W124 500e

[MercedesDriver]

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=351288844295&alt=web

Can someone please advise what would be involved transfer costs.

 

[ivan1983]

No idea but it looks like it is hiding its miles very well

 

[Niks]

That's a nice 500, but pretty high mileage. To be on the safe side I would recommend to see if it has a full service history and get it properly checked out - if all check out OK, then it would be a good buy.

 

[500E]

Very nice but has been on the market for a while so i'd get it fully checked out and a copy of the latest TUV checked. German cars and notorious for rust so have the underside checked.

You can drive it over and have it registered for £100 plus MOT and tax. Process is very straightforward.

 

[gunning]

Very nice but has been on the market for a while so i'd get it fully checked out and a copy of the latest TUV checked. German cars and notorious for rust so have the underside checked. You can drive it over and have it registered for £100 plus MOT and tax. Process is very straightforward.

Worth a flight over there really if you're after one.

 

[bing]

Never buy a 500E unseen ! Unless u know/trust someone who can check it if course . With that mileage who knows what's lurking under the bonet.

To answer your question re transfer costs , being an EU car and more than 10years old, not much but just a bit of paperwork . Aside from shipping or you could drive it across yourself , you need to apply and pay the following :


HMRC NOVA clearance ( this should be straight forward as it's an EU car and not subject to duty/vat)

MOT £50 ?
DVLA fee of £55
Road tax £255 or there abouts
Number plates

Bob's your uncle !

 

[MercedesDriver]

It doesn't look bad for 215k miles.
Next month I'll be in Germany so if doesn't sell I'll stop to see it.
Is there anything particular I should pay attention to?
I'm pretty much familiar with W124 body but has no clue what to look for under the bonnet of 500E.

 

[500E]

It doesn't look bad for 215k miles.
Next month I'll be in Germany so if doesn't sell I'll stop to see it.
Is there anything particular I should pay attention to?
I'm pretty much familiar with W124 body but has no clue what to look for under the bonnet of 500E.

To check it properly I'd advise you get underneath or check it on a jack at the very minimum - W124 in these climates is notorious for rust.

Check the wing bolts for replacement and whether the lines of the body line up. Open the jacking points and check them for rust.

Service history is nice but doesn't tell the full story. Check all the functions work correctly. Gearbox should be smooth in all gears and from park to drive and park to reverse. Diff can whine but not common. Check it tracks straight.

Apart from that the 500 should start on the button and be super smooth on idle. When revved the engine should not move much, someone has a video of a glass on water on the engine when revving, hardly moves.

Service items for the 500 are cheap. Rough idle/misfire is normally caps/arms but can be other things (as I've found out).

 

[500E]

It doesn't look bad for 215k miles.
Next month I'll be in Germany so if doesn't sell I'll stop to see it.
Is there anything particular I should pay attention to?
I'm pretty much familiar with W124 body but has no clue what to look for under the bonnet of 500E.

Remove the front cover and check the wiring harness. The actual harness should be dated, there is a cable near the diagnostic box. Should state when the harness was made, if around the 2000s it'll be a replacement and should be good (as not biodegradable).

Check my journal for some pictures of the harness.

Stunning car to own - highly recommend one!

 

[bing]

With this mileage the first thing I would do is contact the seller and ask about maintenance history and see if any major items done already. E500Es are well built cars and very rewarding drives provided they're not neglected.

Aside from regular maintenance check if the following has been addressed:

Top and bottom wiring harness
Engine/gearbox mounts
Timing Chain, or rails/guides at least
Gearbox rebuild or proof of regular fluid change at least.
Rear struts and Spheres
ETA/MAF/EZL

If the above has been taken care of then I would go and look. If not I wouldn't bother unless you have deep pockets. It's about 150kmiles onwards that these require attention and replacement. And this is big money! This is not reflective on low miles E500Es as such but will eventually fail, and again this particular example being at 200k is nearing these big item failures if not already done.

So if our german friend is accommodating and that he/she is able to prove money spent on the beast, then go and view. Aside from the usual comestics/rusts which Bill pointed out check the following:

Under bonet -
Pull back sleeve on wiring harness or check date code
Oil weeps/leaks around the Cam magnets/valve covers/hose under PS reservoir
Air/smog pump operation - can be noisy at initial start up.
Washer reservoir - check for leaks around pump and operation

If you can get underneath you might discover plenty of oil leaks -
check oil cooler hoses, trans and engine ,
tandem pump seals
Steering box
Usual gasket sump and trans front seal/sump
Rear Hydro struts leaks

If you can drive it , drive it hard and take it on autobahn making sure it downshifts at full throttle and redlines . If it hangs before 5000rpm not good. ( already I can see from photos ASR light is on ?) Check reverse engagement if severe delay (+3seconds) and your hear clicking then it's due for a rebuild. Monitor coolant temp , if it hits above 100c this time of the year or while sitting in traffic the fan clutch could be knackered.

