The monotone black 500E we featured last month is back up for sale on eBay for the same $22,900 Buy it Now price. This is the third time we’re aware of this car being listed. Will this time around be a charm, then?
1992 Mercedes-Benz 500E on eBay – REVISIT
The below post originally appeared on our site November 16, 2012:
It can be hard to think back very far in Mercedes history over the deafening roar of the AMG engines made over the past few years. Those in the know realize that one special Benz from the early 90s demands respect and deference. The ultimate fist-in-a-velvet-glove, the 500E came from a time when Porsche was farming out their expertise, helping other German companies take their cars to a whole new level. The fact that the 500E was produced alongside the Audi RS2 is enough street-cred that I should shut up and let this car speak for itself.
1992 Mercedes-Benz 500E for sale on eBay
This beautiful 1992 Mercedes 500E sedan is a rare find indeed. It was purchased by it’s only owner here in Indianapolis and has remained in his private car collection until we recently obtained it from him. The car is custom finished in standard 040 black exterior. While most USA cars were finished in pearl black or silver exteriors. The owner had the black metallic finish stripped and professionally refinished in traditional 040 black when the car was only a few weeks old because he only collected solid black cars. It is a beautiful example of a very rare car. Only about 500 cars were sold in the USA per year in the first few years of production. These interesting cars were a collaberative effort between Mercedes and Porsche to build the ultimate sport sedan. Developed in conjunction with Porsche, the Mercedes 500E was based on the popular 300E model which had been released in 1986. Each 500E was transported back and forth between the Mercedes plant and Porsche’s Rossle-Bau plant in Zuffenhausen during assembly and hand built, taking a full 18 days to complete each model.
The 500E had a naturally aspirated 5.0L V8 engine derived from the 500SL roadster. Sports car braking performance also came from SL components: front SL500 300 mm disks with 4-piston calipers came installed on the 1992 and early 1993 cars. Rear brakes on all years were 278 mm brakes from the 500SL. In the USA, the 500E came fully loaded, with the only options available to the buyer being a dealer-installed CD changer and an integrated cellular telephone. The 500E was only with four seats in left hand drive, with the four leather seats supplied by Recaro (the fronts heated). Called the “Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing” by the press,[3][4] performance tests of the day yielded impressive results: 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) times of 5.5 to 6.0 seconds and acceleration through the quarter-mile (0.4 km) in 14.1 seconds at 163 km/h (101 mph). The top speed was redline limited at 6,000 rpm to 260 km/h (~160 mph). It was rated at 16.8 L/100 km (14 mpg) in the city and 13.8 L/100 km (17 mpg) on the highway. With its aggressive stance: 1.5 inches wider track, 0.9 inch lower profile, subtle wider flared fenders, side skirts, front air-dam and wide tires, the 500E is easily distinguished from its lesser brethren. Because of its look, limited numbers, hand-built construction, and unique pedigree, the 500E is already considered a “classic”, even within Mercedes-Benz circles. We have just fully serviced and detailed this one so it is ready to be enjoyed by it’s next owner.
After holding steady for quite a while, 500E prices have gone through the roof in the past year, with perfect examples going for close to $30k. With just under 70k miles and looking very clean inside and out, the Buy-It-Now of $22,900 seems like a very fair price, especially in light of possible appreciation. My one gripe is that I hate chrome wheels and think any beastly Mercedes should be rolling on AMG Monoblocks, but that’s a personal (and easily fixed) gripe. This is a great example of a car that’s not only significant historically, but would still be blast to drive.
-NR
GAWD DAM! That is all.
It’s baaaaack! This car was listed on eBay in September 2012 and failed to sell.
Looks good but one thing about this listing drives me crazy… it’s not a “one owner” car if the seller isn’t the original owner. In this case the seller (broker) BOUGHT IT from the original owner… which makes it a two-owner car. Also, who strips the paint off a brand new Mercedes and gets it “professionally repainted”?? No matter how good a job was done it’s not factory original paint and thus a lot of value is killed as regards collectability.
Dallas, it is semantics, I guess. Dealers don’t think they should have to count themselves as owners of a vehicle. I know of one case where a Georgia dealer bought a new Mercedes in 2003 and added it to his inventory. He didn’t sell it until 3 years and 10,000 miles later. However, under the laws of Georgia, the car had never been titled so the person he sold it to was officially considered the first owner.
The chrome wheels have to go. However, be forewarned that if you want to go back to factory original, it uses an alloy wheel that is specific to the 500E and early R129 cars.
As far as price, it’s hard to say as they seem to be all over the place lately. I have been astounded at some of the prices I’ve seen for certain used cars lately, while at the same time I was utterly disappointed with the price I got for my low mileage ’99 Carrera 4.
I agree the solid black paint was a mistake, even if it is immaculate now. Not only does it detract from it originality, the paint quality of even lesser Mercedes from this era was very high let alone handbuilt top tier models. I honestly doubt it could be reproduced domestically. Still an exquisite car I would be extremely proud to own. By the time I can afford one of these, all the clean resonably priced examples will be gone.
Oh, boy. This car is very ambitiously priced and with a questionable quality repaint, that kills some of the value. But that isn’t the only reason. The E500E is a great car but this example isn’t a $20,000 vehicle. I also agree with Kevin!
I am loving all of the W124s being featured here.
” The owner had the black metallic finish stripped and professionally refinished in traditional 040 black when the car was only a few weeks old because he only collected solid black cars.”
This wipes out 50% of the vehicle’s value and this story has got to be complete BS on top of it.
There’s a reason this car has been re-listed so many times…
On the 500E forum (http://www.500eboard.com/forums/showthread.php?3396-FS-1994-E500-040-Black-Black-140kmi-16k-BAT-(Dallas-TX)), it appears that the one (only?) of the reasons it was repainted was the accident. And if it was so “minor,” why not just disclose it in the ads where it is posted for sale? The fish story just means the seller is not being forthcoming. The picture of it is on Flickr and it f-cked up the front end real good.
Oops, wrong car!
This may not be the best place to ask this, but I want to know if I’m eligible for a higher priced rental and I can’t figure out how to find a good, local property management firm… do you know anything about this company? They’re listed in the city of Sacramento, CA 15 minutes from my son’s school and I can’t find reviews on them – Sacramento Property Management Consultants, 600 H St Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 282-3103.