buying a 211 e500

[dubburke]

Yes, I’ve a 211 E55K that has been running on LPG for over five years now. Has the same sort of engine as yours - an M113 V8, but with a supercharger.

Runs smooth as silk, has plenty of power - most people would struggle to tell any difference in the real world.

Have you any details on the LPG installation? Either type of system or who fitted it etc?

What type/size tank does it have? If it’s a toroidal tank located in the spare wheel well it won’t use any luggage space at all

A decent install should run the same on either fuel, with seamless switchover etc.

As said spec wise it looks like a decent one. Regards the history - I’m guessing you’re trying to look up the British MOT history? It’s on NI plates, so if it’s been used over there they have a different type of test that does not show up on the MOT history checker.

Plate checks out with the DVLA and they have it registered for dual fuels. The data card also shows it was a UK supplied car so I don’t think you’ll find it was registered elsewhere.

Good luck

 

[Londonscottish]

I think it is worth a look today, and he is only asking £2k, love the older Mercs, it will complement my W203 wagon!

Well it it's a good one it's a steal at that price. I sold mine on 140k miles and it was still in great shape. Only sold it to get a newer one - a 212 with the 5.5

I think it is worth a look today, and he is only asking £2k, love the older Mercs, it will complement my W203 wagon!

 

[Londonscottish]

I meant to say IF it's a good one.....

Well it it's a good one it's a steal at that price. I sold mine on 140k miles and it was still in great shape. Only sold it to get a newer one - a 212 with the 5.5

 

[Will]

View attachment 85575

It’s not the neatest of tanks I’ve seen, but I wonder how many litres it holds?

Spare wheel ones tend to be a little small, in terms of LPG capacity/range but of course you still have the full petrol capacity on top.

If it runs and drives well I’d buy it. What’s the mileage/history etc like?

Maybe check the air suspension out, but to be fair it looks like a nice car for £2k

 

[dubburke]

It’s not the neatest of tanks I’ve seen, but I wonder how many litres it holds?

Spare wheel ones tend to be a little small, in terms of LPG capacity/range but of course you still have the full petrol capacity on top.

If it runs and drives well I’d buy it. What’s the mileage/history etc like?

Maybe check the air suspension out, but to be fair it looks like a nice car for £2k

it has 118k, he says it has service history, but unsure if full or if dealer service, i suppose it all comes down to condition and if it drives and sounds ok

 

[AMGeed]

For £2k, that has to be worth buying. It could fetch more than that if it was broken for parts.

 

[dubburke]

Well that was 4 hours of my day wasted.
No history
Homemade exhaust with twin pipes
Engine management light on
Sagging rear end on nearside
No MOT
Rust starting on inside of rear arches
Rear alloys in bad condition
Tyres looked melted at edges probably due to donuts
Owner only for 1 month
Guy had a black eye LOL
That is all before I lifted the bonnet, so I didn't bother and walked away!

 

[Will]

Ouch, that’s a pity.

Never mind, keep looking

 

[merc85]

You did the right thing, I saw quite a few e55's for sale before buying one, They seem to get a Hard life, id had thought a e500 would be driven easier....

 

[Londonscottish]

You did the right thing, I saw quite a few e55's for sale before buying one, They seem to get a Hard life, id had thought a e500 would be driven easier....

Well I guess the fact that this guy insisted that his was an "E500 AMG" says something.....

Well that was 4 hours of my day wasted.
No history
Homemade exhaust with twin pipes
Engine management light on
Sagging rear end on nearside
No MOT
Rust starting on inside of rear arches
Rear alloys in bad condition
Tyres looked melted at edges probably due to donuts
Owner only for 1 month
Guy had a black eye LOL
That is all before I lifted the bonnet, so I didn't bother and walked away!

Shame. Still, you'll find another one which had had a far more pampered life.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

It's a learning experience. The moral is to spend more time questioning the buyer before viewing.
Documentation, the actual current number plate, the history, how long he's had it, what he's done with it, things that need attention etc.

The E500 AMG claim? It just means that one of the owners bought a badge from EBay, and that the current seller is either lying or, more likely, doesn't have the faintest clue what he's got. Either way: to be avoided.

LPG conversion makes sense to an owner, who knows the quality of the work he's commissioned. But makes no sense to the buyer who has no idea of the quality of the work done and its subsequent performance.

Could it have been worth it at £2k ? No: because you can buy a far better smaller engined W211 for two grand, with a service history, and lower running costs.

Buying a cheap old car is always the most expensive choice. Just a bit of servicing and rectification of a couple of faults could easily cost you another £2k on top. Better to buy an old car where the owner is asking that little bit more...

As someone has already pointed out, at £2k, a W211 E500 is on the edge of being worth more as parts.

.

 

[Will]

Agree with most of what’s been said. The biggest clue was the £2k asking price though IMHO. It was cheap for a reason

 

[popuptoaster]

If you wanted an LPG conversion for a better car 2 grand is a good deal, pull the kit out and part the the rest out for spares and you might even make enough profit to pay a fitter to put the kit into another car, LPG kits not always fitted because of a tight budget (not with the amount they cost) sometimes done for tax reasons or to increase range. I'd love to increase the range between fill up's on mine, my old Audi could get almost 800 miles on a tank the AMG is lucky to get 450.