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1991 500E - Euro Import Model - Very Rare
Hi everyone,
In preparing to move to the mainland I decided I can't take my 500E with me. It KILLS me to sell it, really, I've wanted one of these for years and I was lucky to find such a rare model. S O L D ! I'm going to wash and wax it up again today and I should have some new pics up this weekend. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...FrontSmall.jpg Contact me at seangirvan@gmail.com (preferred) or call me at 808-220-0011 (days only - Hawaii time - please) Details: 1993 Mercedes-Benz 500E (October 1991 build, registered in the US as a 1993 model) - Brilliant Silver Metallic - Black Recaro Leather Interior - 119,000 Miles (less than 8k per year) - 322hp 5.0 Liter V8 - 4 Speed Automatic - 16" x 8" Forged Aluminum Wheels - Nearly new Goodyear Eagle GS-H tires - Slide and Tilt Sunroof Work done to the car: - Complete transmission rebuild, replaced the K2 drum and valve body - Replaced original headliner with an new OEM one (not a cheap option) interior looks brand new with it. - Starter wiring harness replaced with a new one - Engine wiring harnesses replaced as well - Alpine CDA-9885 CD Player with iPod hookup and remote ( http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?search=cda-9885&i=500CDA9885 ) - Viper Alarm with Keyless Entry, Silent Arming and Panic Button - Tinted Windows (20%) - Modified the fan switch to click on at 86F - Replaced Euro head light switch with new OEM part - Got new premium OEM Mercedes floor mats - Got an OEM Mercedes NOAH fitted car cover (ALWAYS kept under cover) - Replaced the deteriorated air intake tubes with new SL500 ones - I also just scored an OEM Warning Triangle that fits into the factory mount in the Euro Bootlid This also being a European market model it comes with the manual HVAC climate controls, but was fitted with US Spec 500E headlights for federalization. It was not optioned with headlight washers or heated seats when ordered in Europe. The car was originally sent to Belgium but was purchased by G&K Automotive for import (http://www.gnkauto.com/) and conversion and was sold in 1993 and registered as a 1993 model. I have kept this car as close to stock as possible, maintaining it's heritage and rarity has been a priority for me. I've used this as my daily driver for my short three-mile commute to work and fun weekend drives, I've done everything I can to it to make it a reliable daily driver as it is now, and only now do I feel secure selling it knowing it's in great running shape. The paint is a little tired in spots but still shines when waxed up, a serious detailing/buffing would solve most, if not all of the scuffs. The only other issues are strictly cosmetic, the expected black-chrome trim has faded a into that bronze color and the rubber gaskets around the side-view mirrors are a little cracked but still seal to the car just fine. There is a small nickel-size ding on the front drivers side fender that could be pulled out with the right gear and another nickel-size ding below the rear license plate, both have been there since I purchased the car so I'm not sure of their origin but both are very minor flaws on an otherwise outstanding car. Exterior: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...rontBumper.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...uleThemAll.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...sengerSide.jpg Interior: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../500E/Dash.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...riversSeat.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../RearSeats.jpg TELL YOUR FRIENDS! |
Damn...if this car was available before I bought my E430, I would've bought it.
Love the color combination. |
Couple of more pics as requested by a few people:
Engine Bay: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../EngineBay.jpg Conversion Tag: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...versionTag.jpg VIN Badge: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...00E/VINTag.jpg The New Headliner: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../Headliner.jpg |
whoa, my dream car!! super ride. I have a euro 300E with the manual climate controls, much prefer them to the auto set-up in the other 3 124s I have.
how do you keep the exterior door handles so black? this should sell easily, great price. |
I wish I could afford it. I don't know how you can sell that.
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And I was lucky that the car was kept out of the sun while here in Hawaii for the most part (lived in garages) so the black handles, bumpers and the rest of the trim stayed black, but treating it once in a while with Mothers "Back to Black" helps quite a bit. And I've got a few guys looking at the shipping costs to figure out how they can get it so I hope it sells soon, law school is freakin' expensive. Quote:
SO PLEASE TELL YOUR FRIENDS!!! :) |
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:) |
The short answer is "EPIC" hahaha
And I owe it to the 500E, the guy pulled up behind me while I was pumping gas and started talking about cars and such, then I'm checking out his "modest" collection at his house and he let me take it out, unsupervised, the speed is murderous, unsettling even. I'm glad I could add it to my list of dream cars I've driven. |
Sounds like things are going well for you. I hope it sells soon. I really like that manual AC, the euro goodies (specifically the euro fender blinkers), and the glove box. The passengers side air bag is great, but the roll top box can only hold so much...
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great car. Im actually starting to look for a 500e and Im a new member to this board. I like your car a lot but Im in the cincy ohio area, seems pretty far away.
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Well Omega it's not going bad I suppose, but I do need to (unfortunately) sell this to the next lucky owner.
