I need a 4 door sedan... M5 or 500e?

[sprbxr]

I need a 4 door sedan. I am trying to decide between a 90's M5 or a 92-94 Benz 500e. Any comments?

[Bez]

A6 4.2 - very under-rated and understated. Of course, depends how much you want to spend.

[jmarenas]

I have owned many Benzes including my current Daily Driver ML 320. I pick Audi, the 4.2 is a great engine, not to mention the NON dated styling. John

[sprbxr]

Not really into Audis. I thought about an S4 for a while though.

[RickM]

Between those two the M5 would be my choice. Which year?

[PorscheGuy79]

Or...

[PorscheGuy79]

My choice would be the M5. Good cars and plus you could stay in the pelican forums! lol

[CarreraS2]

M5, because it's a stick, not a slushbox.

Also, it looks better. While I appreciate a "sleeper," the E500 looks old, dated, and pretty much like all the other old 300E's that litter the roads of Orange County. (True, the E500 has subtle flares, but the emphasis is on subtle).

The E500 is fast, but I'd think the M5 is, as a whole, a lot more fun to drive.

[trj911]

The M5 gets my vote. OT forum material.

[Brother]

Get an old diesel benz and convert it to greasel!

Nothing says arriviste like an 80's Benz smelling like a Mikey D's fry warmer.

[zotman72]

Before this topic gets tossed as OT, what model of Benz in the early '90s did Porsche custom tune? Oh, do check the "four rings of dispair" marque, you might be pleasantly surprised. If you are anywhere near snow, a quattro is quite competent.

[jmarenas]

Not into BMW's at all exterior is fine, too many gizmos to break in the interior....thus if you have the dough the new Cadillac CTS-V is VERY nice, or the soon to be out SRT-8 300C 400 HP under 45K with Brembos all around. Will be THE car package combo, with all benz suspension from the last generation E-Class. If your budget can hold out the New Cadillac- CTS V-R version 500 HP will be out next spring as well, but look for the MID 80's with only 1,000 copies made

[williel]

M5 or 500E are both limited production cars. Although I can't say much about the M5 since I've not owned one other than it's probably one of the most desired models BMW ever produced.

As for the 500E, Porsche was contracted by MB to build it at the old 959 plant. It had a hand in the suspension and the intake system but that's about it. MB did it all with assembly done by Porsche. If you're true to the marque, then 500E is no question.

I've had mine for about 2 years and have enjoyed driving every minute of it. At this time, the market is soft, you can probably find one for < $20K, remember it was a $80k car when new. At >320 hp, it's a fast , solid like a tank, high speed cruiser with the reliability of an SC that can go 200-250k miles easy.

If you want stealth, it's the car, esp since most came in pearl black, it's rare to find any other color. Some say it's dated, some say it's timeless. What matters is what you're happy with.

PM me if you have any 500E ??s.

Willie

[Bob D]

Originally posted by sprbxr
Not really into Audis. I thought about an S4 for a while though.

I went through the same process four years ago, and wound up with a '95 Audi S6 instead of the M5. Not as nice out of the box, but with a few mods it is about as fast, MUCH better in the winter, and it has been remarkably trouble free even with 250,000 KM on the clock.

[Bill_Rockoff]

On the one hand, M5's of that era are manual transmission and straight-sixes. If you go for the BMW uber-sedan kind of thing, the M5 of that era is probably a good bet.

On the other hand, how "fun" is a two-ton sedan going to be, manual trans or otherwise? And the E500 is probably faster. Fun articles at

http://www.homestead.com/need2speed/articlearchives.html

Plus, Porsche actually did much of the work (they used to ship E-class chassis to Porsche for modification & powertrain fitment, and then ship them back to Mercedes for interiors etc.)

Both are pretty invisible, blending in with all the lesser variants of mid-size sedans from their respective makers. I personally think that's a GOOD thing if you actually like to drive fast. How fast can you go in something that calls attention to itself all the time? People will want to arrest you, or block you, or race you, and none of those things are conducive to getting where you're going in a hurry.

A few years ago, I was having wheels straightened at Rennsport and talked to the driver of an E500 who was picking up race car wheels. He told me, "I've owned all sorts of things, including exotic cars, and this thing is the absolute fastest over-the-road car I've ever had." The effortless speed and invisibility really add up, apparently.

Keep in mind that either of these cars will require proportionately more upkeep than a standard version. Maybe a later E400 / 430, or a 540i / 6-speed, would be a better choice?

Not quite as serious, but also potentially fun, would be an XJR Jaguar. The same money you'd spend on a dozen-year-old E500 or M5 would get you a 380-hp supercharged V8 Jag made in the last four or five years......

Happy shopping.

- Bill

[jtkkz]

M5

[sprbxr]

I figured it wasn't that far OT b/c of the Porsche Connection to the 500e. I was leaning towards the Benz. The transmission difference doesn't really bother me that much. I was hoping to spend less than $20k. I had an E36 m3 that I had fun with but I need something a bit bigger. I don't want Camry/Accord. Too Boring. I don't want a new car.

[pjv911]

Have you tried out the Infinity G35 sedan yet . I test drove many high end sedans and was most impressed with the performance of the g35 . Its basically the 350z but 200lbs heavier and has more class and a full size back seat. Best of all its only $36k with all the options. 4WD is optional too . I bought one for my wife about a year ago and actually enjoy when I get to drive the car on family day(sunday).

Kurt Williams

[sprbxr]

I am trying to get something a little older so I don't get hammered on property taxes. I am pretty much sticking to german cars too.

[stealthn]

Too much money, but everyone has to test the new MB C55. It's awesome!!! I got the experience of being a passenger in one on my home autoX track and it blew the doors off my 911.
Musta been the V8, or the racing slicks, but for a 4 door it blew away rides in newer M5's that I had been in.

Your opinion may vary...