Mercedes E500 Sport: PH Carpool

The Q-car approach to big V8s, as demonstrated by one PHer

Name: Colin
Car: Mercedes E500 (Sport to be precise)
Owned since: July 2013
Previously owned: "Lots of cars, I'm a bit of a serial car changer. Most recent daily drivers have been an E36 328 Coupe and an E39 535; the Merc was bought to replace the 535 as I decided it would be nice to own at least one fairly modern car."

V8 ensures this is a bigger presence in mirrors

Why I bought it:
"I decided it was about time I had a daily driver that was less than a decade old after quite a few years of driving older stuff. The only initial criteria I had was that it had to be a V8 (they are addictive), though the wife insisted it needed to have a semblance of family friendliness and have five seats which put paid to some of my initial list (Mustang, CL/CLS, BMW 640, etc). I always say it's best to be open minded and buy the best car you find from a wide list rather than getting fixated on a certain model.

"The E500 fell into that category. I'd seen one for sale in a dealership and that opened my eyes to what great value they were so I decided to browse the classifieds to see what was around within my budget. This one was listed on PistonHeads and seemed to have had the options list raided fairly heavily (Panoramic roof, TV, Designo Leather, 18-inch alloys) and the two-tone leather interior set it apart from the other E500s for sale (although given they didn't sell many that wasn't a long list). It was over budget but I figured worth a look and the minute I viewed it I knew it was the right car for me. The owner was selling it to get a company E-Class hybrid but had clearly cherished it and the car came with extensive MB history and most importantly having had a gearbox rebuild. I think he already had seller's remorse before he had even sold it.

"The other big benefit was that it had an LPG kit professionally fitted. I knew from first-hand that running V8s isn't something for the economy conscious but this made it comparable to running a 2.0 petrol. Filling the LPG tank up for only £30 gives me a smug feeling every time.

"At the time I bought it I was also looking at E39 M5s and though I'm sure they would be a better car for a summer Saturday morning hoon, I've concluded that for everyday use the E500 is a far better proposition."

Maintains stealth tradition of W124 E500

What I wish I'd known:
"Not a lot so far, I'd done my homework carefully before buying and knew the main issues (gearbox and air suspension). I looked into a warranty but nowadays they refuse to cover air suspension so are pretty much useless.

"Although it's in the £500 tax bracket, virtually all W211 facelifts are and I figured the benefits of the facelift in terms of reliability outweigh the extra £250 in car tax. In the height of summer they driver's side air-con was not man enough to cope with the heat and I feared a sensor somewhere had packed up but got it re-gassed first as a precaution and that sorted the problem out. It turned out there wasn't enough gas in the system to run both evaporators."

Things I love:
"It's a real Q-car, few people know what it is and what it's capable of, and it's smart without being too showy for business. Naturally the V8 and its performance are the best bits, overtaking is done in the blink of an eye. But if you want to pootle then it's loaded with kit and the air suspension gives you a choice of comfort or hard charging (or 'Milton Keynes roundabout mode' as my boys have re-christened Sports 2). And the Designo interior means every journey feels special."

Things I hate:
"The exhaust could be a lot louder; the engine note is more subdued than my old 535 despite the extra power. Once it's a bit older I'll sort a more 'special' exhaust out but I need a break from spending at the moment. And it could be smaller, it does take some work to find the right parking space."

Original owner got busy on the options list

Costs:
"As you might expect it's a bit juicy on fuel. A weekend of short journeys saw an average of 15mpg, however the LPG costs do offset that a lot.

"Insurance seems to be close to that of my old 535 despite being significantly newer, I think perhaps one benefit of driving a car classified more as luxury than sports. Service costs also seem reasonable though I've yet to experience this first hand. My BMWs were serviced by the excellent MTec in Northampton and I plan to go the specialist route with the Merc as well. A friend and several PHers have recommended Autoclass in Milton Keynes, and as the car tells me every morning how long before I need to dip into my pocket I'll be finding out in another 197 miles."

Where I've been:
"Everywhere. This is my daily so it's used for the half-mile trip to the office, plenty of motorway work and everything in between. With a V8 soundtrack every journey is special. As tempting as it is to take it down the strip at Santa Pod, I've yet to do that. As is standard for PH I've also got an MX-5 and that does the track day, motorsport hack job leaving the E500 for the nice stuff."

LPG conversion takes the edge off running costs

What next?
"I promised myself this one's a keeper (my average ownership is less than a year), and I'm hoping it will shift from something fairly new to a pseudo classic in the way old Mercs seem to manage better than other makes. At the moment I'm keeping it standard and just sorting out the basics for everyday convenience (phone kit, winter mats, iPod connectivity), long term then I hope to fit a performance exhaust to free a bit more vocal range but it certainly doesn't need anything to boost its performance."

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mitch78

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