RE: Shed of the Week: Mercedes-Benz S500
Discussion
It’s mine! Long time lurker first time poster etc. Actually the airmatic is fine. It’s had a new airmatic pump 3 years ago and a new rear valve block. I race in the same series as the owner of Millenium Mercedes in Bedford ( actually I wave at him whilst he laps me) and he did it. It’s been a good car but I have decided to get a car I can tow with and stay in hotels rather than sleep in the back of a transit at race meetings - hence the sale. I put it up here and on restorides cheaply as I couldn’t face eBay and Gumtree. Anyway it’s nice to see the interest it’s garnered.
alec.e said:
R8Steve said:
If this was closer to me i'd actually be interested in buying it.
I really liked the last one i had and do fancy another, the black interior looks so much fresher than the usual grey/silver.
Hopefully not a rot box this time...I really liked the last one i had and do fancy another, the black interior looks so much fresher than the usual grey/silver.
Binghambingham said:
It’s mine! Long time lurker first time poster etc. Actually the airmatic is fine. It’s had a new airmatic pump 3 years ago and a new rear valve block. I race in the same series as the owner of Millenium Mercedes in Bedford ( actually I wave at him whilst he laps me) and he did it. It’s been a good car but I have decided to get a car I can tow with and stay in hotels rather than sleep in the back of a transit at race meetings - hence the sale. I put it up here and on restorides cheaply as I couldn’t face eBay and Gumtree. Anyway it’s nice to see the interest it’s garnered.
The car looks like great value, what series are you racing in? I would have stuck a tow bar on the s500, nothing better than belting out of roundabouts towing the racing car and no one can keep up! (the only downside is single figure MPG when towing at speed!).Binghambingham said:
Classic clubmans with the HSCC. I've never managed to fully work out if S class tow bars exist at all. Anyway I couldn't fit 2 sets of wheels, too many tools, spanner monkeys and crisps in it.
Would be a shame to fill an S500 with race spares, wheels and g/box's etc - but would be quite an amusing thing to see in the paddock with a tow bar, spanner monkey sleeping in the back, crisps piled high in the front!Those old Clubmans were super quick, lap times not far off F3 cars at the time.
,
Most things can be fixed with time/money, the question is how far do you with at this kind of price - not so bad if you have skills or a mate to do it for you.
My main concern if this is the visable rust (a great big hole), I would hate to see what the cills look like with covers removed.
My main concern if this is the visable rust (a great big hole), I would hate to see what the cills look like with covers removed.
alec.e said:
Most things can be fixed with time/money, the question is how far do you with at this kind of price - not so bad if you have skills or a mate to do it for you.
My main concern if this is the visable rust (a great big hole), I would hate to see what the cills look like with covers removed.
The hole you’re seeing is a vent, the other side had the same with no rust. End of the day it’s a sub 1k car that cost about 80 times that, it’s hardly going to be perfect.My main concern if this is the visable rust (a great big hole), I would hate to see what the cills look like with covers removed.
I loved it anyway and will no doubt get another one at some point to waft about in
Airmatic isnt that bad to fix, most common problem is the pump, £100 off eBay and easy to fit.
Key is to do as much as you can yourself and not pouting thousands into it.
Never understood why the engines from these dont end up in other stuff as a conversion, is it the electronics of it, size or lack of conversion parts ?
As for the car, I cant help thinking of "Lou Anthony Morris" from Friday Night Dinner, he had a W126 but this absolutely looks like it could be his replacement, definitely need a trilby to drive this.
Key is to do as much as you can yourself and not pouting thousands into it.
Never understood why the engines from these dont end up in other stuff as a conversion, is it the electronics of it, size or lack of conversion parts ?
As for the car, I cant help thinking of "Lou Anthony Morris" from Friday Night Dinner, he had a W126 but this absolutely looks like it could be his replacement, definitely need a trilby to drive this.
sr.guiri said:
Doesn't this model coincide with the days when Mercedes stopped making good cars?
I'd buy it in an instant however. But a purple Mercedes.....I don't think I could bring myself to do it.
