The 500E is originally from California, and moved to FL/AL in the early 2000s. It is more or less rust-free, with just some typical bubbling on the C-pillar. A very small spot and can easily be wiped out by a body shop in a day.
However, in an effort to keep it this way, we noticed that water was settling into the spare tire well of the trunk. This area of almost any Mercedes from the 80s through the 90s is rust-prone on even the driest of examples, so water pooling were was a distinct threat.
The cause? The broken trunk plinth on the decklid, and some busted hardware behind the rear emblem. Just enough liquid was getting through the tiny gaps caused by the trim piece being broken in three places and the swollen hardware that no longer kept the badge snug against the bodywork.
A wrecking yard in VA that had just opened up was more than happy for the business that came over the transom and shipped a minty plinth up to my shop. Easy-peasy.