2000 Mercedes-benz S500 Base Sedan 4-door 5.0l on 2040-cars

This car was originally sticker priced at $83,155 (it’s current S550 sister now lists at a minimum of $94,4000). It was a new body style for Mercedes at the time, and it’s difficult to tell just how hold this luxury vehicle is — many people think the car is brand new.

The vehicle was way ahead of its time, had the lowest drag coefficient (.27) of any production car in model year 2000, outstanding safety, and 0-60 mph (effortlessly) in only 6.1 seconds. Among its accoutrements: a factory-installed Bose multiple speaker stereo system with CD changer; Navigation with the Southwest U.S. #4 disc; Fourteen-way power seats with memory, and pneumatic lumbar support; burl walnut trim; xenon lights with headlight washers and twilight sensor; Parktronic multistage feelers for both forward and reverse; electric rear window sunshade; pneumatic rear-folding head rests; Airmatic suspension with adaptive damping; electric pneumatic doors and trunk; integrated automatic sunroof; steering wheel controls for various operations; three universal garage door openers integrated into the rearview mirror; Electronic Stability Program (ESP); 302 horsepower; and 330 lb-ft of torque.

This is my fifth and best Mercedes I’ve ever owned, hence I named this one “Max,” short for Maxine. Nearly two percent of Max’s total 135,100 mileage has occurred in the last couple weeks, as I drove her on vacation back from my fiancee’s Ontario home where she’s been sitting with minimal drive-time for the last two years.

It’s an expensive process to officially change a car to Canadian, so her time over the border was wearing thin, and Max deserves warmer temperatures than what she’s suffered through recently. So I decided to drive to Texas, where I’m selling the car in our hometown, and flying back to Canada, where I’ll purchase a Canadian vehicle for my trips there.

The close-up photo showing the mileage computer was taken after the long road trip back, but before I spent a lot of time in Austin, so the average MPG has gone down since the last reset with lots of city and hill country driving, but only by a few tenths (see wider shot photo with steering wheel).

It was a fantastic way to take a vacation — a touring sedan with every comfort imaginable. A push of the front passenger memory button, of course, moves the seat the front passenger’s seat arrangement, and the driver’s side memory button also moves the steering wheel, the electronic headrest, and all mirrors including the interior rearview mirror. While driving for hours at a time, I changed the lumbar support’s dial occasionally to give my back a fresh perspective, or easily selected a different Fahrenheit temperature for either side (the car can also be converted to display metric and Celsius information). The activated charcoal filter markedly reduces bad odors and removes pollutants trying to enter the passenger compartment.

Holding down the remote key’s lock button, rolls up all windows and closes the sunroof before locking the car. Holding the unlock for extended time reverses that procedure, or you can just click it to unlock or lock the doors and set the manufacturer’s Antitheft Alarm System. And it’s really nice just to get any of Max’s doors to the closing point, and let her gradually suck the door in all the way and quietly seal the car.

The ignition key looks like it’s from 2020, and there are two of them, plus a wild-looking valet key that comes with the car. The cruise control is amazingly smooth even on hills, and easily moves in 1-mph increments either faster or slower. I barely touched a gas pedal much of the trip, even through speed-trap towns. While the speedometer goes to 160+ mph, don’t try it — there’s a governor that stops the car from traveling over 143 mph (I think; I never tried it, but that’s how it worked on my e420). I almost forgot that the side mirrors have an electronic folding system in tight parking spots, because I’m so used to parking this car next to absolutely nothing, and then walking the extra yards to wherever — it just keeps Max looking her best.

While driving, Mercedes Benz computers handle all sorts of additional control, like the Electronic Stability Program, the Adaptive Damping System, and the Airmatic Suspension. I also enjoy using Max’s front and rear fog lamps in inclement weather. The Mercedes Benz also divides its parking lamps into two sides, so you have the option of only turning on the side near the street. There’s a detailed owner’s manual pictured on the car seat in its glove box pouch, and you can download the PDF from various places if you want to see additional car info in detail before you bid. I’ve included a couple pictures of the manual as well.

