Sadly not, don’t think there was ever a 500E coupe! There was however the AMG hammer coupe. Mine’s a very tidy e220, much like a FFRR, you simply float along.

Kit,
Hang in there, you will find 'that' car. I also spent the best part of a year looking for a green, light interior, non-privacy glass car (06-10) and it is easy to get despondent.
Your colour choice is not common (in fact it is very classy - see what I did there!) but they can be found. In Feb 2021 I got a MY11 4.4 TDV8 Vogue in Galway Green with clear glass and sand interior. It had 126k on the clock and full SH (LR and indys and on its second service book) and I was reassured after speaking to the previous keeper (though the car came via a specialist sports luxury dealer). I paid £12k. Looked after these cars do not show their age.
Previous posters are right when they say history including MOT history, is the key.
I have now done 8k in it and I love it. It has cost me a new battery, height sensor, lower front arm (MOT), wheel alignment and a rear brake caliper.
For what it is worth I would also now look at cars that fit most of your spec rather than all of your spec (I did that and 'the one' popped up!) and, while prices are/have been inflated I think they will drop (cost of living/covid/ukraine). And don't rule out a 4.4 TDV8 That extra hp and torque really works with the 8 speed box and I regularly average mpg mid-30s to low 40s.
You will get your green unicorn.
Ron

What a nice looking thing. Thanks for the advice and encouragement.

Last edited by KitTheRam on 7th Apr 2022 6:20pm. Edited 1 time in total

That's incredible mpg - how do you get those figures? 2012 TDV8 Vogue (L322)

As there have been a lot of recommendations for the 4.4 in previous comments, it got me thinking - what parts of the facelift L322 are easy to back date? Grills? Lights? Or not much due to subtle size differences and wiring issues? Guess not many people think about making their newer FFRR look older!

The lights (bar xenons) are LED on the last ones, so I imagine the LCM wound not like the normal bulbs in the earlier rear lights and front units. Can’t easily put an early LCM in as it’s a different system. There are also no tabs on the front wings to hold the earlier headlight units. If I remember right, they get cut off from the earlier cars when doing a facelift. Could always put something back on I imagine, but it would be a fair bit of work.

Never tried any of this though, and agree that the earlier cars have a more classic look.

 2011 Range Rover Vogue SE 4.4 TDV8

Previous cars :
2003 Range Rover Vogue TD6
1999 Discovery Td5 ES
1995 BMW M5 3.8 6 speed
1992 Range Rover 3.9 Efi Vogue
1992 BMW M5 3.8
1988 BMW 735i SE
1989 Ford Sierra XR4x4 2.9i
1981 Ford Fiesta Supersport

Thanks, thought the work load would be rather a lot, and rather complicated. Sold my Mercedes today, next to go is my e30, not in a rush but if I spot the right L322 that may change!

I find the colours of the face lift versions alter the overall look of the car more than the older versions, silver and grey especially seem to blend with the newer lights better I feel, and the darker grills seem to sit better overall. Nice looks car you have there.

Another question I have, I prefer cars with no side steps - are these a pain to remove / do they leave holes that need filling in the body work? Is it better to stick with the cars that never had them fitted in the first place if I want that look? Annoyingly this would make my brief even tighter!

Last edited by KitTheRam on 10th Apr 2022 8:16am. Edited 1 time in total

Side steps are easy to remove and agree the L322 looks better without them. 2012 TDV8 Vogue (L322)

Great. Most seem to integrate with the mud-flaps so guess they come off with it too easily?

The front mudflaps for sidestep equipped cars have a cosmetic extrusion for the ends of the sidesteps to go into. Again the L322 looks nicer without mudflaps IMO but you may find some paint damage or holes exposed in the bodywork if you remove them. I kept my flaps as I do go muddy places sometimes and they are a practical neccessity. 2012 TDV8 Vogue (L322)

Good to know. Ideally I would want a car with no sidesteps or mud-flaps. Guess in this case you just need to pay special attention to them when washing. Like many owners, country lanes are as about as off road as I will go.

In my general oem obsession way I like saving official press shots, I don’t mind it in black when there are no accessories and clear windows, not many of those about I guess.



My Mercedes I just sold was ‘blue black’, a great colour and a great car. Unbelievably reliable too. Will miss it.

Found a 2009 TDV8 that had and engine out turbo job last year along with some other bits at JLR, the paper work shows the bill was close to £4k.

There’s a very small bit of rust on the drivers side rear arch (see below, not the best picture I know), how problematic is that likely to be? If it’s visible is there likely to be a lot more below it?

Click image to enlarge