500E Purchase ?

[dwight hinton]

I am looking at purchasing a 500E. The unit in question is a 92 model. The records from the dealer show it has consumed 6 power steering pumps in its 94,000 mile history for over $5,000 some half of which was done under warranty. The car was serviced at 2 different dealers over its life.

One dealer service manager advises that the PS pump controls both the power steering and the hydraulic suspension and that the life expectancy is only 30K miles per pump. (1) Is This true? (2) would a powersteering pump system cooler help?

The other dealer service manager pointed out that there were some repeated indications of leaks in the notes and suggested the possibility that the owner repeatedly ran the system dry and burned up the pumps. The owner seems to be a very conscientious car buff, and while he may have overlooked it in the early years, it seems hard to imagine that he would have continued to overlook it after repeated problems. (3) what is your take on this?

I have driven several 500E's. This one seems especially quick. I believe it may be chipped. (4) How can I determine if it is chipped?

I also noted upon a left hand u-turn, with moderate to heavy excelleration, that the left wheel lit up for 5 to 10 feet or so and yet I did not see the orange triangle light up on the Dash. (6) Could this happen with the ASR? (or what ever they call the traction control system) factory setup. (7) Would bypassing the ASR explain some of the increased performance? (8) How can I determine if the ASR switch has been installed?

Last and final question (9) Is there anything other than the standard checkout including compression, compression, compression (I know how you like to emphasize the important stuff through repetition) that I should pay particularly close attention to or anything that I should be aware of as a higher than normal maintenance item (other than tires of course).

Thanks

Dwight

Sorry, but one last note, I am barely 6 feet tall, not of large frame, and prefer to drive somewhat close to the steering wheel. Yet in this position, which is not a problem in my 380SE, my 300E, or my parents E430, I do notice that I can only see the portion of the speedo that is below 40MPH and above 120MPH. (The steering wheel blocks my view of the 40 to 120 area.) As I do not expect to spend an inordinate amount of time in those areas (i.e. below 40 or above 120), I would like to know if anyone else has noticed this. Is it possible that the seat is not going all the way down? Telescoping does not help much.

Thank



[Edited by dwight hinton on 12-14-2000 at 07:02 AM]