Yet another E500 S212!

[Londonscottish]

A nice worked example of group problem-solving - like what is the spec of this thing? Individually we see bits, but together we see a fuller picture.

Another point to add is that the Tanzanite isn't shown off to its best advantage. Someone here shared a photo of his car below.

I'd still like to see that the thing has been serviced properly / regularly.

With overseas holidays temporarily "out of fashion,' someone ought to be interested in this as a "Thunderbird 2" for UK family holidays.

Which reminds me, I must check the Autotrader listing on my E500 saloon - did I include the Harmon Kardon and Bluetooth?

That was mine down near Bordeaux a couple of years ago.

When Biglips first directed me to the Autotrader ad for mine I was underwhelmed.

The pictures had been taken inside on a dull day and it just looked like a non-metallic dark blue. Much better in the flesh and even better when the sun comes out. Tanzanite's a bit like that black/green MB colour in that it pops in bright light.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

Here's a theory: given that this is from a garage which specialises in supporting clients in Belgravia , is the sale of this car driven by the international lockdown? It's possible that this comes from a family that's realised it won't be coming to the UK over the next year or two ? Just a thought...

 

[Londonscottish]

Lovely colour scheme, but it is pretty poverty-spec really. No COMAND, so no sat-nav, and manual front seat adjustment (forward and back); I'd want full electrics and memory package for that sort of money. No power tailgate either. For a 5.5 212 estate, that's poverty spec...

I think when traders list them they get lost in the blizzard of confusing variations in standard kit on AG's/500's/Sports.

That one, as an 500 AG, will have Airmatic (£1,395), Luxury Climate (£595), ILS (£1,000?), Powered tailgate (£500?)

This one also has memory Pack (£1,175) & what looks like upgraded Leather & Pano Pano (£2,800) + HK (£625)

That lot looks like £8-ish of kit to me.

No doubt there will be other things the trader has missed.

 

[Will]

Here's a theory: given that this is from a garage which specialises in supporting clients in Belgravia , is the sale of this car driven by the international lockdown? It's possible that this comes from a family that's realised it won't be coming to the UK over the next year or two ? Just a thought...

They’re an established company, I’ve seen cars for sale from them for ages, older Porsches, MBs etc. Cars like this (not necessary just E500s of course) come and go all the time.

It’s just a ten year old estate car to most people. To us enthusiasts who get excited over the model/spec/mileage etc it may be of interest, but it’s too old for many dealers to sell. Just like your current one and my old 11k mike E63 Wagon they’re out there, the sorts of people who bought these cars new don’t really need the money - they just buy new ones when it suits them. Maybe they’ve bought a new one, or don’t need an estate car after ten years etc?

I caught up with the previous owner of my E63 Wagon who was pretty wealthy, he’d not been using it much (1500 miles PA) and his wife preferred driving his Range Rover so they p/x’d it against a Volvo XC!

 

[bolidemichael]

This is one of the reasons why the OASIS report is useful

What is that?

 

[Will]

What is that?

It’s the report from MB with all the factory details for each car.

When it was built, which dealer supplied it new, what options it had, what was standard kit, and all the pricing etc.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

They’re an established company, I’ve seen cars for sale from them for ages, older Porsches, MBs etc. Cars like this (not necessary just E500s of course) come and go all the time.
It’s just a ten year old estate car to most people. To us enthusiasts who get excited over the model/spec/mileage etc it may be of interest, but it’s too old for many dealers to sell. Just like your current one and my old 11k mike E63 Wagon they’re out there, the sorts of people who bought these cars new don’t really need the money - they just buy new ones when it suits them. Maybe they’ve bought a new one, or don’t need an estate car after ten years etc?

I should have explained a bit more. Belgravia Cars has been in business for ninety years: since 1930 (sic). It runs out of Eaton Mews. I knew it back in (my) day when I had a place in Pimlico. It was a very fancy classic "mews garage" operation. They used to specialise in servicing Belgravia, Pimlico and Sloane Square cars for rich "chaps," with a sideline of chopping on their motors as and when. Given that silly mileage (29,000), it just seemed to me likely that it's a car left in the UK for a foreign owner.

Add to that the rear blinds, heated REAR seats (in an Estate car?), and lack of SatNav and that's why I was thinking that this has been a chauffeured London car for use by foreign visitors.

.

 

[Kongshavn]

The above could well be right. I had made up a theory in my head that it has been an embassy car. Shame we can't see the registration...

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

"In other news" I see that the 2011 E500 Sport Saloon that was listed on Thursday at £14,600 has gone under offer within two days.

Bigger mileage (57k) but £14k worth of nice toys.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202006039757372?radius=1500&year-from=2004&postcode=w1a1aa&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=Used&body-type=Estate&body-type=Saloon&maximum-mileage=125000&keywords=e500&advertising-location=at_cars&make=MERCEDES-BENZ&sort=relevance&page=1

 

[BUG4LIFE]

I spotted that one on AT too...the saloon doesn’t quite have the same attraction to me!

 

[SW18]

Can you share the list?

Yes, sure! Comments are welcome as this is based on my quick notes over the years and may be wrong. Those in this thread know some of these cars better than I do...

All are S212s, listed in order of appearance on Autotrader:
2015: Black E500 Sport (mine!)
2015: Silver E500 AG (I think not the same one that MiW just got, as it was highish miles: seller said it had been a chauffeur car for British Gas)
2016: Black E500 Sport (sold so fast the dealer never put up photos, but it caught my eye as it’s been the only 2011 one Ive seen come up for sale - maybe the last sold in UK...)
2017: Tanzanite E500 AG (LondonScottish)
2018: Bronze E500 AG (Konghaven)
2018: Green E500 AG (DoubleE500Mike)
2018: Silver E500 AG (seems to be a third silver one, this one was 36,000 miles and no toys)
2019: The Brown One
2020: Silver E500 AG (MikeinWimbledon)
2020: Tanzanite AG in Belgravia with 29k miles

Plus there’s the light blue one from 2017 and there’s also another Tanzanite one in someone’s garage on PistonHeads. So 12 in all. Odds are there are a few more hidden out there.