But I guess a silver one would be 3K
When you see them in the flesh the colours really nice - and will hide the rust. The v8 will move the car along nicely and it’s a good engine. One of the best they’ve made and better than any horrid diesel. The rest of the car isn’t so robust but the drivetrain is. I'd buy it in an instant however. But a purple Mercedes.....I don't think I could bring myself to do it.
But I guess a silver one would be 3K
st4 said:
sr.guiri said:
Doesn't this model coincide with the days when Mercedes stopped making good cars?
I'd buy it in an instant however. But a purple Mercedes.....I don't think I could bring myself to do it.
But I guess a silver one would be 3K
When you see them in the flesh the colours really nice - and will hide the rust. The v8 will move the car along nicely and it’s a good engine. One of the best they’ve made and better than any horrid diesel. The rest of the car isn’t so robust but the drivetrain is. I'd buy it in an instant however. But a purple Mercedes.....I don't think I could bring myself to do it.
But I guess a silver one would be 3K
aaron_2000 said:
Even though you just spout nonsense when it comes to diesel, you are right on this occasion. The diesel S Class I was considering was absolutely hateful, just didn't suit the car in any way. And that one did kick out a nice amount of that old diesel smell, I don't mind the smell, but I do associate it with for lack of a better term, lesser cars than an S Class. That's a car that very much needs a petrol under the bonnet, a V8 or V12 at that.
I know - the 3.2 straight six they used in these was an utter dog. The V8 is a dream and is one of the most reliable engines they ever did - just a shame the cars rusted and everything else goes wrong on them. In a different climate these wouldn't be rot boxes and it would just be the flaky electrics to worry about and for £1500 although I am no Merc fan (after having 5) this is a stealI've tried both the 5.0 and 3.2. The later V6 diesel did move the game along NVH wise - and I owned 3 cars with it and in no shape or form does it match the effortless of the big petrol, or the NVH. I rather hope engines like this make their way into more cars. Effortless n/a big petrols just work so well.
Let the buyer beware!
Back in 2003-ish, a full service for one these started at around £1000. Even now, using an independent I'll bet it is going to be serious cash for servicing.
I bought a low mileage 2 and a half year old Y plate E320 Avantgarde estate and it was the most unreliable pile of **** I've ever owned. It cost me a fortune to keep on the road with constant repairs being required and out of warranty One thing after another went wrong, or broke and made worse by the two main dealers I had the misfortune to use, who acted as if they were doing you a favour. The final straw came when I was cleaning it and discovered rust bubbles on the bottom of one of the doors. The car was now just over 3 years old! Took it to the main dealer and was given an independent paintshop address in Coventry, authorised by M-B. He took me around the car and showed me where it was rusting - all four wheel arches, tailgate, roof (not covered under the 6 year paint warranty!) and peeling back the door rubbers showed rust so bad that the inner-frame was crumbling. He said that it was common and he'd seen worse then showed me an SLK and a C-class in for similar work. More to the point regarding this S-Class was that he said the corrosion issues were across the whole range. Got the corrosion rectified and traded it in. That was the last M-B I've ever bought.
Back in 2003-ish, a full service for one these started at around £1000. Even now, using an independent I'll bet it is going to be serious cash for servicing.
I bought a low mileage 2 and a half year old Y plate E320 Avantgarde estate and it was the most unreliable pile of **** I've ever owned. It cost me a fortune to keep on the road with constant repairs being required and out of warranty One thing after another went wrong, or broke and made worse by the two main dealers I had the misfortune to use, who acted as if they were doing you a favour. The final straw came when I was cleaning it and discovered rust bubbles on the bottom of one of the doors. The car was now just over 3 years old! Took it to the main dealer and was given an independent paintshop address in Coventry, authorised by M-B. He took me around the car and showed me where it was rusting - all four wheel arches, tailgate, roof (not covered under the 6 year paint warranty!) and peeling back the door rubbers showed rust so bad that the inner-frame was crumbling. He said that it was common and he'd seen worse then showed me an SLK and a C-class in for similar work. More to the point regarding this S-Class was that he said the corrosion issues were across the whole range. Got the corrosion rectified and traded it in. That was the last M-B I've ever bought.
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