I was recently viewing the latest edition of Spike's Car Radio where Jerry Seinfeld made an appearance, and he and regular guest Zuckerman captured a sentiment I've experienced with the 1992 500E I bought a few months ago. It's the roller coaster of emotions that come with a new acquisition, and how oftentimes, once you get behind the wheel for the first time, there can be some disappointment. Not over any one glaring flaw, perhaps, but just the realization, It's here. It's your problem now.
Seinfeld notes, "You open the door, you get in, and immediately, emotionally crash. Hopefully, it changes when you start the car and drive it, but usually when you first get in it, there's almost always seems to be a moment of, 'What the hell did I do?'" Truly, I felt this with the 500E not only because it was immediately evident the transmission was in a state of decline but also because the 500E is not one of those cars that immediately registers as special.
Obviously, there's a ton of, "If you know, you know" factor with the widebody W124 that was built by Porsche, but you have to be OK with that being the reason you like it. Right now, I haven't driven the car more than 5 miles, and it wasn't all that enjoyable. It's almost worse that every review on YouTube talks about how amazing it is, yet I have a 2002 E55 sitting outside. However, the M113 in the E55 is SOHC, and the M119 in the 500E is DOHC, which is a totally different experience.
Here's the hope: once the transmission is replaced, and once proper tires are installed, and the suspension is appropriately refreshed (within reason, since we're keeping the original SLS components), it will be the car I want it to be. After swinging by the shop last week, I was reminded just how much of the total package is made up of those front fenders - they're gorgeous. And, the mechanic telling me how many people stop by each week asking if it's for sale doesn't hurt, either.