The category of so-called “super sedan” is one of my favorites. The e55AMG, M5, XFR, CLS AMG, etc. I just plain like them. With 4 doors, big seats and often loaded with gadgets they provide comfortable, practical daily transportation. But underneath their often demure exterior is an athleticism usually reserved for cars with fewer doors and an appearance that’s usually not both wife and mom approved. If you come home with a loud car that has no back seat, suspension of granite and less trunk space than a kangaroo, come with your debate points memorized and organized on PowerPoint, you will need them.
This is not the case with the super-sedan. It’s safe, comfortable, has plenty of room for company and because it looks like a car-not a Hot Wheels toy-your better half won’t be able to say, “What if I need to drive it? I’ll look ridiculous.” (This problem can be cured with the pill, Idontwantyou Drivinit, sold over the counter.)
If you can’t afford the $100k price tag that usually accompanies the great sedans of today, not to worry, for we have found a substitute that we would happily park alongside any of the modern cars in our Dream Garage; the 1992 Mercedes 500E/E 500. Matt found the one above on Ebay and despite having over 50k miles on it, it looks as fresh as if it had just leaped off the pages of a 1992 TIME Magazine ad.
The 500E was-and still is- a phenomenal car. It was built on Mercedes highly-praised W124 chassis. The W124 was built when German engineering costs were extremely high, so it was very reliable. (Some cars with this chassis even reached 1,000,000 miles). So the chassis was good, but someone else had a hand in making it great; Porsche. While Mercedes handled the engine building, Porsche was given the job of perfecting and assembling the suspension and chassis, making this car more than just a sturdy box with a big motor, it was a functioning sports car.
Of course a key component (some may argue the most important) to any sports sedan is the engine. The 500E was fitted witht he 5.0 liter, 32-valve V8 from the SL500. The Euro-spec car (which this one is) had 326hp and 354ft lbs of torque. Those numbers are far from sluggish even by today’s standards. The 500E was good for 60mph in about 6 seconds, and would charge across the 1/4 mile line in just over 14 seconds.
The design of this car goes hand-in-hand with what super sedans are all about; formidable but not ostentatious. This 500E looks as clean as a newborn, and if it drove past you probably wouldn’t notice the 19″ wheels or the polished Remus exhaust. It has upgraded Koni shocks and drilled rotors too, but again, that’s all behind the scenes. It reminds me of the look you get when you walk by a sleeping Grizzly at the zoo. It opens one eye, and just that one say says, “Yeah, there’s a fence, but if I really wanted to I could get to you, but I’m trying to nap. So take your snow cone, and your camera, and your ugly kid, and go feed the fuckin meerkats.”
And while you may not be able to afford the newest 4 door power bomb from Mercedes, a used 500E goes for around 20 grand. Considering these cost $80,000 in 1992, that’s a bargain. With the new suspension, wheels, tires, LSD, brakes and exhaust this car will probably keep up with anything in that price range, along with cars costing far more. Mercedes calls it a classic, and so do we, making it a deserving member of our Dream Garage.
Check out the original ad here.
Is that the car from bring a trailer?
I use to detail/ wash one of these cars every week when I did mobile detailing. The owner would often have me drive to the gas station to fill the car with gas. Knowing that the car was a collaboration with Porsche i was very excited to drive it. What a let down that car was, handled worse than the E55 AMG, with an automatic transmission with no rev-matching, driving through the canyons is very hard on the breaks, and the car did not feel fast even when at WOT. The car just feels heavy and sluggish and performs pretty much like how it looks. I don't know if you have driven this car but it defiantly would not be part of my dream car garage.
the car is 10 years older than even a first generation E55, why would you expect performance on par with that car? Rev-matching automatics? Those didn't come out until 2005 or 6 at the very least. we're talking about a 1992 car here, and compared to all other cars in production at that time, this car is great.
20 grand still? damn. However good it is, still a bit much for a used 92 unless it's in super excellent never used condition like this one.. 92 and only a bit above 59k?.. that's mint.
p.s. If there's one car I'd kill for.. it's a 2010 S65 AMG. I think the S Class is by far the most beautiful sedan ever made and you simply can't go wrong with Mercedes luxury and AMG performance. V12 Twin Turbo? what?!
really tho.. just tell me who I need to shank.
This car looks nice. You can just picture it with two flag of some random country you've never see flying on hood, with a red licence plate, blasting by people on the freeway.
Benz + nice AMG style wheels + lowered = pimpin. This car is a classic from every angle, the only thing that really dates it now its not having HID headlights and led tail lights. During the day it looks at home even with the latest models.
The best deal if you're going new in the power sedan market is definitely the new C63 amg. It looks dirty, its much cheaper then the higher end models of benz, or something crazy from Jaguar or BMW, and its really fast to the point where you really might crash if you're not paying attention.
As far as performance and fun, the C63 AMG is a great car. But it's about the size of a 3 series, so it doesn't have the room and comfort that, in my opinion, makes the other super sedans so great. It's that blend of comfort and power that makes them so great.
The E500 is a legend. I'd have one in a heartbeat. But you can get 80% of that car by buying a 400E or and E420. Same engine, ( M119, less displacement, but hey, this engine won LeMans). It's about 4 grand for a good one, and be prepared to put about that into maintenance.
And if you want, you can find clear corners, HID conversions, smoked taillights, gold emblems – uhhh, no. Benzworld.org
By any chance, did this specific car have an ASR Defeat switch? It looks very similar to a 500E I saw for sale a few months ago on Autotrader.
Its cool…but a dream car? c'mon there are nicer sports sedans out there. You can get an E39 M5 for like $20-25,000 and thats a much, MUCH cooler car. Not that price should be a major consideration for the dream car garage anyway. Honestly though I would put the E39 M5 on my dream car list anyway. I've driven one, plus I've driven a Z8 which has basically the same engine and I swear to god the M5 felt faster. That has to count for something.
you're missing something , it's their dream car and it's certainly my dream car. Although i am a BMW owner and enthusiast, I would take this clean example of a 500E over a E39 M5 .
to each it's own.
Pure class.This model was Mecedes at its finest.