Can someone fill me in on the mid '90s 500E ???

I'm comparing this to an e36 M3....

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1985 300D : the clean one 180k miles - Now passed onto my parents.
2000 E39 M5
2002 e46 330xit
1991 mustang notch (project)
1970 chevelle (project)

I have a 98 E36 M3/4 and my father used to have a 93 500E. The car has 322 BHP , was built by Mercedes/Porsche. Car is very powerful but nothing in compare to the E36 M3. The M3 will outhandle the car all day. It was a big deal for the day and was one of the first AMG Mercedes ( Even though AMG was not inhouse yet ). If you search around there are plenty of sites dedicated to the 500E and 94 E500. I think they are great looking cars and really appreciated the preformance for the early 90's .

yeah sfter driving one I am very much in love with the E36 M3.

What kinda motor in that 500E ? Manual tranny ?

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1985 300D : the clean one 180k miles - Now passed onto my parents.
2000 E39 M5
2002 e46 330xit
1991 mustang notch (project)
1970 chevelle (project)

automatic only at least in us.

tom w

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

I saw my first one today... I was thinking, nice black 300E... oh wait. Then I noticed those fenders. What a great looking car... it's got that serious, no nonsense look.

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1985 CA 300D Turbo , 213K mi

Another question on top of his. How do either of these cars compare to say like a 2003, or 2004 CLK430 AMG ?

CLK430 AMG? thats just a CLK430 with a bodykit. Did you mean CLK55?

actually your years kinda cross production models too. 2003 was the start of the 209 chassis, but the CLK430 (208 chassis) still was made as a 2003 model in convertible form only. Hardtop 03 and 04 CLK's were 320's, 500's and 55's

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1980 500SE/AMG Euro
1981 500SEL Euro
1982 380SEL
1983 300TD
1983 500SEC/AMG Euro
1984 500SEC
1984 300TD Euro
1986 190E 2.3-16
1986 190E 2.3
1987 300D
1997 C36 AMG
2003 C320T 4matic

past: 1969 280SE 4.5 | 1978 240D | 1978 300D | 1981 300SD | 1981 300SD | 1982 300CD | 1983 300CD | 1983 300SD | 1983 380SEC | 1984 300D | 1984 300D | 1984 300TD | 1984 500SEL | 1984 300SD | 1985 300D | 1986 300E | 1986 560SEL | 1986 560SEL/Carat | 1987 560SEC | 1991 300D 2.5 | 2006 R350

IMO there is no comparison between any of these cars....especially not the M3 and the 500E. Sorry that I'm not more descriptive, but its like comparing apples to oranges....where do you even begin?

You could probably make a better comparison between the CLK55 and the e36 M3, but even this would be stretching it as the 208 CLK just doesn't have the sporty feel that the M3 has in general terms.

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1999 C43 AMG ~~~ 744 on black, mostly stock
1991 190e 2.6 ~~~ m117 5.6 project car

There's a great write-up of the 500E right here on this site: http://www.peachparts.com/500e.htm

There is also a site completely dedicated to the 500E500:
http://www.500ecstasy.com/

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Glen Tokuhara
Beauty & the Beast and the wagon that could!

M3 vs 500E isn't a very good comparision IMO either.

Back when the 500E came out, what, 16 years ago...it was compared to the BMW M5 and the Audi S4/6 in most all of the magazines. 4 door sedan vs 4 door sedan is more like it.

For some folks...the BMW and Audi were liked because they could be had with a manual...and others like the 500E for reasons not related to transmission choice (or lackthereof). All 3 are VERY cool cars though the build quality and materials in a 500E eclipses most cars even made today (which isn't hard to do !) .

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Jim

1992 500E
2007 CLK63
2003 Audi RS6
2001 Audi allroad

AMG had nothing to do with the 500e. The 500e was Mercedes answer to the Lexus LS400 which was introduced in 1990. The 500e was built by MB and Porsche.

In the 1/4, the 500e will spank a M3, but given the weight advantage of the M3 and an almost 50/50 weight distribution, the M3 can easily out handle the 500e. A better comparison would be the C36 to the M3 (both of which I owned at the same time). For that comparison, the C36 is a far superior car all around, its only downfall being the lack of a manual trans and its +200 weight increase over the M3.

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1993 500E
http://2phast.com/500e/500e-sig.jpg

And all this time I thought the 500E was Mercedes' answer to the AMG Hammer.

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

Nope, MB was loosing ground to the new V8 Asian luxury vehicles, MB was not in a posiition to introduce a new body style at that time, so they did what they could to combat the new kids on the block.

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1993 500E
http://2phast.com/500e/500e-sig.jpg

I thought the 400E / E420 was their answer to the V8 models from the Japanese manufacturers.

I remember reading somewhere that Mercedes noticed that AMG was happily selling Hammers for about $180,000, and realized they were missing a market.

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

The 500e was released before the 400e.

I read several articles about this and it covered in detail the MB marketing reasoning. I don't remember reading anything about competing with AMG at that time, since AMG's customer base was extremely small, I am sure the decisions were more globally focused on the mass's vs. the limited few purchasing AMG hammers.

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1993 500E
http://2phast.com/500e/500e-sig.jpg