car for what it is - an autobahn Stealth Bomber that seems indestructible!

Just traded my yuppie 2001 BMW 740il for a 1992 500E. I love the feeling of driving something so understated, yet such a powerhouse. Nobody on the road see's anything special about this car, until they see my rear license very quickly. A youngster in a brand new Ford Mustang found this out last week. I have had Mercedes and BMW's for the last 15 years, and I have never driven a car like this. Incredible, to put it mildly!

I completed another 30k this last couple of years and since the last message in Sept 05, I have had to replace a few items on the car, not unexpected and all mentioned in the forums on the Internet.

I had to replace the front shock absorber struts, at the same time, I replaced the rear gas spheres. I replaced the steering damper and rubber bushes in the steering linkage.

I changed all the rubber hoses in the water system after the heater hose cracked to be safe, I changed the electronic throttle actuator and the top wiring harness for the engine.

I guess I spent about €2500 in parts, but it's money well spent and all should be fine now for another few years.

Perhaps I will sell it later this year, but it's so enjoyable to drive, looks great and is 'invisible' to most people!

Nice to see the exitement. Even Mr. Hubbert as former chied MB develepment guy now regrets that he gave his away. Due to the fact that I live in the US, I can enjoy my perfect 1992 500E without speed limitier on the Autobahn only a few times a year. It has not seen one winter so far. Not only that the needle disappeares at speeds in excess of 280 km/h, the way it gets there is impressive. Handling is great, but not as good as my AMG convertible (W124 with E34, 275 hp engine).

Fuel consumption does not matter as you have fun. Interior quality is superior. You have to watch out for the rear suspension bearings and struts. They bend and wear out due to the heavy acceleration (had to fix it twice for the german tuv). Also fog lamps are expensive once cracked (300 Euro each).

My Ferrari dealer got one in last week (red/tan). My blue/tan is still prettier though. So I am undecided, if I should buy the second one too. What do you think?

(I have 7 other expensive cars and a yacht, house and family).

Cauley wants to sell me a Viper (500 miles since new for $54,000). Someone interested?

Regards.

I just bought the car of which I have dreamed of the last fourteen years, the E500 limited. From Denmark I went to Holland to bring my dream home. It is silver, black/grey leather and full options. Only 124000 km. on the odometer. Not mistreated or worn.

What a car.

Now I just wait for 2008, before I buy license plates. As you probably know, cars are extremely expensive in Denmark, and it will be some cheaper after new year.

Happy newyear to all 500E/E500 owners.

Best regards, Christian 51 years old. It is newer too late.

Once again I embark upon the Internet in hopes of finding definite production numbers for the 1994 E500 Limited in Canada which is how I came to find your discussions.

I purchased my Sapphire Black (more like midnight blue - wish I had the silver version) E500 Limited in December 2006. I couldn't believe I found one for sale, I never thought I would ever see one in person. In Canada, only 18 1994 E500's were sold. I do not know how many Limiteds where sold. So far I only know of mine and apparently the CEO of MB Canada (in 1994) had bought one.

I do know that none were sold in the US so mine is a very rare car indeed on this continent.

I have tried feverishly to get confirmed numbers from Mercedes Canada and Germany, but they have been no help. At least Porsche were kind enough to mail me a photocopy of the E500 Limited brochure (albeit in German). I already had the English version, printed off from a pdf, but it was nice just the same for Porsche to try and help me out.

If anyone knows how I can obtain confirmed numbers of import into North America of the Limited, I would be grateful. For the world, I do know that there were 200 Silver cars and 300 Sapphire Black cars produced. As far as the interiors; of the special geometrically dyed leather, the Silver cars came with either gray or red and Sapphire Black cars came with gray or green according to Mercedes Enthusiast out of England although I have seen pictures of a Silver with green leather inserts on the Internet - car was in Japan I think. In my opinion it looks wild. Wood wise, for those who don't know, the E500 Limited came with either the usual Burr Walnut or Black Birds Eye Maple of which I have.

I would also like to know how I could go about finding out which number of the 500 E500 Limiteds my is - kind of like having a numbered print of art wouldn't you say. Again Mercedes as been no help what so ever... What a shame. It seems we are more enthusiastic about their great car than they are. Obviously it is more important for them to sell new cars despite how much they talk about heritage and classics.

Cheers,

Craig (Ontario, Canada)

Jan 28, 2008.

Greetings Fellow MB 500E enthusiasts.

What a pleasure to come across this site!

I own a 1993 MB500e purchased in the summer of 2006 from its second owner in San Diego CA and shipped it back to NYC. My car is used for pleasure driving and I've put about 13K miles on it, mostly out of town trips including a long one this summer up to Canada. The car has never been driven in winter and I lay it up from November through March.

This is my third MB and by far the most satisfying auto I have every owned. My car has been well taken care of and is exceptionally reliable. The low visibility 124 look (gunmetal gray metallic over black with 17" AMG wheels) is perfect for greater NY driving and even occasional street parking. Most people don't notice it. But I never go anywhere without other car buffs coming along side and giving me a knowing nod of approval. And when you ask for it, the locomotive power is right there, right now.

Plus we have room for four, there's a big trunk and the 5 liter V8 provides effortless power for relaxed driving at low and higher speeds alike. No hassles in stop in go either.

As the 500E is a modified 124 car, it's easy to maintain by my local mechanic. Parts are readily available. Insurance costs are low (I'm 59 with a clean license and pleasure drive only) Performance is just right, although I have never explored anywhere near the true upper speed potential as enforcement in the N.E. US is very high. So I set the cruise and enjoy the ride.

My car has exactly 100,010 miles on it now. In the spring I plan to replace the front and rear shocks and bushings, the interior headliner, possibly the wiring harness although I've had no problem, and overhaul the steering linkage.

Replacing the worn Bridgestone 245/45 17 tires with new Yokohama Advans last summer at 94K miles was a great move, yielding a very quiet smooth ride with excellent handling in wet or dry. I get 16.5 mpg on 91 octane unleaded consistently with the AC on. Passable for 300+ h.p.

500e cars are still fairly available at very reasonable cost here in America, though many are starting to show a lot of mileage as they tend to be driven rather than kept for show. Given the high cost of new cars of any sort, an older well-maintained 500e is not only a blast to drive, but a relative bargain to boot. The look and feel are a little dated now and there are lots of newer cars that are quicker, but there is nothing like the complete experience of the older Benz cars that to me is absent in the newer cars.

PROS: Smooth, elegant, very fast, safe, reliable, quiet comfortable and discrete rapid transit. No complicated electronics or gimmicky do-dahs. Nothing new under $50k US comes close to the performance, prestige and quality.

CONS: Second gear start, poky 4 speed automatic box, no manual transmission available, small external mirrors, no cup holders..ok, it's America. The Cd changer is in the trunk... And the worst: traffic and low speed limits!

What they say is true. A wonderful machine. If you can only have one car, it's a great choice.

Lynton G.

NYC.

Beleive or not, new 2007/08 sl 65 amg wheels and tyres are perfectly matching with this car, and new amg brakes upgrade kit also, discs without any problems, only calipers needs a little changing. Only a question of rationality remains.