Buy a Mercedes 500E
Against the soaring prices of other Eighties/Nineties performance saloons like the BMW M3 and Cosworth Sierra the Mercedes 500E still looks good value. With a governed 155mph top speed, 0-60mph in 6.3 seconds (5.2 for the AMG E60 version), hand-built exclusivity by Porsche and discreetly tweaked Mercedes W124 styling it’s a lot of car for £20k. Remember, you’d have had to find £57k to buy one new, and that was way back in 1991.
Of course, the very virtues that make it so appealing also mean that you need to arm yourself with all the right knowledge before waving your money around. Sure, these cars were beautifully built, but even the best build quality is soon outwitted by neglect and abuse. The detailed buying guide in the latest issue of Classic Cars take you through a five-step checklist to help you avoid to most annoying and expensive faults that you’re likely to encounter.
Buying advice and market analysis is part of 16 pages of buying information in every issue of Classic Cars magazine, including Quentin Willson’s Smart Buys, Russ Smith’s Market Watch, in-depth buying guides and Ads on Test.
Phil Bell
Editor, Classic Cars magazine