And yeah the little euro details really catch the eye of enthusiasts, just last week I had a guy in a very nice 300E pull up next to me at a light and shout over "HEY! Is that a gray market car?!" hahaha And yeah plance if you need any info email me again, Hawaii and Ohio may be far but shipping to the west coast and then a very fun road trip would maybe save some cash, or shipping it to Virginia with a short hop over might be more sensible. My dad shipped his S8 late last year to Chicago (via boat to Virginia then via truck and train overland) for $2800 |
I'm dropping the price here to $14,000
Really REALLY need to sell soon! |
your price 14k
or OBO? I was interested in the car but also in OHIO. so I saw from previous posts...............like 800 USD to ship to cali??????
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forgot to ask...........
what is are the stickers on the rear bumper......are they euro stickers from its beginnings?????
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Really 14k is my rock bottom right now it was my "can't go past this point" in negotiations.
Shipping to Long Beach is in the $800-950 range but directly to Ohio it's not terrible, about $1900 depending on the dates. It would likely be cheaper to ship it direct than to pay to fly to Cali then do a cross country drive. Email me at seangirvan@gmail.com if you have any questions. |
oh and those stickres on the bumper are Hawaii safety inspection tags everyone here has to get them, they come off pretty easy, I know because I've had three sets stolen off of previous cars.
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Too bad I didn't spot this thread sooner. Dad just picked up a Spruce Green '94 E500 to replace the Black Pearl '93 500E that went up in smoke a few months ago. I'm sure he would have been interested in a Euro spec model, even if it wasn't a '94 (his favourite year).
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Well that sucks for the both of us I suppose, pass the info onto anyone you know who might be interested, thanks
C'mon people, I know it's a pain that the car is in Hawaii but this is a help of a deal for something that cost a mint to import legally |
Nobody? Really?
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Looks like a great car, but I think your location is limiting you a bit (nothing you can really do about that). Dealing w/ the hassle of shipping, buying a car sight unseen, and of course worrying about whether or not damage will be incurred during shipment are things that are probably driving buyers away. Good price IMHO for an island sale, but it is sitting at a solid 16k (or maybe slightly more) for us main-landers, which our market can beat w/ much less hassle, though of course being a euro makes it significantly harder to find anywhere and more valuable in your car's present condition. That said, best of luck and if you don't want to go below 14k, don't do it. Sooner or later you will find your buyer, just be patient!
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Try an ad in Hemmings.
Sixto 87 300D |
Oh, c'mon, Sixto... you know you want a 500E in the garage, lol... :D
Anyway, Hemmings, Auto Trader, DuPont Registry, and the other half-dozen major MB web forums would all be good places to advertise. :euro: |
I'd love to try Hemmings or something like that but they are REALLY expensive for me right now, same with DuPont. I already have it up on Autotrader, MBWorld, and the 500Ecstasy site, along with a few local listings. I want to put one on the MBCA site but they also charge money that's not in my budget right now. If anyone has any other site locations let me know
I've had a few people locally check the car out but most admitted they didn't have the money yet and a few just wanted to see and sit in a real 500E, it's very, very annoying. Also a good number of mainland interest but nothing solid yet so I really want to push this. I'm trying to be as patient as I can but time is not a luxury I have an abundance right now. As a suggestion from another site I've compiled a few quick shipping quotes, all are quoted as for shipping the car the first week of September. Long Beach/Oakland/Seattle - $1072.00 Dallas - $1934 Detroit - $2001 Atlanta - $1990 Boston - $2074 |
candidly, you're going to sell this car one of two ways:
1. stumble upon a buyer who wants that precise car and has the money to pay your price plus shipping -- this one will take a while.
2. lower the price or include shipping in the price -- anyone not falling into category "1" is going to want a deal, and is not going to want to pay for shipping. |
If you can be patient and wait, eventually the right buyer will appear. The price is reasonable, even with shipping. Also post on benzworld.org and maybe some select Craigslist markets. I'd skip the MBCA site, I personally don't like their politics: you have to buy a membership before you're allowed to post anything in their sacred classified section. I doubt anyone at Club202 or 190Revolution would be interested but it couldn't hurt to post there also.
:nuke: |
Dave, I beg to differ. The 190E guys often times put so much 500e stuff on their cars, that the next progression is a 500E, or 500E back to 190E.
Captruff had a 500E, then got a 190E. Cannoli had a 190E, got 500E. Glen had a 190E, got an E500, the list goes on, but those are the main guys that I can think of, plus usually they know the car. It can't hurt, but I think you have to have like 20 legitimate posts before making a classified ad, but that isnt too hard. MBCA forum doesn't have a lot of traffic, but I would think that forum would be good for people looking for a 500E without many mods, and this 500E only has euro mods because it is a euro car, but if you have some extra money, that might be fine, but it seems like he is running a tight ship going through law school so I think the other venues are better right now. |
Hmm, good point about the 190 site. Could be you'll find someone there.
Regardless of traffic at the MBCA site, I wouldn't want them involved in any way, shape, or form. They can keep their little club all to themselves, in the dark ages, the way they want it. :stuart: |
Wow I didn't know MBCA was that bad, I did think it was instantly lame that I had to pay to post in a web forum, but I guess they have to keep revenue coming in to maintain the site perhaps, but isn't that what banner ads are for?