Under ten miles per hour in forward or reverse, you’ll see the Parktronic system turn on, which keeps you just inches away from objects if you desire to get that close. A yellow-lighted gauge on the left or right side gets bigger the closer you get, then flashes two stages of red and beeps when it’s getting uncomfortably close.

You’ll see some wear and tear common in a car this age, but people like me who buy these cars take great care of them, and it shows. The things my shop and I decided not to do are: The passenger side illuminated vanity mirror’s cover is in the glove compartment, with a small pin replacing a plastic piece that broke, and perhaps your passenger will be more cognizant of handling it gracefully when you put it back — mine always broke it (both its normal and magnifying makeup mirrors still work but it’s just not covered or lit with the cover off); the steering wheel buttons look dirty, but they’ve been cleaned (see photo); the navigation system ever since I took it to Canada says, “Loading...” and it never goes beyond that, but when it did work, it was far outdated, and most of us use smartphones even if a car is navigation-friendly; you’re doing the right thing — buy a used car and get new tires — since all five of these tires are just about finished; the trunk no longer opens pneumatically — you insert a mechanical key (tucked inside the electronic keys) to unlock it, but be careful, because you may also be opening windows and the sunroof if you hold it too long (I say that because if you don’t look, you could get rain in the car); one of the temperature adjustment buttons has lost its small cap, but still works (see photo); the MB car mats, especially the driver’s side could be replaced, but carpet underneath them looks beautiful; transmission is not as smooth as it used to be, but got great gas mileage throughout the trip (dash photos); the driver’s side windshield wiper makes a scraping noise when it hits just the right combination of moisture on the window (could be because it was replaced with non-MB part); I used the “R” button on the driver’s control panel during every start — to reset two malfunctions — one is washer fluid empty (I think my washer fluid froze in -40?C Canadian temperatures (same as -40?F ), and popped the line near the passenger side headlight’s washer system), and two is a burned-out turn signal bulb in the right-side mirror; the beautifully-done window tinting on the car has a almost imperceptible scratch, perhaps from some sort of pebble that must have been in a bad place when the driver’s window was closed; and finally, when you wash the car by hand you’ll find some little chips and mars, or pinhole chips fixed by the MB paint stick, and you'll see where some rubber trim seals could be replaced, but the car has never had an accident, and all other people will just see a beautiful car.

While on the Saint Louis portion of my trip, I took my 88-year old mother and my two six-foot tall brothers out for dinner. Both men sat comfortably in the back, one of them opened his rear seat lighted vanity mirror (he thought it might be a recessed DVD player), and pushed various other buttons. The other one, watching him, asked, “So this is a Mercedes?” He replied, “It’s not only a Mercedes; this is the big one; an S500. These things cost as much as a house!”

Needless to say, you will get a car that puts you in the wealthiest category of drivers, so you should find a reputable shop that doesn’t believe your made of money to maintain the car. I’ve found such a place at Ben's Workshop in Austin. Bill and Jennifer Morey take great care with their customers, and have built a shop that gets rave reviews and testimonials from its happy customers. if the car leaves Austin, I’m hoping you can find a similar service provider.

I wrote this note in detail hoping to find Max a new owner that will love her as much as I have. I may have written too much, or done some other sales technique wrong, but I don’t sell cars for a business. I’m just not interested in someone who is trying to buy cheap to resell at a higher price, or someone trying to make thousands of dollars in the parts market. I believe Max has many more healthy years to cruise the highways and byways of the U.S. I hope Max is purchased by a car enthusiast like you who wants to drive one of the best touring sedans ever made, and will share the ride proudly with your friends who would never dream how little you paid for such an amazing vehicle. I thank you for your review and consideration, and best wishes for a successful, win-win bid.