i'm getting tired of my underpowered subaru wagon, it might get better when i have a new manidol fabbed so the turbo will acually spin but i was crusing craigslist and came across a 500 SEL in my price range and i was wondering if any one here has had any experence with these.

i know older mercedes arent as expencive to maintain and last a bit longer than some of the other stuff but are still equipped with bizzare mechanical things. the 500 SEL has a 5.0L V8, dont know if its injected or carbed. if its injected it might be mechanical instead of electrinic.

the main reason i am considering such a beast is because it'll cost me with minimum insurance $15 a month, more than making up for the added fuel cost. average for the wagon is $55 a month for minimums

heres some specs between the 2
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/2008c...olumn=2&id=492

any ways i was just wonderin, probally selling the wagon either way

 

what habe you go to lose?

 

don't know about that specific benz, but my dad had a 300d that ended up taking quite a bit of money. everything on it was so different than any other car. some crazy systems on it. then, right after he sold it, the tranny went out. and don't get me wrong, this was no piece of junk. that car was NICE. for a 300d anyway. i mean it looked like the best car on the lot. and you def felt pretty good cruising down the road in it. i wish i could be more specific about what went wrong, but i guess it wouldn't matter because the car you're looking at is gas.

 

yea i hear the diesels like to rattle them selves apart like that. still made well but go through alot more hell

 

dunno. it didn't shake too badly. first to second shift was really rough. i hear all of them are like that though.

 

Might as well throw my first post out on my favorite German MFG.

For your inj/carbed question the answer is Yes. It largely depends on year, but unless you get a 1993,4,5 (depending on MY) or newer, they have Bosch HIS mechanical injection. They're a PITA if you want to modify it, but they're brutally reliable. They're a really odd system that has a regulator block (the later ones are electronically controlled) and a giant "afm" (read: Big ol' flapper door) that sits above the butterflies and meters the fuel. If you feel frisky and want to convert to something like megasquirt, you can gut the HIS module (the TB with the flapper door), replace mechanical injectors with electronic ones and get rid of the metering block.

As far as reliability, from the mid 80's up until the mid 90's, MB used a "bio-degradable" wiring insulation which actually degrades before the car does, so make sure the wiring harness has been at least checked over, by now it's pretty much an act of god and/or neglect if they haven't been checked over/replaced by now. Past that the car is way over built, prices may be a bit more, but that's mostly because they usually don't break. The auto with a 500SEL should be the 722.6xx if it's a mid-80's car and that trans is basically indestructible from what I've heard. It's served in basically every MB platform, including being the sole trans behind the M120 V12 Bi-turbo of their giant land-yachts. The suspension is basically straight forward with no surprises and the biggest things to look for is signs of neglect. Since these cars could pretty much run forever with no maintenance, most owners try this. Past this, there are Many many merc's with 400k+ and still running strong. The only cars that have dirtied the past of MB are when they and chrysler were together. That company pretty much single handedly crushed the reliability of the once good car company ad they're slowly working back now that they're separate again.

At any rate, Don't expect it to be a super car, but it's hard to cruise around in more comfort than a 5/600 series MB.

 

not exactly what i meant, i meant the rattling sound they make and the higher stress they are put under being a lower powered engine. they still last a long time but some dont last as long as others espeically when 3.0L is pushing a 2 ton car.

well any way i called on it today and the lady said they think they have a buyer but she didnt seem too sure but she asked for my name and number to call me back if it fell through.

i am hoping it does, there are pics of the Ad and its $300 obo, i get the feeling its a car they are scared to take some place and get charged a whole bunch.