Howmanyleft lists about 150 E500 from that era but most of them will be coupes, as there’s a constant stream of them for sale on AT. Intriguingly there are 47 E500 Bluefficiency listed on Howmanyleft, which always leaves me wondering if just 1 of them is an S212. Since jdrrco found that CLS500 4.7 I’ve had a hypothesis that MB might have made a homolgation S212 as well...

 

[Will]

I should have explained a bit more. Belgravia Cars has been in business for ninety years: since 1930 (sic). It runs out of Eaton Mews. I knew it back in (my) day when I had a place in Pimlico. It was a very fancy classic "mews garage" operation. They used to specialise in servicing Belgravia, Pimlico and Sloane Square cars for rich "chaps," with a sideline of chopping on their motors as and when. Given that silly mileage (29,000), it just seemed to me likely that it's a car left in the UK for a foreign owner.

Add to that the rear blinds, heated REAR seats (in an Estate car?), and lack of SatNav and that's why I was thinking that this has been a chauffeured London car for use by foreign visitors.

.

Could well be a foreign owned car, but let’s be honest most wealthy people with cars who live in Central London don’t do many miles PA, perhaps reserved for occasional weekend use/visits/holidays etc. Both of my last two cars were owned by European Millionaires who had more than one vehicle and probably had little time or need to drive regularly. One had just 11k miles and the other 21k, full MB history etc. They are out there

As for the satnav issue - does it not have COMAND? Looks like a GPS antenna on the roof and there’s a card slot below the volume control? I reckon it has it - someone needs to call about the car if they’re interested of course, the VIN would tell all.

There’s not many E500s specced with Harmon/Kardon, pano roof, heated rear seats, electric memory mult-contour front seats, blinds etc but no Sat-Nav/COMAND

 

[Deleted member 65149]

Could well be a foreign owned car, but let’s be honest most wealthy people with cars who live in Central London don’t do many miles PA, perhaps reserved for occasional weekend use/visits/holidays etc. Both of my last two cars were owned by European Millionaires who had more than one vehicle and probably had little time or need to drive regularly. One had just 11k miles and the other 21k, full MB history etc. They are out there

As for the satnav issue - does it not have COMAND? Looks like a GPS antenna on the roof and there’s a card slot below the volume control? I reckon it has it - someone needs to call about the car if they’re interested of course, the VIN would tell all.

There’s not many E500s specced with Harmon/Kardon, pano roof, heated rear seats, electric memory mult-contour front seats, blinds etc but no Sat-Nav/COMAND

If it doesn’t have navigation, why have a NAVI button?

 

[Kongshavn]

Yes, sure! Comments are welcome as this is based on my quick notes over the years and may be wrong. Those in this thread know some of these cars better than I do...

All are S212s, listed in order of appearance on Autotrader:
2015: Black E500 Sport (mine!)
2015: Silver E500 AG (I think not the same one that MiW just got, as it was highish miles: seller said it had been a chauffeur car for British Gas)
2016: Black E500 Sport (sold so fast the dealer never put up photos, but it caught my eye as it’s been the only 2011 one Ive seen come up for sale - maybe the last sold in UK...)
2017: Tanzanite E500 AG (LondonScottish)
2018: Bronze E500 AG (Konghaven)
2018: Green E500 AG (DoubleE500Mike)
2018: Silver E500 AG (seems to be a third silver one, this one was 36,000 miles and no toys)
2019: The Brown One
2020: Silver E500 AG (MikeinWimbledon)
2020: Tanzanite AG in Belgravia with 29k miles

Just to note, my one is palladium silver and a Sport but that's right there was a bronze (I think cubanite?) AG one for sale at an independent dealer around the same time

 

[unimog]

Damn!!! I'm not home for another 2 weeks at least and if I wanted this which i really do I would have to consider chopping in the C350.... cant justify having 3 guzzlers on the drive!

Nice car indeed, a proper sleeper.

 

[milleplod]

A friend is in negotiations with the seller as I type - he missed the one Mike now owns! It does have navigation, and its owner works in Switzerland - story is, his wife doesn't like it!

Pete

 

[Londonscottish]

"In other news" I see that the 2011 E500 Sport Saloon that was listed on Thursday at £14,600 has gone under offer within two days.

Bigger mileage (57k) but £14k worth of nice toys.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202006039757372?radius=1500&year-from=2004&postcode=w1a1aa&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=Used&body-type=Estate&body-type=Saloon&maximum-mileage=125000&keywords=e500&advertising-location=at_cars&make=MERCEDES-BENZ&sort=relevance&page=1

I like that. But can't decide whether the red calipers are a nice touch or a bit wannabe.

 

[bolidemichael]

It’s the report from MB with all the factory details for each car.

When it was built, which dealer supplied it new, what options it had, what was standard kit, and all the pricing etc.

Is it accessible to us enthusiasts?

 

[SW18]

Just to note, my one is palladium silver and a Sport but that's right there was a bronze (I think cubanite?) AG one for sale at an independent dealer around the same time

Thanks! I’ve made a few mix-ups there then... I will amend!

 

[Will]

Is it accessible to us enthusiasts?

Yes, your local dealer should be able to provide you with a printout if you ask nicely (or maybe email it to you?) but not sure how the current situation might affect the non-essential stuff like that?

Alternatively you can always do the regular VIN decode online for free, gives you a good indication of the build spec/date etc:

www.datamb.com