Remember the car is 20+ years old and the mileage reflects this , which basically means it's been driven as it's meant to since they're so addictive.. But they do require a lot of maintenance , almost constant I would say.

Hope that helps!

 

[500E]

With this mileage the first thing I would do is contact the seller and ask about maintenance history and see if any major items done already. E500Es are well built cars and very rewarding drives provided they're not neglected.

Aside from regular maintenance check if the following has been addressed:

Top and bottom wiring harness
Engine/gearbox mounts
Timing Chain, or rails/guides at least
Gearbox rebuild or proof of regular fluid change at least.
Rear struts and Spheres
ETA/MAF/EZL

If the above has been taken care of then I would go and look. If not I wouldn't bother unless you have deep pockets. It's about 150kmiles onwards that these require attention and replacement. And this is big money! This is not reflective on low miles E500Es as such but will eventually fail, and again this particular example being at 200k is nearing these big item failures if not already done.

So if our german friend is accommodating and that he/she is able to prove money spent on the beast, then go and view. Aside from the usual comestics/rusts which Bill pointed out check the following:

Under bonet -
Pull back sleeve on wiring harness or check date code
Oil weeps/leaks around the Cam magnets/valve covers/hose under PS reservoir
Air/smog pump operation - can be noisy at initial start up.
Washer reservoir - check for leaks around pump and operation

If you can get underneath you might discover plenty of oil leaks -
check oil cooler hoses, trans and engine ,
tandem pump seals
Steering box
Usual gasket sump and trans front seal/sump
Rear Hydro struts leaks

If you can drive it , drive it hard and take it on autobahn making sure it downshifts at full throttle and redlines . If it hangs before 5000rpm not good. ( already I can see from photos ASR light is on ?) Check reverse engagement if severe delay (+3seconds) and your hear clicking then it's due for a rebuild. Monitor coolant temp , if it hits above 100c this time of the year or while sitting in traffic the fan clutch could be knackered.

Remember the car is 20+ years old and the mileage reflects this , which basically means it's been driven as it's meant to since they're so addictive.. But they do require a lot of maintenance , almost constant I would say.

Hope that helps!

Agree with all this but not sure about the constant maintenance one. Uncle hammered his 1991 500E for years without issues (at all). Serviced regularly of course. Also heard of others without issues...

 

[bing]

Depends how *nal you are I guess . Not necessarily running issues but rubber items . It's an old car and you'll never be able to keep up unless you fully restore it . Trust me , been there done that ! You will experience the same , but as I said before take things slowly, don't lose sleep over it, enjoy and drive it !

 

[500E]

Depends how *nal you are I guess . Not necessarily running issues but rubber items . It's an old car and you'll never be able to keep up unless you fully restore it . Trust me , been there done that ! You will experience the same , but as I said before take things slowly, don't lose sleep over it, enjoy and drive it !

Ah yes, agreed from that perspective, bits and pieces will need replacing as they get older and older.

My motor is in the capable hands of Terry now to get her running right. I'm missing it terribly

BUT looking forward to getting it back mechanically right (with a significantly lighter wallet)

 

[Niks]

I agree with what Bing and 500E say, add to that.. just take it for a test drive and see how she feels. You'll know when something doesn't feel right about it. One of the main things is slight rev fluctuations when its idling at running temp, that M119 should be smooth as silk. If it pulls hard all the way to 6000rpm with no let up, that's a healthy motor - these are very responsive engines and the car should feel 'light' as you press the accelerator whilst driving - if it feels sluggish or holds the gears a bit too much, it will need a much closer inspection. If the gearbox changes smooth, when going through gears and into D from P and other combinations, its OK.

 

[500E]

I agree with what Bing and 500E say, add to that.. just take it for a test drive and see how she feels. You'll know when something doesn't feel right about it. One of the main things is slight rev fluctuations when its idling at running temp, that M119 should be smooth as silk. If it pulls hard all the way to 6000rpm with no let up, that's a healthy motor - these are very responsive engines and the car should feel 'light' as you press the accelerator whilst driving - if it feels sluggish or holds the gears a bit too much, it will need a much closer inspection. If the gearbox changes smooth, when going through gears and into D from P and other combinations, its OK.

Agreed, should feel really light to drive, practically nothing like any other 124, lots of feedback in the steering. I came from an E46 M3 to my 500E and the 500E still "feels" fast and light

 

[bing]

Taut and muscular feel , but not hard edge, comes to mind.

 

[Niks]

Bing.. What happened to your 500? Did you sell it!?

 

[bing]

Bing.. What happened to your 500? Did you sell it!?

Yes , regretfully a while back to a friend who keeps it in tip top condition.