Can anyone tell me what the down side is, other than interior, to buying a 85 500sel Euro. Car has been here since 85.
Tom

I can... I just bought an 84 500 SEL "European". The only drawbacks I can see so far are that parts are just a bit harder to find (and cost a tad more), and finding technical information is tough. Other than that, no problem!

Actually on my side of the fence the parts are a lot harder to find and a lot more money :)

The US version of these vehicles had a self-leveling suspension but only in the rear. The Euro versions have it on all four corners.

The self-leveling hydropneumatic suspension can be very costly to replace. If the ride is very bumpy and stiff than you can assume that the nitrogen spheres need to be replaced. The hydraulic struts can run a pretty penny to replace. The spheres can run about $150 each (there are 5 of them total). The struts run about $300-$400 each. You should only need to replace them if you see that they are leaking the hydraulic fluid.

If you do a search about the hyrdopneumatic suspension you will probably hear some people talk about how inexpensive these vehicles can be purchased here in the US. Someone stated that you can find many of them sitting in junkyards resting on the tires cuz the spheres have gone flat and nobody wants the hassle with them.

I'm going to invest the $$ and replace the spheres and struts in mine. I've heard that once you replace them, it is like gliding on air. We'll see.

Also, if you guys need info on the hydro-p suspension or a service manual email me at frankie_z.rm@yahoo.com

Euro 500sel
 

Thank all of you for your input. I went to look at the 500sel today not knowing it was a Euro. I think the owner purchased it not knowing what they were getting. They've owned for a month. 118000 miles on it.
It's in good shape. Could be had for about $4K. I'll probably pass on it.
Tom