Thanks guys, some very useful & interesting input there. How much do you guys generally pay for 500E's there? In the UK I'm looking at around £10,000 = $15,500 for '93 models with highish (say 100,000) miles.
Madly, I've also seen '92 2.5-16v's at the same price, although only with 46,000 miles and probably in nicer condition. Higher mileage 2.3s are more sensibly prices at around $4,000 - 6,000.
I'd prefer a low-mileage, completely un-modified model, and wouldn't want to change anything except the radio & speakers.
I still can't afford any of them, though :-(
Oh well, if I could have the car of my dreams at this age, what would I do for the next 50 years?
later