We tend to take power for granted in this day and age, with your average mid-sized luxury sedans capable of nearing 300 horsepower with not much effort. This was not the case in the early 1990s, when Mercedes-Benz arrived on the scene with their pumped up E-class, the 500E. This Porsche collaboration was dubbed a wolf in sheep’s clothing at the time, with little exterior clues to hint at the 322 horsepower V8 hiding beneath. When your run of the mill 300E had well under 200 horsepower, this was quite impressive. This 1992 500E we see here is a Canadian spec example, looking pretty good considering its age and mileage.
Click for details: 1992 Mercedes-Benz 500E on eBay
Year: 1992
Model: 500E
Engine: 5.0 liter V8
Transmission: 4-speed automatic
Mileage: 122,560 mi
Price: Reserve auction
Mostly highway driven, this second owner vehicle runs very well. A non-smoker car that has been garaged in winters, it is mechanically and electrically sound.
It is 1 of only 45 of these fine cars – of which only 10,476 were made in total – to be officially imported to Canada. But chances are if you’re reading this you already know that. Otherwise, you could start by doing a Wikipedia search on “Benz 500E” to learn more about “the HAMMER.”
Before spotting this car, I had no idea the number of these cars sold in Canada was so low. Such a pity for my northern neighbors, then. The days of an under $10,000 500E in good shape are gone. A car like this with six figure mileage that has been well looked after will typically hover around the $15,000 mark. Cars with well under 100,000 miles are settling in the low to mid $20,000 range. It seems then, that these cars are finally getting their fair shake in the market. They represent a transition period in Mercedes-Benz performance. They were the successor to the earlier, big displacement S-classes, like the 300SEL 6.3 and 450SEL 6.9 and would disappear right before AMG was incorporated into the brand, with the W202 C36 AMG being the first in-house AMG product. This is not only a rare collaboration of Mercedes-Benz with an outside manufacturer, but could be considered the first four-door Porsche.
-Paul