I know I just need the right buyer, it's that kind of car, I just hope they come around soon. I'm going to head over to that 190Rev site to see what I get, thanks for all the advice |
bump
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New week, new bump
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On a positive note, the last MBCA show I was at, my CLK placed 3rd in the late model class, which is very suprising given what I already stated about the club. I wonder if that would of happened if I wasn't a MBCA member? Of course, 1st place was a bone stock 300ce, go figure. |
With all due respect, I wonder if this is a Euro 500E. I have one in England (bought new in 1991), so I think I know whereof I speak. The headlamps are pure US version although I will concede they could have been fitted on importation. What worries me more is the interior. In true 1991 Euro versions, there was no front central arm rest, nor was there a covered cubbyhole between the front seats. These would have been expensive 1993 modifications that I doubt would have been undertaken. Also, the paint worries me. I cannot tell what color it is exactly; is it Brilliant Silver? If so, I do not think that was offered in Euroland in 1991. As far as I know, it was only available in darker metallics, Pearl Grey being the most numerous and the lightest in tone.
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P. S. No air bags in 1991 in the steering wheel.
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as I mention in the post it's a late 1991 build (October) and most of the features resemble 1992 cars. Several things were done to federalize it and although I've had trouble getting a complete list from the company that did the conversion it wouldn't suprise me if a drivers airbag was required to register it as a 1993 car (which is what is stated on the title of the car), but if you look I do have a glovebox on the passenger side and not an airbag as US cars did. The headlights were changed, clearly, from euro ones for federalization purposes. This car was originally sent to Belgium, as I've mentioned earlier, and it is indeed very European, everything under the hood is still in german, along with the cruise control and gearshift markings, it has a US gauge cluster fitted as required and when you open the gas filler lid it's all in German too.
The car is brilliant silver metallic, original paint, original paint code, much of the pics come out washed out of color because of my complete ineptitude to take a proper picture in Hawaiian sunlight. Tomorrow I'll take some pics of the previously mentioned foreign language markings and post them up. |
Geez, tough crowd Brodie! ;)
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So, before I get the pic tomorrow, this will suffice: 1: Go here: http://old.mbclub.ru/mb/vin/?lng=eng 2: Enter this (my VIN): WDB1240361B490817 3: Check the box for "FULL VERSION" 4: Click "Search" 5: And then read the details, it's all there :book: |
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But your point about reading the details is a fair one; late at night, I skipped through the middle postings and missed it and went ahead with my ill-informed posting anyway. If you have that kind of paper trail, I am sure you will want to share that with your buyer. It did occur to me, however, that this was an export car that could have gone to another market such as somewhere in Asia. I think there were a few in Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore. From there, it could have come into California. I toyed with the idea of importing my 500E into the US in 1995 and was quoted $15-20K for the Fed Cert on top of transporation +/-$5K. This, when added on to $100K new cost, seemed unappealling when dealers had new '94 E500s sitting on showroom floors for <$85K. So, your assertion of rareness in the case of your car should be well justified. In any event, 500Es are fine cars. I just drove from New York to San Francisco via Canada north of the Great Lakes (4500 miles) in a Bentley Continental GT and I would have rather done it in a 500E. |
Furthermore, I would not be surprised if the "49" in your VIN
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I am sure one of the readers of this forum can confirm or refute my guess on this. So, eating humble pie all the way, I retract my naysays of yesterday. |
True USA-spec 500E's will have the VIN start with "WDBEA36".
All non-USA spec 500E's will have the VIN start with "WDB124036". The last 7 digits of the VIN are simply sequential chassis serial numbers... they increment to B999999, then roll to C000000, C000001, and so on. The A999999-B000000 roll happened around the 1990 model year, the B-C roll happened right around the end of 1993 or beginning of 1994 model year. But there is no logic built into the serial number indicating destination country, etc. That information is kept on file by MB though. View page 10 of this PDF file for more details on the USA VIN format. :euro: |
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But yes as you can see it is indeed a Euro market car, if it went to any other country between leaving Europe and going to US I'd be surprised, the car has been registered in Hawaii since 1993 when it received the final conversion at G&K in California. But here's the pics as promised: (and I realized I need to vacuum my car again hahahah) Behind Gas Lid http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...nderGasLid.jpg Under Gas Cap http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...CapSticker.jpg Cruise Control Stalk http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...ruiseFront.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...opHairyLeg.jpg Gear Change Gate (my personal favorite) http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...Gearchange.jpg Oh, and since I had some questions via email, yes, the AC has been converted, its a state law here http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...ionSticker.jpg |
OK, OK, Uncle, I am convinced it started life intended for Europe.
I learned a lot in this exchange and for that I thank you all. First, I had never seen a Brilliant Silver car of this early vintage. Second, I learned that one of my cars that is officially a '99 S-Class was actually built in early 1998! |
Bump it up
Tell your friends! |
Open to offers guys
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I hope that you mean reasonable offers
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Yes Omega, reasonable offers only please, I've gotten some rather humorous phone call offers recently.
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Beautiful car. :)
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Another Bump, need to sell her soon guys! |
that car is too nice to sell....you need to take it with you.
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